May 8, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 206

Contact: Sally Boswell, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Center for the Inland Bays, 302-226-8105, Cell 302-448-9148; Necia Beck, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9175, necia.beck@state.de.us.

First Diamondback Dash 5K Run for the Terrapins
Planned for May 17 - Runners and Walkers Welcome

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.  -  Why did the turtle cross the road? To get to The Greene Turtle Diamondback Dash 5K Race! The May 17 event is scheduled to mark the start of the Diamondback Terrapin breeding season in mid-May. 

“As terrapins get ready to cross dangerous Route 1 to lay their eggs this spring, we want to make sure they get all the help they can,” said Jennifer Jones, development coordinator at the Center for the Inland Bays, one of the race organizers.        

This race, sponsored by The Greene Turtle restaurants and Great Scott Broadcasting, is being held on Sunday, May 17 at the Center for the Inland Bays office on the Indian River Inlet at Delaware Seashore State Park.  The event will benefit the joint efforts of the Center for the Inland Bays and Delaware Seashore State Park to protect Diamondback Terrapins.

Registration for the race is $15 prior to May 15 and $20 on the day of the event. Race applications can be downloaded at www.inlandbays.org, or registration may be made online at www.active.com. Individuals may call 302-226-8105 to receive an application by mail. After May 15, registration will close until the day of the race. On race day, runners may register from 7:30 to 8:20 a.m. The first 250 participants to register will receive an event t-shirt.

The registration fee includes a one-year membership to the Center for the Inland Bays. During and after the race, there will be various activities at the Center for the Inland Bays, including an awards ceremony and barbecue with The Greene Turtle sliders and refreshments. Prizes will also be awarded.

“This event is a great opportunity for the community to join together and support one of the unique local species that needs our help,” said Ed Lewandowski, executive director for the Center for the Inland Bays. “Anyone can participate in the race, whether you are a seasoned runner or just want to take a walk and help out the terrapins.”

The Diamondback Terrapins travel between the bays and the sand dunes of the seashore during the reproductive season, which begins in mid-May and continues until mid-July. These turtles nest on land and require dry, soft sand or soil to lay their eggs. Each spring, female terrapins from the Inland Bays cross Route 1 to reach the sandy dunes on the Atlantic side; after they lay their eggs, they must cross once again to return to the bay. The hatchlings will often stay in the Atlantic dunes for their first year, but eventually, they must also cross the road to reach the estuary. The dual lane highway has made this a deadly crossing.  

This will be the fifth season for the Center for the Inland Bays Terrapin Education and Rescue Program (TERP), a project to raise public awareness about the plight of the Diamondback Terrapin, and recruit volunteers to help maintain the terrapin fences and patrol the highway to assist those animals that come onto the highway.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control installed fencing along Route 1 to prevent terrapins from crossing the roadway. This has been very successful, but some terrapins find their way through or around the barrier. The Center for the Inland Bays, in partnership with other agencies and businesses, has worked to improve terrapin nesting habitat and encourage nesting on the bayside of Route 1. The Diamondback Terrapin is listed as a species of concern in Delaware and several other states.

The Center for the Inland Bays is a non-profit organization established in 1994 to promote the wise use and enhancement of the Inland Bays Watershed through habitat protection and restoration, science and research, education and outreach and public policy. More information on the Delaware Inland Bays, an estuary of national significance, is available at www.inlandbays.org.

The Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Grille has been an area tradition since opening in Ocean City in 1976. The iconic, Maryland-based restaurant brand is one of the fastest growing casual restaurant franchises in the mid-Atlantic region, with 22 total locations in Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C.