NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTOL

 April 10, 2008
Vol. 38, No.149

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Photo Available by contacting DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

 For more information contact Dawn Webb, Dupont Nature Center, Division of Fish and Wildlife, 302-422-1329 or Melanie Rapp, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

 Marine Mammals of the Delaware Estuary Workshop Set for April 16 at DNREC’s DuPont Nature Center 

(Slaughter Beach, Del.) Marine Mammals of the Delaware Estuary – an exciting new workshop that will explore the marine mammals that migrate to the Delaware estuary – will be held 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 16 at the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve, 2992 Lighthouse Road near Slaughter Beach. The workshop is free, and pre-registration is not required.

 The Delaware estuary is a vital ecosystem creating habitat for thousands of plants and animals – from microscopic plankton to the marine mammals that migrate to Delaware’s waters from their breeding grounds in South America. Mammals, such as seals and whales, visit the estuary to forage on abundant food resources the estuary provides.

 Workshop participants will discover the four species of pinniped, or fin-footed mammals that include seals, and the 15 species of cetacean, or whales, dolphins and porpoises, which visit the estuary. These mammals possess amazing adaptations which allow them to survive in harsh marine environments.

 The DuPont Nature Center is a state-of-the-art interpretive science center offering up-close encounters with the unique animals and plants of the Delaware Bay and Estuary. The distinctive red-roofed center serves as a science-based education facility and includes an observation deck with telescopes to view the harbor, bay and shoreline. Inside, the center is filled with exhibits on the Delaware Bay’s natural history and ecology. Operated by DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, the center is currently open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The nature center grounds will remain open each day until sundown.

 For more information, contact Dawn Webb, Center Manager, at 302-422-1329 or visit www.dupontnaturecenter.org