May 21, 2010
Vol. 40, No. 173

For further information, contact Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902. 

Nominations open through June 1 for 2010 Young Environmentalist Awards 

If you know a Delaware student who is making a difference for the environment, there’s still time to nominate him or her for the 2010 Young Environmentalist of the Year Awards. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is accepting nominations from teachers, classmates, parents, club or group leaders and others now through Tuesday, June 1.

Nominations must be based on actions or projects which have taken place between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010.

A winner will be chosen from each of the following categories:

• Elementary for students in grades 1-4
• Middle School for students in grades 5-8
• High School for students in grades 9-12

The Young Environmentalist program honors Delaware students whose actions have resulted in the protection, restoration or enhancement of Delaware’s natural resources. Judges will look for innovative projects that increase public awareness and demonstrate environmental ethics and stewardship.

Past honorees have included students who have organized tree plantings, a household hazardous waste community collection day and school recycling programs; students who volunteered their time with the Delaware Nature Society, DNREC’s Piping Plover Monitoring Program, the DuPont Nature Center, the Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs program, and the Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute, among other organizations; and a prolific poster artist, who worked to raise public awareness on a variety of environmental issues.

This is the 17th year for the award, which was established by DNREC colleagues and friends in honor of Dr. Edwin H. Clark II, who served as Secretary of DNREC from 1989 until 1993.   

A $100 U.S. savings bond and a Delaware State Parks gift certificate will be awarded to each category winner in recognition of his or her contribution to the community. Winners will be honored in a special ceremony.

For more information, please call Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, at 302-739-9902, or visit http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Admin/Pages/YoungEnv.aspx. You may also click here for a Young Environmentalist nomination form.