NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
April 15, 2008
Vol. 38, No. 159
For more information, contact Lara Allison, Division of Fish and Wildlife, 302-735-3600, or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902. PHOTOS AVAILABLE.
St. Andrew’s School Celebrates Conservation Efforts with DNREC’s Divisions of Fish and Wildlife and Soil and Water Conservation
MIDDLETOWN, Del. – This afternoon at St. Andrew’s School in Middletown, representatives from the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Delaware Division of Soil and Water Conservation, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Appoquinimink River Association, the University of Delaware and the school’s students and staff celebrated the partnerships that are furthering the school’s long-term commitment to conservation.
For nearly 60 years, the school has worked with state and federal partners on conservation projects to enhance its 2,200-acre campus. Most recently, this spring, the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Private Lands Assistance Program partnered with the Division of Soil and Water Conservation and the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to complete a 107-acre reforestation project. The land was taken out of agricultural production in order to bolster and expand existing forest buffers by planting a native hardwood tree mix.
“This project will provide vital habitat for some of the species of greatest conservation need under our Wildlife Action Plan. Among those that stand to benefit are bald eagles, great blue herons, Cooper’s hawks and broad-winged hawks,” said Patrick Emory, director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife.
“Increasing these buffer areas will also help slow erosion and runoff, reducing sediment loads and nutrients entering Noxontown Pond – and that means healthier water and more stable land, which is better not only for wildlife, but also for all of us,” said Robert Baldwin, director of the Division of Soil and Water Conservation.
Funding for this large restoration project is from Fish and Wildlife’s Landowner Incentive Program grant, approved and funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Total cost is $192,429, including $150,958 from LIP federal grant funds. In addition, the Division of Soil and Water Conservation has contributed $41,471 in matching funds. These funds come from the division’s penalty accounting funds, which are stipulated to be used in the Delaware Bay estuary drainage area. The Forest Service oversaw execution of the reforestation plan by coordinating the planting crew and supervising the actual planting, and will follow up in the future to check the percentage of surviving trees.
The New Castle Conservation District and the NRCS have been partners with St. Andrew’s School since 1950. Projects over the years have included the dredging of Noxontown Pond in 1984-1985. As a cooperator with the District, the school has had a conservation plan and continues to update the plan and improve their property through the implementation of conservation practices. Many of these practices have been installed with cost-sharing assistance from the District, NRCS and the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).
Water quality and soil condition have been improved through the control of soil erosion with the use of conservation tillage and crop rotations, the planting of winter crops such as wheat and barley, and the conversion of cropland to hayland. Construction practices such as grassed waterways, diversions and grade control structures have been installed along with plantings of filterstrips and grasses and trees in critical areas.
“Our campus provides a wide range of opportunities to demonstrate conservation in action for our student body,” said St. Andrew’s Headmaster Daniel T. Roach. “We are pleased to have such wise and discerning partners to help us, and we are proud of these projects that protect our campus and natural world. They are, we promise, just the beginning,” he added.
“We appreciate St. Andrew’s commitment to conservation. Every private property owner who applies conservation practices can make a difference, and at St. Andrew’s, they’re making a difference in our environment as well as teaching new generations the value of doing so,” said Marianne Hardesty, District Conservationist with NRCS.
More projects are on the way. Additional water quality improvements are occurring now as farmers implement nutrient and pest management plans using modern technology such as GPS, scouting by crop consultants, splitting the application of nitrogen fertilizers, using pesticide seed treatments instead of sprays. Irrigation and rainfall records are also kept and soil moisture is tested to help calculate when supplemental irrigation is needed.
NRCS is presently in the design phase for several more grade control structures including a wetland, and is coordinating with the Appoquinimink River Association to plant a riparian buffer that will be protected by deer fencing installed by the University of Delaware. NRCS is also supplying funds through a Conservation Innovation Grant to the University of Delaware to demonstrate sustainable integration of value-added manure products into 21st century farming at St. Andrews School.
