Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund projects celebrate over $17 million in federal conservation grants, the largest total grant awards to date.
The 45 awards announced by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation leverage nearly $20.7 million in matching funds, providing a total conservation impact of $38 million.
While the watershed includes surrounding states, Delaware specifically was awarded over $900,000 for five projects, including $200,000 for habitat restoration at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.
“Delaware has a really awesome tidal marsh system that is degrading due to sea level rise, so we want to make sure that that tidal system — the saltwater marsh there — stays in contact and stays together for— specifically our focus is the American black duck," says Ducks Unlimited Biologist Mike Randall for the Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia area.
He explains the project will anchor a series of natural woody materials across 800 feet of mudflats to help prevent future habitat loss.
“The idea behind this structure is that it will trap sediment, raise the levels of the marsh as we’re fighting sea level rise and help promote vegetation growth behind the structure to restore the marsh to what it once was.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, black duck populations are trending downwards. The species already declined by more that 50% between the 1950s and 1980s due to loss of coastal habitats.
Randall says this project is one of the first of its kind on the East Coast, noting the method has already been used in the Great Lakes area.
The project is currently in its permitting phase, and Randall says while construction length is not yet known, he hopes to have the permits by this fall or winter.
Bombay Hook received an additional $88,000 to assess habitat management actions to assist a variety of marsh mitigation efforts.
Other Delaware projects include improving water quality and nature access at Rodney Reservoir Park, creating a watershed conservation action plan for the Mispillion River Watershed and assessment and design for wetlands enhancements on the Christina River waterfront.
You can view a full list of the projects here.
