Delaware’s National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR) celebrates its 30th Anniversary.
Delaware’s reserve was established in 1993 as a cooperative program between the State of Delaware and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
One of 30 Reserves across the country, the First State’s Reserve consists of the Blackbird Creek Reserve and the St. Jones Reserve. The national system of reserves protects more than 1.3 million acres of coastal land and water.
Families are invited to a 30 year celebration during the Blackbird Creek Fall Festival. That’s Saturday, October 21st at the Blackbird Creek Reserve near Townsend. The Reserve ’s Laurel Sullivan hopes all ages who come can see the value in their research.
“Everybody is important to engage with, so I think that whether you’re engaging with the parents that are learning about stream runoff, or you’re talking about the little raccoon they saw in the backyard three weeks ago, I think that everybody in the family is important to get involved with the science.”
Sullivan anticipates attendees looking for answers about the broad range of environmental concerns.
“Where does all the water that comes off my roof go?’ Well, that’s great - because we have watership steward here and they’re able to answer the questions that we have about that. So I kind of think of it like one-stop shopping - you can get all your questions answered, because we have this huge wealth of knowledge that’s there from all the vendors and exhibitors we bring in.”
Saturday’s festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m at the Blackbird Creek Reserve near Townsend.
