Founded in 1964, the Delaware Nature Society is the pre-eminent non-profit environmental organization in the state. This position has been well earned through its long-term and consistently active preservation, conservation and advocacy programs. Delaware Nature Society is unique in the way it integrates education as a vital element in its role in preservation, conservation and advocacy. Currently, thousands of members support this important work and/or participate in programs while over 1,000 volunteers assist the 32 member core staff and interns so that annual programs continue to improve and increase.
Mission:
- to foster understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the natural world through education
- to preserve ecologically significant areas
- to advocate stewardship and conservation of natural resources
Educational Program:
- provides over 400 year-round environmental science, natural history, agricultural, and cultural history outdoor programs for all ages
- reaches 32,500 school student contacts with over 100 different day & overnight programs
- reaches under-served urban populations in Wilmington, Dover, Milford, and Rehoboth through NatureLink programs
- trains teachers and environmental professionals via five University of Delaware graduate courses
Preservation Program:
- pioneered preservation of natural areas in Delaware beginning in 1971
- through leadership of a coalition of 330 organizations achieved a permanent funding stream for open space and for farmland preservation
- created first Agricultural Preservation District north of the C & D Canal in Delaware by enrolling the Society's Coverdale Farm Preserve in the Agricultural Lands Preservation Program
- protects ~500 acres through conservation easements and deed restrictions
- promotes conservation through direct gifts, conservation easements, and land management counseling
Advocacy Program:
- works aggressively - through a scientific, fact-based approach - to protect Delaware's natural resources
- develops positions and takes actions on more than 50 issues at the federal, state, and local levels
- cultivates a network of citizen activists
Watershed Stewardship Program:
- coordinates Stream Adoption to educate individuals, families, scout and school groups about stream ecology, the threats to stream health, and their individual role in protecting water quality
- leads Technical Monitoring, a nationally recognized prototype for the acceptance and use of citizen science data by the State and Environmental Protection Agency
- certifies properties as official Backyard Wildlife Habitats in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation
Facilities:
- operates three nature education centers: Ashland Nature Center near Hockessin, Delaware, Abbott's Mill Nature Center near Milford, Delaware, and DuPont Environmental Education Center opening in September 2009 in Wilmington, DE.
- DNS manages the historic mill and grounds of Cooch-Dayett Mills for education programs
- manages the Coverdale Farm Preserve - an agricultural education facility dedicated to connecting people to the land
Land & Biodiversity Management:
- manages over 1,900 acres (620 Society owned)
- the above includes four nature preserves managed for the protection of biodiversity, research and environmental education-Burrows Run Preserve, Flint Woods Preserve, Marvel Saltmarsh Preserve, and Cedar Bog Preserve.
- Manages the forest restoration project at the New Castle County Middle Run Valley Natural Area.
Research & Publications:
- publishes books and videos promoting public awareness of land, water, and air quality; native plants and wildlife Revised 3/2009
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