Hundreds of environmental educators, managers, and scientists will converge on Cape May’s Grand Hotel for the Delaware Estuary Science & Environmental Summit on January 27-30. 

Dozens of experts are scheduled to give over 130 presentations.  However, talk outside the lecture halls will almost certainly focus on Superstorm Sandy’s impact on our region.

The four-day conference will be hosted by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, one of the only organizations working to restore the tidal Delaware River and Bay in all of its surrounding states.  This follows the September release of its “State of the Estuary Report,” which details the region’s environmental health.

The theme of the summit is “Weathering Change: Shifting Environments, Shifting Policies, Shifting Needs.”  Little did planners know just how appropriate this would be when they chose it.

“Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Sandy, and other recent storms exposed how vulnerable our coastline is,” explained Jennifer Adkins, executive director of the PDE.  “This summit will foster discussions about making communities and ecosystems more resilient against frequent storms made worse by rising seas.”

The PDE has hosted its summit every two years since 2005.  It is intended to be a mid-winter retreat for those who spend the warmer months outdoors conducting research, leading programs, and performing restoration projects.

“People value this summit because it’s an opportunity for experts from different environmental sectors to periodically connect and share their latest observations about emerging research and restoration priorities,” explained Dr. Danielle Kreeger, science director at the PDE.  “This gets them communicating and thinking about how things interact across the entire Delaware River Basin and Bay instead of specific areas in Delaware, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania.”

Anyone can attend the Delaware Estuary Science & Environmental Summit.  Registration is available online at DelawareEstuary.org or by calling (800) 445-4935, extension 114.

The cost to attend is $120 for students, $320 for nonstudents, or $160 per day.  While lodging is not included, prices do cover continental breakfast and lunch each day, as well as dinner on January 28.  Overnight accommodations can be reserved by calling the event’s venue, the Grand Hotel, at (800) 257-8550.

For more information, visit the Delaware Estuary Science & Environmental Summit webpage.

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