An alliance of public and private organizations convened by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary has selected six restoration projects as the top ones for improving the tidal Delaware River and Bay in 2013, prompting DuPont to invest $20,000 through its Clear Into the Future program.

One project involves the reintroduction of freshwater mussels in the West Branch of Skippack Creek near Mainland, Pennsylvania.  For another, DuPont will provide seed funding for expanding the restoration of sandy beaches along Delaware Bay in New Jersey, where horseshoe crabs spawn and shorebirds migrate.

“This is exactly what we hoped would happen four years ago, when we created the Alliance for Comprehensive Ecosystem Solutions,” said Jennifer Adkins, executive director of the PDE.  “We knew that funders like DuPont wanted to play a leadership role in restoring the environment and are eager for guidance on where to invest given the incredible level of need.”

In addition to the two projects funded, or partially funded, by DuPont, four others were also deemed to be top priorities; one in Delaware, one in Pennsylvania, and two in New Jersey.  The total amount needed to fund all six priority projects is over $1.2 million. 

Individual project needs range from $11,000 to $750,000.  Since its creation in 2010, the Alliance has helped to attract well over $250,000 to projects across the Delaware River Valley.

Three of this year’s priority projects involve creating or enhancing tidal wetlands, which are critical for flood control, clean water, and healthy fish and wildlife. 

These include projects in South Wilmington, Neshaminy State Park in Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey.  At Peters Creek in Audubon Park, New Jersey, a project is proposed to capture and clean polluted runoff before it flows into the nearby Delaware River.

Each year the 12-member Alliance selects priority projects from an online Project Registry maintained by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.  Anyone can submit a project to this registry. 

Projects considered by the Alliance focus on forested streams and headwaters, urban waterfronts, shellfish and other signature species of the Delaware Estuary, and tidal wetlands.  There are currently more than 150 projects on file in the Project Registry. 

Many of them are even shovel ready, allowing the Alliance to actively use its influence to cultivate both funding and volunteers.

For more information, call the PDE at (800) 445-4935, extension 115.

6/10/2013