This week the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, a tri-state National Estuary Program, held its annual “Experience the Estuary Celebration” at Turbine Hall in Chester, Pa attracting more than 370 supporters from local businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

The theme of this year’s event was “The Delaware…A Living River, A Working River,” a fitting title given that Turbine Hall is housed within The Wharf at Rivertown, an early 20th Century power plant that has since been redeveloped from a riverside brownfield into a modern-day office complex.

Highlights of the evening included dinner by Max Hansen Caterer and silent and live auctions featuring merchandise contributed by dozens of businesses from throughout the tri-state region. Guests, meanwhile, were able to socialize between bids as they familiarized themselves with some of the environmental initiatives underway in the Delaware Estuary, or the tidal portion of the Delaware River and its watershed.

“The support and excitement generated by this event is a testament to the wide variety of people and institutions with a shared interest in a healthy and thriving watershed,” said Jennifer Adkins, interim executive director of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. “It’s only with their support that we can continue to work toward important benchmarks for clean water, flourishing wildlife, and strong communities.”

Since its inception in 1997, the Experience the Estuary Celebration has played an important role in raising both awareness and funding for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. Over the years, this support has helped the Wilmington-based nonprofit maintain its research, habitat restoration, and education and outreach programs throughout the tidal Delaware River Basin in Del., N.J. and Pa.

This year’s sponsors included: Exelon Corp., BP America, Inc., DuPont, Rohm and Haas, AKRF, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, PSEG’s Estuary Enhancement Program, and Wawa, Inc., among many others.

For more information, visit the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary webpage.

9/28/2007