DNREC seeks volunteers for DuPont Nature Center cleanup March 18
The DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve, a DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife facility located in the heart of Delaware's Bayshore Region, will reopen Wednesday, April 4, after being closed for the winter. The center will operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays and Saturdays until the end of April. Spring and summer hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays, from Tuesday, May 1, to Thursday, Aug. 30. For September, the center will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays and Saturdays only.
Prior to reopening day, the DuPont Nature Center will hold a volunteer spring cleanup day from 1 to 3 p.m., Sunday, March 18. Projects include exhibit and tank setup, deck maintenance, painting, planting beach grass, and cleaning the center and surrounding grounds. Volunteers under age 18 must provide a parental consent form, and volunteers under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information or to sign up to volunteer, contact Lynne Pusey at lynne.pusey@state.de.us or 302-422-1329.
Located on the edge of Mispillion Harbor at the intersection of the mouths of the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek, the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve offers a variety of interactive exhibits and educational programs. For more information on spring and summer programs, go to www.dnrec.delaware.gov and search DuPont Nature Center. Indoor freshwater and saltwater tanks allow a close-up look at a variety of aquatic species from horseshoe crabs to diamondback terrapins.
In the spring, the center's large deck overlooking the harbor offers wildlife watchers an unparalleled view of the spectacle of spawning horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds, including red knots that depend on horseshoe crab eggs to help fuel their 9,000-mile journey.
The DuPont Nature Center is at 2992 Lighthouse Road, near Slaughter Beach, east of Milford. Admission is free and the center is open to the public. For general information, call 302-422-1329 or visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/education/pages/dnc.aspx.
