Estuary Community Events

2008

August

Aug 8-10 - Delmarva Blue Crab Festival
The 2nd annual Delmarva Blue Crab Festival will be taking place Milton, DE with a central goal of ensuring the availability of blue crabs now and in the future. The event promises lots of education, entertainment, and delicious food. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has been chosen as a beneficiary to receive a portion of the proceeds from the event. The Foundation is a nonprofit environmental stewardship organization committed to improving bay and ocean water quality, as well as improving the environment overall.

September

Sept 20 - International Coastal Clean-Up Day
Be a part of the international effort to clean up America's coastlines! Clear into the Future will be teaming up with the DuPont Nature Center (and the rest of the world) on International Coastal Clean-Up Day! Thousands of people will descend on beaches, lakes, and streams all over the world to remove trash and debris from land and under water. Volunteers of all ages from every continent will form the largest one-day volunteer event on behalf of clean oceans and waterways. The event focuses on pollution prevention and educating and empowering people to become a part of the marine debris solution. Volunteers are encouraged to take part in the clean-up, beginning at 9am at the Nature Center. Refreshments will be provided.

Sept 20 - Pennsylvania Coast Day
Been a while since you enjoyed the beauty of the Pennsylvania coastline? Join Clear into the Future for some family-oriented fun at Pennsylvania Coast Day! Come to Penn's Landing to learn more about the Delaware Estuary and enjoy free music and entertainment, children's activities hosted by many of the region's most influential environmental organizations, and freshly roasted Delaware Bay oysters! For more information, please contact Dee Ross at (800) 445-4935, x106.

Sept 21 – 3rd Annual Dogfish Dash for The Nature Conservancy
Join us for the 3rd annual 5K/10K out-and-back road race to benefit the Delaware Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. The 8AM race starts and finishes at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in downtown Rehoboth Beach. Click here for more information.

Sept 26 - Kalmar Races
Can the DuPont Rowing Team win the title of "Wilmington Crew Champs of the Business World" again this year? Check out the Kalmar Races to find out! Our very own DuPont Rowing Team will be racing again this year and will donate $1,000 for the community cause. The 3rd annual race of seven local corporate crew teams will be held on September 26th this year. The Wilmington Renaissance Corporation hosts the event to raise money for the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation and Wilmington Rowing Club. Clear into the Future is ready to cheer on our crew champions and we hope you are too!

Sept 27 - National Estuaries Day
Today is National Estuaries Day! Clear into the Future is asking for your help in protecting the Delaware Estuary. The purpose of this day is to celebrate the importance of our country's estuaries and promote awareness and education about the need to protect them. Did you know...?

1. An estuary is the place where fresh water from a river empties into and mixes with the salt water from an ocean.

2.  Estuaries are among the most productive natural systems on earth due to the mixing of nutrients from land and sea

3. There are 102 significant estuaries in the U.S according to the EPA

4. Our coastal regions are currently home to 110 million people, a number that is expected to increase to 127 million by the year 2010.

5. Fishing, tourism, and recreational boating that take place on our estuaries provide more than 28 million jobs for our nation.

To learn more about how you can volunteer to help protect your estuary, visit www.clearintothefuture.com!

Sept 27 - Partnership for Delaware Estuary Fundraiser Dinner
The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary hosts an annual fundraising event called "Experience the Estuary Celebration." This year's theme is "The Delaware: A Living River, A Working River," and DuPont will be a corporate sponsor of the event. There will be dinner, cocktails, live music, and silent and live auctions with over 100 items to bid upon. For more information, please contact Dee Ross at (800) 445-4935, x 106.

Sept 27 - Woodstown, NJ Fall Festival
The annual festival is a celebration of this South Jersey town and includes contests, live music and a special Kid Zone. Antique cars will be lined up along Main Street along with the venders, crafters and community group booths. At this event, Clear into the Future is joined by volunteers from the Chambers Works site - a 90-year old site with more than 1000 employees today. Come join some local DuPont employees and find out more about Clear into the Future at this fun annual event!

October

Oct 2 - Partnership for Delaware Estuary Fundraiser Dinner
The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary hosts an annual fundraising event called "Experience the Estuary Celebration." This year's theme is “A Blue Rendezvous for a Greener Tomorrow,” and DuPont will be a corporate sponsor of the event. There will be dinner, cocktails, live music, and silent and live auctions with several items to bid upon. For more information, please contact Shaun Bailey at (302) 655-4990, ext. 113.

Oct 5 - Delaware Coast Day
Help us make a Coastal Connection! Clear into the Future will be at Delaware's Coast Day, will you? Hosted by the University of Delaware's College of Marine and Earth Studies and the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, Delaware Coast Day introduces thousands of people each year to the wonders of the sea and the importance of Delaware's marine and coastal resources. The event is located at the University's Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes, DE and offers hands-on exhibits, lectures on popular science topics, ship and laboratory tours, crab races, a crab cake cook-off, seafood cooking demonstrations, a boat show, and much more. For more information about the event, please call (302) 831-8083 or visit http://www.ocean.udel.edu/coastday.

Oct 12 - NJ Coast Day
The NJ Marine Science Consortium and its partners will showcase New Jersey's fishing and aquaculture industries and its maritime heritage. Come out with your family and enjoy eco-tours, nature walks, crab races, touch tanks, dock tours, children's activities and much, much more. FREE ADMISSION ALL DAY! For more information, visit http://www.njmsc.org/CoastDay.html.

Oct 12 - Delaware Teacher in Service Day
Teachers from all over Delaware will be attending workshops at the DuPont Nature Center today as a part of their statewide in-service day. Volunteers from Clear into the Future will be helping the Nature Center educate school teachers about the importance of the Delaware Estuary, horseshoe crabs, shorebirds, and much more.

Oct 15-19 - Annual Conference at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg
The national Society for Environmental Journalists will hold its annual conference at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on October 15-19, 2008. The Society's objective is to advance public understanding of environmental issues by improving the quality, accuracy, and visibility of environmental reporting. Over 1,000 journalists from around the United States and the world are expected to attend, as are the governors of Virginia and West Virginia and even perhaps the 2008 presidential candidates. For more information, please contact Lynn Davis at Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources, (540) 231-6157 or davisl@vt.edu.