Since 1994, the Center for the Inland Bays has worked with our numerous partners to fulfill our mission: to preserve, protect, and restore Delaware’s Inland Bays and their watershed. This September, we’re inviting you to join us in celebrating our progress and ensuring another successful 25 years! Don’t miss this legendary evening of fun and fundraising! Tickets On Sale August 23! Click here to learn more! »
Get your paddles ready for the first annual Race to Benefit the Bays! The Town of Dewey Beach, in partnership with East of Maui and Dogfish Head, invites you to celebrate the locals’ summer and national estuaries week while supporting a good cause! All proceeds benefit the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays. Click here to learn more! »
In this issue: Terrapins on the Move, Implementing the James Farm Master Plan, A River at Risk, Don't Chuck Your Shucks, A Board Member Field Guide...and more!
 
Read Online Now »
Education, and boardwalks, and restrooms - oh my! We're raising money for Phase 2 of the James Farm Master Plan that will address more of the educational and capacity needs of the Preserve. But we need YOUR HELP to make it all happen!
 
Learn More » | Donate to the James Farm »

Welcome to Delaware’s Inland Bays

The Rehoboth, Indian River, and Little Assawoman Bays lie just behind a narrow spit of land in sight of the Atlantic Ocean. Our mission is to preserve, protect and restore Delaware’s Inland Bays and their watershed.

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A romantic date on the beach appeals to humans and horseshoe crabs! Each spring the sandy beaches of Delaware's Inland Bays are covered with spawning horseshoe crabs from April- June. Researchers and visitors come to Delaware from around the world to see this amazing natural event.

Horseshoe crabs eggs provide critical food for migrating birds and young fish, and the crabs' blue blood is used by the medical industry. Without the right habitat for spawning this wouldn't be possible!

#EstuariesWeek

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DE Center for the Inland Bays

It's National #EstuariesWeek and we'll be sharing lots of information on our page.

Estuaries are where salt and fresh water mix, and are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. A large variety of species of fish, birds, crabs, shellfish and other wildlife rely on the sheltered waters and use estuaries for feeding, nesting, breeding, nursery areas, and migration stopovers. Coastal communities also rely on estuaries for food, recreation, jobs and shoreline protection. Of the 32 largest cities in the world, 22 are located in estuaries.

Estuaries are incredibly important ecosystems, and as many of us know- they're also wildly beautiful places!

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Volunteer Shoutout!

If you've ever attended a Center event, training or volunteer activity there's a good chance you ran into this guy- Dr. Dennis Bartow. Dennis always goes above and beyond for everything he does for the Center but this week he may have reached a whole new level of dedication. Dennis had a birthday this week and spent the two days before his big day hauling oyster shell bags and cinder blocks onto and off boats, while standing chest deep in the bay and simultaneously taking hundreds of photos for project documentation.

The Center would not be able to complete as many restoration and monitoring projects without our incredible volunteers like Dennis. Our staff are so grateful for all your dedication!

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DE Center for the Inland Bays

We can't let our rock star volunteers go unnoticed from our oyster reef projects! They hauled over 800 shell bags and almost 400 cinder blocks onto a barge, off a barge, and into place in the water to construct two reefs.
Shout out to Mark and Sue Cummings, Rich Watson, Dennis, Dave, Ken, Andy Dowell, Mike Duffy, Branimir Trifunovic, Jerry Daugherty, Mike Brough, Nick DeCarlo, Chris Hauser, Ed Donnelly, students from UD and DelTech.

Thank you for your hard work during those two days!

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Big thank you to the folks with the Shoreline and Waterways section of DNREC who helped out with the construction of our recent oyster reef projects! These guys came with a barge, which cut reef construction time in half. With them we were able to construct two reefs in two days!
It is awesome to team up and see these projects in action!

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Thank you, Delmarva Power (Delmarva Connect), for your sponsorship of our 25th Anniversary Gala! Not only are they long-time supporters of our annual fundraiser, they've also granted funds to support our oyster programs. We're so thankful to have them as partners! Visit their website https://buff.ly/2DfD8WK to learn more about smart energy and ways to save on your energy bill!