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Press Conference Announcing Sea Level Rise Awareness Week

MILFORD, Del. (September 10, 2014)— Delaware Nature Society has partnered with 19 other organizations on a campaign called S.O.S Delaware to raise public awareness about sea level rise and its impact on Delaware.  The state’s second annual Sea Level Rise Awareness Week will run from September 13 – 20, 2014.  A press conference announcing the effort will be held on Wednesday, September 10 at 1:30 pm at the DuPont Nature Center (2992 Lighthouse Road, Milford, DE 19963).

Speakers at the press conference include: DNREC Secretary David Small, Councilperson Kathy Lock of Slaughter Beach, Lisa Wool of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Jen Volk of UD Cooperative Extension, Chris Bason of the Delaware Center for Inland Bays.

 The theme of this year’s Sea Level Rise Awareness Week is adapting to sea level rise through green and natural solutions.  This press event will highlight how local communities and environmental organizations have been implementing projects to improve Delaware’s resiliency to a rising sea level.

At last year’s Sea Level Rise Awareness Week press conference, Governor Jack Markell signed Executive Order 41 to help Delaware reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for climate impacts.  In September 2013, Delaware’s Sea Level Rise Awareness Committee and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) developed 55 recommendations for improving Delaware’s preparedness for a rising sea level.  This year’s Sea Level Rise Awareness Week will explore what communities and environmental organizations have done to address some of those recommendations and encourage Delawareans to take action to adapt to a changing climate.

With the lowest average land elevation in the U.S. at only 60 feet above sea level, and 381 miles of shoreline, coastal communities in Delaware are already experiencing the impacts of sea level rise.  In response, a campaign to raise public awareness about sea level rise and its impact on Delaware is being sponsored by 20 organizations.  A calendar of events, a variety of resources, and links to all of the organizations sponsoring Delaware Sea Level Rise Awareness Week can be found at www.SOSDelaware.org.

The 20 collaborative sponsors of Delaware Sea Level Rise Awareness Week are:

  • American Birding Association
  • Clean Air Council
  • Blue Blaze Associates
  • Delaware Audubon Society
  • Delaware Center for Horticulture
  • Delaware Center for Inland Bays
  • Delaware Chapter of the Sierra Club
  • Delaware Greenways
  • Delaware Interfaith Power and Light
  • Delaware Nature Society
  • Delaware Riverkeeper
  • Delaware Wild Lands
  • Delmarva Ornithological Society
  • GreenWatch Institute
  • League of Women Voters, Delaware Chapter
  • Inland Bays Foundation
  • Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
  • The Nature Conservancy, Delaware Chapter
  • Surfrider Foundation
  • Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network

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