Delaware Center for the Inland Bays

Indian River Inlet, DE:   For more than a decade, the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays and its partners have held the annual Inland Bays Clean Up which has removed tons of trash from the beaches, bays and marshes of the three Inland Bays.

From litter like plastic bottles and bags, to docking lumber and tires, trash in the bays can be harmful to the health and safety of people and life threatening to animals like terrapins, birds, fish, and crabs, that can be wounded, strangled, or unable to swim if they consume or become entangled in marine debris.

This year, seventy volunteers in nine boats collected trash in and around Indian River and Rehoboth Bays.  They loaded the trash onto boats, transported it to Massey’s Landing and deposited it into a 30-yard dumpster.

In conjunction with the DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Enforcement Section and Division of Parks & Recreation, this year’s Clean-Up was held on June 13th. Special thanks to the CIB’s Water Use Plan Implementation Committee (WUPIC) and the Dewey Beach Lion’s Club for planning and organizing the event and cooking lunch.  Special thanks to Sargent Troy Trimmer of Delaware Fish and Wildlife Enforcement for coordinating use of the boat ramp and safety patrols in the area, and to the Division of Parks and Recreation.

Other sponsors included Waste Industries, Senator Ernie Lopez/ DSWA Community Cleanup Initiative, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Back Bay Tours, Town of Dewey Beach, Highway One Companies, Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em Outfitters, Old Inlet Bait and Tackle, The Sands of Time Antiques, Bill’s Sport Shop.  Sponsor support provided tee-shirts to volunteers, clean-up supplies, hot dogs and water.

Thanks to groups of employees from Waste Industries, Delmarva Media Group and Solitude Lake Management for taking time out of there weekend to make a difference, and to the Sussex Community Corrections Center for their participation.  Individuals, teams and businesses who would like to participate in the 2016 event, should contact Bob Collins at 302-226-8105 ext. 111 or jamesfarm@inlandbays.org.

The Delaware Center for the Inland Bay is one of 28 National Estuary Programs; a non-profit organization established in 1994 to promote the wise use and enhancement of the Inland Bays and its watershed.  With its many partners, the CIB conducts public outreach and education, develops and implements restoration projects, encourages scientific inquiry, and sponsors research.

For more information call Sally Boswell at 226-8105, or email at outreach@inlandbays.org

Or, go to our website at www.inlandbays.org