Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Celebrate Nature Through Books, Nature, and PDE!

There's just a few tickets left for you to join us for a guided nature walk to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by exploring the enduring role of native plants in shaping the American landscape environmentally, culturally, and historically. The walk is from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 13.

Highlights include the area’s native plant species, how Indigenous peoples, such as the Lenape, used and continue to use these plants for food and medicine, and how early colonists relied on these same native species for survival and independence.

Participants will receive a seed packet of native species. This is part of New Castle County Library's NEA Big Read in connection with the book, The Seed Keeper, by Diane Wilson. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
Visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freedom-to-grow-celebrating-250-years-of-americas-native-landscapes-tickets-1985831138392

Take a peek behind the scenes with Spokesdog Willow!

Just like this photoshoot, our city and natural systems rely on small details going right. Did you know that many storm drains flow to our local waterways? Since Philly gets all its drinking water from local rivers and creeks, it’s extremely important for everyone to keep the drains free of pollutants like dog p**p!

“Doo” your part. Scoop the p**p! Spokesdog Willow helps spread the word to “scoop the p**p!” To learn more about the upcoming Philadelphia Water Department Spokesdog Competition on June 14, visit www.delawareestuary.org/event/2026-spokesdog-competition/

Shuckfest was amazing! Congrats to the Oyster House on their 50th anniversary and for throwing a phenomenal block party. Thank you for inviting us to join in the fun and for allowing us to recycle all those oyster shells - they'll be put to good use in our restoration projects throughout the Delaware River and Bay. 🦪🦪🦪❤️❤️

SHUCK FEST

SCIENCE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Want to get savvy about submerged aquatic vegetation? There are trainings around the corner, so get your seats now!

DATES:
June 17 – Full-Day SAV Seekers Training, Auburn Valley State Park
June 23 – SAV Identification & iNaturalist Webinar (Time TBD; more information coming soon)
July 10 – Part 1 Training, University of Delaware Lewes Campus

These trainings are designed to introduce participants to submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), species identification, monitoring protocols, and community science tools used to support Delaware’s growing statewide SAV dataset.

For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/SAVTraining

Delaware DNREC Delaware Sea Grant

Let's give a shout-out to our new science fellows and intern! Welcome to Kathryn Krueger, our Estuary Science Fellow; Michaela Sullivan, our Urban Resilience Fellow; Sydney Gawason, our Coastal Restoration Fellow; and Maura Mergenthaler, our Science Intern!

They'll be in the office and the field helping us with our mission for clean waters, healthy habitats, and strong communities.

Blue moon over Slaughter Beach, Delaware. 🌕

Let’s shake on it! Make picking up p**p part of the deal.

Dog p**p isn’t just stinky. It’s packed with bacteria and nutrients that can pollute local waterways. A single gram of dog p**p contains over 23 million f***l bacteria.

The good news? One simple scoop makes a big difference. Scoop it, bag it, trash it!

Spokesdog Willow helps spread the word to “scoop the p**p!” To learn more about the upcoming Philadelphia Water Department Spokesdog Competition on June 14, visit www.delawareestuary.org/event/2026-spokesdog-competition/

2026 Spokesdog Competition | Partnership for the DE Estuary Could your pup be Philadelphia Water Department's next Spokesdog? There's only one way to find out. Come and enter the 2026 competition on Sunday, June 14.

Volunteers get the job done! PDE held three storm drain marking events in April with volunteers from Friends of Poquessing, Master Watershed Stewards, and PECO, respectively. They collectively marked 261 storm drains. Thank you to all of our volunteers and to the Philadelphia Water Department for providing the materials for each of these events.

Friends of Poquessing Watershed of Philadelphia and Bucks County

Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards of Philadelphia County

PECO Philadelphia Water Department

It's , 30th Anniversary Edition! We have two photos from 2016 featuring our work with freshwater mussels and teachers.

The first photo is from a Delaware Estuary Watershed Workshop for teachers, where more than 25 educators learned about abandoned mine pollution, citizen science, farming, sewage treatment, and wetlands.

In the second photo, scientists measured how much pollutants are removed as freshwater mussels filter water clean while they eat.

The weather’s nice, the walks are longer, and it is time to “doo” the right thing!

Did you know? When dog p**p is left on the ground, rain and snowmelt can wash it into storm drains or directly into waterways. This stormwater runoff can contaminate our sources of drinking water.

Spokesdog Willow helps spread the word to “scoop the p**p!” To learn more about the upcoming Philadelphia Water Department Spokesdog Competition on June 14, visit www.delawareestuary.org/event/2026-spokesdog-competition/