Activity Report

Dear Friend,

“The Delaware Estuary Takes Center Stage” was a fitting theme for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary’s 2011 Experience the Estuary Celebration, and not just because it was held at the historic Queen Theatre in Wilmington. The Delaware River and Bay truly took the national stage this year, thanks to the great work of our staff, board, and partners — and your support.

The City of Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters program captured the national spotlight with its progressive approach to using green infrastructure to address the city’s stormwater problems. This ground-breaking initiative was featured in talks and publications across the country. We are proud to partner with the Philadelphia Water Department on a range of programs to engage residents in improving water quality, including the new and wildly popular Philly Water’s Best Friend spokesdog contest.

Late in 2010, the Delaware Estuary made national news with an Associated Press story about our freshwater mussel finds in the Delaware River. This year we transplanted some of those mussels to other smaller streams in the watershed where they had been lost, and were instrumental in “planting” over 150,000 bushels of shell in the bay for growing baby oysters. We are proud to work with a wide array of state, federal, corporate, non-profit and academic partners on restoring water-filtering shellfish throughout our watershed.

The Delaware River and Bay also got Washington, DC’s attention with the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act— an important first step toward bringing national investment in the Delaware Estuary closer to the level of other great American estuaries. We are proud to partner with environmental organizations around the estuary to raise awareness about the need for greater investment in the health of the Delaware River and Bay.

This spotlight on the Delaware Estuary is long overdue, considering the tremendous value the tidal Delaware River and Bay brings to our region, and the nation. We learned from a report by the University of Delaware’s Water Resources Agency this year that the Delaware Estuary contributes over $10 billion annually to the economy.

Yes, there are many good reasons why the Delaware Estuary took center stage this year. But there is so much work left to do. We need your support to keep that spotlight on the Delaware River and Bay in the years to come.

On behalf of the estuary,
Jennifer A. Adkins
Executive Director