DuPont Clear into the Future® Program Awards
| The DuPont Environmental Education Center at the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge is located at 1400 Delmarva Lane in Wilmington, Del. (U.S.). The Delaware Nature Society (DNS) operates educational programs on site for children and adults, as well as school and community groups. |
This is the fifth year that Clear into the Future® has awarded competitive grants and fellowships to university researchers, conservationists and educators in the Delaware Estuary.
“Enhancing and restoring ecosystems like the Delaware Estuary requires innovation, commitment and cooperation,” Linda said. “DuPont is extremely pleased to play a role in supporting important efforts aimed at protecting and preserving this environmental treasure.”
DuPont awards Clear into the Future® fellowships to dedicated graduate students whose research will add to the body of scientific knowledge about the Delaware River and Delaware Bay.
This year’s fellowship winners include the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Rutgers University and Drexel University. Awardees will be studying:
- Effects of freshwater and saltwater flows on Delaware Bay oyster populations.
- Migratory behavior of juvenile sturgeon in the estuary.
- Reproductive habits of adult sturgeon.
- Effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on horseshoe crabs.
- Spread of oyster maladies in the bay.
- Sea level change along a reach of Delaware Estuary coastline.
Grant winners represent non-government organizations from southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware that educate young people about Delaware Estuary ecosystems; lead community-based projects to restore marine habitats; preserve environmentally sensitive land; and help the public arrive at a better understanding of the aesthetic, environmental and commercial value of the Delaware Estuary.
Recipients this year include the Brandywine Conservancy, Delaware Nature Society, the Delmarva Ornithological Society, the New Jersey Audubon Society, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, the Pennsylvania Sea Grant Program, the Rutgers University/Cousteau Center, the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, the University of Delaware, and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.
"We greatly appreciate the work DuPont is doing to support organizations with an interest in protecting the Delaware Estuary,” said Jennifer Adkins, executive director of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. “With our grant for oyster shell-planting in the Delaware Bay, DuPont is joining together with us, the states of Delaware and New Jersey, and oystermen and women in both states to make sure that oysters have a future in the Delaware Bay.”
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