Posted on March 21, 2022
SLAUGHTER BEACH, Del. – This morning, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control staff and volunteers headed to coastal beaches and parks for their 31st annual beach grass planting event. DNREC officials say this is in an effort to restore sand dunes.
DNREC says sand dunes are the first line of defense during coastal storms to help stabilize, trap wind-blown sand, protect habitats, and homes. Beach grass helps in these efforts – and also aids in replenishing sand on eroded beaches during coastal storms.
Staff and volunteers visited the Fenwick Island State Park, Delaware Seashore State Park, Cape Henlopen, Slaughter Beach, Bowers Beach, and Kitts Hummock Beach and close to 700 volunteers showed up to help out throughout the state. “Eventually if the dunes weren’t there, they’d get to the houses and the infrastructure and the roads, the utilities, and damage and possibly destroy them,” says Jennifer Pongrantz, an Environmental Scientist with DNREC. She adds, “If it wasn’t for these volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to get this done as quickly as we do and that’s important.”
DNREC also says there won’t be any more grass planting until next year, but they’re always looking for volunteers for their various projects throughout the state.
If you want to learn about how you can help out, just visit the DNREC website.
