Wildlife and the Environment

We want to reward you for doing good! If you volunteer during the month of April doing something good for the environment (picking up trash, planting trees, planting beach grass, letter to the editor, raising awareness, etc.) come in after 1:00 pm on any day through July 22, 2018, show us proof of you volunteering (can be a photo, article, etc.), and we'll give you 50% off any on-site kayak or paddleboard rental. (Not good with any other offer. Offer expires 7/22/2018. Only good on rentals starting after 1:00 pm. Only good on kayaks and paddleboards rented on-site.) Looking for volunteering opportunities in our area? Here are a few places to start: Fenwick Earth Day Cleanup - 4/21/18 9:00 AM The Town of Fenwick Island Environmental Committee is sponsoring the 3rd Annual Earth Day Clean-up

One of the birds we have been seeing more this summer than in the past is the Black Skimmer. The skimmer is in the tern family and has some very unique traits. First of all it is the only bird in North America to have a larger lower mandible than upper mandible. The skimmer uses this trait to catch fish by skimming the surface of the water while dragging it's lower mandible in the water. If it senses a fish it will snap shut it's upper bill catching the prey. The skimmer's lower mandible grows much faster than the upper to make up for the constant friction placed on it while skimming. The lower mandible is also hinged so that if hits something solid it can bend back without causing any harm. Skimmers, like many

You might want to think twice about lathering up with just any old SPF sunscreen when you head to the beach this year. According to an article written  in The News Journal by Molly Murray back in March, common sunscreens that contain a chemical called oxybenzone may be responsible for lowered numbers of horseshoe crabs in the Delmarva region. Murray interviewed Danielle Dixson, an assistant professor at the University of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean and the Environment, who has been studying the effects of oxybenzone on horseshoe crab eggs and larvae, and the results were obvious. According to Murray's article, the larvae that were exposed to a seawater-sunscreen solution "became sluggish and barely moved while the crabs in regular sea water were much more active." Dixson reported that during trials, the sunscreen had a

Was it just a couple of months ago now that the days were long and warm and we were all wearing shorts and sandals?? As the days get shorter and darker, here are a few photos to help you through the worst of it. We'll see you on the other side!    

Rise Above Plastics We're following in the footsteps of the Surfrider Foundation in its efforts to Rise Above Plastics! Our 26 oz. stainless steel reusable water bottles just arrived along with a gravity filter to provide you with filtered water to cut down on plastic waste. Purchase a water bottle from us or bring your own reusable bottle to refill and help us and the Surfrider Foundation save our oceans and the planet! The problem: Plastics don't biodegrade, they photodegrade meaning that they never go away. The pieces just get smaller and smaller. When these small pieces end up in the ocean, marine life often mistake them for food, many times with fatal results. More RAP facts: (taken from surfrider.org) The amount of plastic produced from 2000 - 2010 exceeds the amount produced during the

In early February I had the opportunity to paddle through Topock Gorge on the Colorado River just north of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The Colorado in this area is crystal clear Caribbean blue, deep, and cold. It still seems wild at this point, although all of the pipelines and gauges and pumps at the launch site near I-40 told me a different story. Soon though, all of the highway noises vanished and the heavy silence of the desert was all I could hear. The thing about paddling in the desert that I don't think I'll ever get over is the shock of that much liquid flowing through the heart of so much arid land. The color of the cliffs and rocks is amazing and changes as abruptly as the weather in Delaware. Some of the

This winter has been truly awful. And to top it off, that darned ground hog saw his shadow so it looks like we can kiss an early Spring good-bye. A late-winter escape to a warm weather paddling spot has never sounded better! Here are a few of our favorites: The 10,000 Islands and Everglades south of Marco Island The area south of Marco Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida is a maze of mangrove islands that line the coast like a jade necklace. They are uninhabited and some of them have beautiful, white sand beaches that you can have all to yourself - perfect for camping, or a picnic, or shell-hunting, or bird-watching, or napping. Most of the time, the Gulf is pretty flat in this area, although it can get windy. Once in

Last week, the day before we went to a 7 day/week schedule, I went for a little paddle on my own. I'd been wanting to paddle the upper portions of the Nanticoke River. It was a windy day here at the beach so it seemed like a perfect day to go inland. I launched at Blades Marina and headed upriver for about 6 miles, just a little past the Old Furnance Road bridge. I got a late start (of course) so I had to turn around way before I wanted to. It was a beautiful paddle though - lots of sweet smelling flowers in bloom. It was populated most of the way up the river with some beautiful waterfront homes. I was amazed at how trash-free the entire trip was - no floating bottles, no

What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on? - Henry David Thoreau We had a very successful (if not chilly) wetland clean-up yesterday in honor of Earth Day! We centered our efforts around the Savage's Ditch kayak launch site but also got onto the water into the salt marshes for some trash collection. David Lam of WMDT came out to do a story on the clean-up for the 6:00 news. We even got him out on the water! We found a lot of the normal stuff - bottles, plastic bags, broken glass, lots and lots of shell casings, etc. We also found a door (I told you not to slam it so hard!), a banquet table, and a bunch of orange construction mesh. Thanks and