May 2023 — Green Infrastructure
As evidenced by the spring storms that brought 70 mile per hour winds, erosion, high tides, and flooding and caused beach closures up and down the Delaware coast, innovative ways of dealing with, planning for and mitigating the impacts of storms are needed for the First State.
One option for helping to improve Delaware’s vulnerability to these challenges is to implement what’s known as green infrastructure.
Broadly speaking, green infrastructure is a nature-based approach to address environmental challenges by using natural materials, such as plants and soils, and natural processes, such as infiltration and absorption. This is in contrast to what is known as grey infrastructure, man-made projects that use unnatural materials like concrete and steel and rely on unnatural processes such as impervious surface water runoff and sewer systems.
To learn more, check out this month’s episode of Sea Talk, or read this recent UDaily story.
Notable Dates in May
May 10 — David Christopher, marine education specialist with Delaware Sea Grant, will present Building the Future: Ocean Literacy at the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science. Click here to learn more and register
May 10 — Americans eat more shrimp than any other seafood, so it’s only right that they have their time to shine on National Shrimp Day. For more facts and resources on healthy seafood consumption, including shrimp, visit our Seafood Health Facts page.
May 13 — The mantra of World Migratory Bird Day is “Birds Connect Our World.” To learn how to implement conservation actions that help migratory birds throughout their journey—including shorebirds—visit the official resources page.
May 27 — Mark your calendars for the annual Horseshoe Crab & Shorebird Festival, returning on May 28th in downtown Milton. We'll be collaborating on a virtual scavenger hunt—check the official festival page for details.