The 2025 Delaware Estuary Science & Environmental Summit

Held February 11-12, 2025, at the Chase Center on the Riverfront, Wilmington, Delaware

This year’s theme was Bridging the Gap Between Science, Policy, and Action.

Click on the links below for the:

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Registration

Registration is closed.

All speakers at the summit must register in order to participate. Upon registration, attendees will receive a link to sign up or sign into Sched, the Summit’s scheduling platform. Speakers should locate the date and time of their presentation in the agenda at their earliest convenience.

A light breakfast and lunch is included with registration on both days of the summit.

An optional dinner will take place on Tuesday, February 11, at the Chase Center, from 6-8pm. Summit registration does not include access to the dinner. A separate dinner ticket must have been purchased in order to attend.

Questions about your registration? Email hburns@delawareestuary.org

Keynotes

Tuesday, February 11, 9:00AM: Tony MacDonald, Urban Coast Institute: Change Climate and Environments – A Policy Perspective and Actions We Can Take

Tony is director of the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI). He was previously the executive director of the Coastal States Organization (CSO) from 1998-2005. CSO, based in Washington, DC, represents the interests of the governors of the nation’s 35 coastal states and territories on coastal and ocean policy matters. Prior to joining CSO, Tony was the special counsel and director of environmental affairs at the American Association of Port Authorities, where he represented the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) at the International Maritime Organization on negotiations on the London Convention. Tony has also practiced law with a private firm in Washington, DC, working on environmental and legislative issues, and served as the Washington, DC, environmental legislative representative for the Mayor of the City of New York.

Wednesday, February 12, 9:00 AM: Rachel Hogan Carr, The Nurture Nature Center: Connecting Science to Communities

Rachel Hogan Carr is the executive director of the Nurture Nature Center and also serves on its board of directors. She led the seminal Flood Safety Education and Awareness Campaign in the Delaware River Basin (“Focus on Floods”), a cooperative project with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service, which secured five local and national awards. Carr was named 2011 Informal Science Educator of the Year by the American Meteorological Society for her role in developing the Focus on Floods education campaign with National Weather Service. Carr has spoken widely about how to engage the community in understanding and addressing the risks they face, including engagements for: American Meteorological Society; the Pennsylvania Floodplain Managers Association; the New Jersey Emergency Preparedness Association; NOAA Science Days; FEMA Region III; FEMA TMAC; and others.

Lodging

A limited number of hotel rooms will be available from 2/10/25-2/12/25 at a group rate at several nearby hotels. Please use the below information to book.

Hyatt Place Wilmington/Riverfront
Room rate: $179/night + tax
Reservations for the Hyatt must be made by 1/10/2025.

Homewood Suites Wilmington Downtown
Room rate: $148/night + tax
Reservations for Homewood Suites must be made by 1/17/2025.

Westin Wilmington
Room rate: $189/night + tax
Reservations for the Westin must be made by 1/21/2025.

About the Summit

Since 2005, the goal of this biennial Summit has been to bring together scientists, managers, restoration practitioners, and educators from different sectors to share the latest scientific information, network, and make ecological linkages that promote a better understanding of the watershed as a whole. The central format is that of a conventional scientific meeting with abstracts, presentations and peer review Q&A. While the focus is on the watershed of the Delaware River and Bay, presentations are welcome from other areas if they help to inform our understanding of this system.

Potential presentation topics include:

Clean Waters
Healthy Habitats
Strong Communities
Living Resources
Climate Change – co-hosted by DRBC Climate Change Advisory Group
NEW! Fisheries Management
NEW! Sediment Material Management
And more!

Who should attend the summit?

Environmental researchers
Environmental education and outreach specialists
University extension specialists and marine agents
State and federal resource managers
Environmental consultants and corporations
Environmental interest groups
Municipal officials
Graduate and undergraduate environmental students
Concerned citizens

Sponsorship

Thank you to our 2025 Sponsors!

Questions about sponsorship? Please email Haley Burns at hburns@delawareestuary.org.

Past Summits

View proceedings from past summits below:

Proceedings	Presentations
2023: Estuary on the Rise	Talks and Posters
2021: Delaware Estuary Science & Environmental Summit	Talks and Posters
2019: Estuary 2019 Saving Our System Through Collaboration	Talks and Posters
2017: Reflecting on Progress, Charting the Future	Talks and Posters
2015: Balancing Progress & Protection	Talks and Posters
2013: Weathering Change	Talks and Posters
2011: Connections	Talks and Posters
2009: Planning for Tomorrow's Delaware Estuary	Talks and Posters
2007: Linking Science, Management, and Policy	Talks and Posters
2005: The State of Science in the Delaware Estuary	Talks and Posters

Photos from the 2023 Summit

Photos from the 2019 Summit