MILFORD, Del. - The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) announced Friday that the Dupont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve will close for the season on Thursday, September 1st. They say that the Center will reopen on Saturday, April 1st, 2023 for shorebird migration and crab spawning.
The center is owned and operated by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, and provides programming and exhibits about Delaware Bayshore aquatic life.
During the closure, DNREC says that the Center's observation deck will still be open from dawn until dusk daily. They say the deck offers views of the Mispillion Harbor and surrounding saltmarsh and sandy beach habitat as well as a view of the Delaware Bay. Though the nature center is recognized as one of the best places on the East Coast for observing the spring shorebird migration, the viewing deck also provides excellent opportunities in the fall and winter months to view shorebirds to include dunlin, sanderlings and black-bellied plovers, says DNREC.
Despite being open, DNREC says that the nature deck will not be actively maintained while the center is closed, so visitors should take weather conditions in to consideration before accessing the deck.
The DuPont Nature Center is located on Mispillion Harbor near Slaughter Beach at 2992 Lighthouse Road, Milford, DE 19963. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information about the DuPont Nature Center and its programs, call 302-422-1329 or visit http://de.gov/dnc.