Project WIIN

Waterways Infrastructure & Investment Network (WIIN) for the Mispillion & Cedar Creek Watersheds

A coalition of RASCL partners and stakeholders known as the Waterways Infrastructure and Investment Network (WIIN) was recently awarded grant funding to create a natural resource evaluation and management plan for the Mispillion and Cedar Creek watersheds.

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The Mispillion River and Cedar Creek watersheds have some of the region’s most vital natural resources and some of the last remaining large tracts of undisturbed land in Delaware. They are located within an internationally recognized flyway for migrating birds and one of the most productive horseshoe crab spawning areas in the world. The area is under pressure from the impacts of changing environmental conditions, which has increased the risk of flooding in Slaughter Beach and Milford. 

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WIIN will create a stakeholder-led vision and management plan to benefit the local economies and coastal resilience of Slaughter Beach and the City of Milford. The project will explore ecotourism and nature-based investments that produce win-win benefits of economic opportunity and community resilience to climate and land use changes.

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Project Highlights

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  • Who's involved: The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary,* Delaware Sea Grant,* the City of Milford, the Town of Slaughter Beach, the Pew Charitable Trusts, University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center,* Delaware Nature Society,* Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control*

    • * indicates a RASCL members organization

  • What are the outcomes:

    • ​Economic Study - An appraisal of the area’s natural resources to understand community benefits and economic returns. This study will help Milford and Slaughter Beach understand the value of their natural resources and leverage that knowledge to generate sustainable revenue and support for projects such as eco-tours and wetland restoration.

    • Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment – an analysis that will identify community assets and natural resources at risk of flooding, sea level rise, and land use changes.

    • Management Plan – a stakeholder-led vision that identifies ecotourism and nature-based investments that will promote the economic and coastal resilience of the area.

  • Who's providing funding: National Coastal Resilience Fund (through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the Pew Charitable Trusts

  • What's the timeline: Summer/Fall 2020 through Spring 2023

Photo credit: Pam Alquilani

Photo credit: Tony Pratt

Project WIIN in the news:

Delaware RASCL

Resilient, sustainable communities are the back bone of a thriving state. The member organizations of  RASCL are committed to working together to provide technical expertise and support to Delaware communities in order to increase their capacity to adapt, mitigate, and respond to environmental changes, including climate change.

Funding to support this website and administration of RASCL is provided by Federal funds under award NA18NOS4190144 from the Delaware Coastal Programs and the Office for Coastal Management (OCM), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the OCM NOAA or the U.S. Department of Commerce

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