DNREC honors young environmentalists, youth fishing winners
Three Delaware students from schools across the state were recognized with Young Environmentalist of the Year Awards.
A program of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the awards were presented July 27 by Gov. John Carney and DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin to the students, ages 10 to 17, in front of a crowd of attendees at the Delaware State Fair.
The leaders also presented trophies to the top anglers of the 2023 Youth Fishing Tournament.
“Every year, I look forward to meeting our young environmentalist award honorees. These amazing young people are truly today’s environmental leaders, showing the way to a better future for Delaware and for our planet. This year, we are recognizing students who are leading efforts in protecting marine habitat, recycling and reducing plastics use,” said Garvin. “In addition, the top three young anglers from our annual youth fishing tournament have discovered the joy of catching a fish – and experienced the meaningful conservation act of releasing their catch.”
The 2023 Young Environmentalists of the Year are Spencer Tuxward, age 10, of Wyoming, a rising fifth-grader at W. Reily Brown Elementary School, Dover; and Iveena Mukherjee, age 16, of Wilmington, a graduate of Charter School of Wilmington.
Receiving special recognition, Chris Runde, age 17, of Milton, is a graduate of Cape Henlopen High School, Lewes. On his own initiative, to help his community learn more about recycling, Runde looked into options for recycling cellphones and other rechargeable devices with lithium-ion batteries. He found Redwood Materials, a company that produces anode and cathode components from recycled batteries, and the company sent him the materials to host a recycling initiative he launched April 22, Earth Day. In one day, he collected more than 300 pounds of old batteries and rechargeable devices, and he plans to do more community collections.
The 2023 Youth Fishing Tournament winners whose trophies were presented are: statewide and Sussex County winner Brody Spencer, age 11, of Dagsboro, who took top honors by catching 8.52 pounds of fish in Ingrams Pond; Kent County winner Bristol Brown, age 10, of Lewes, who earned second place statewide, catching 6.87 pounds of fish at Akridge Scout Reservation Pond, including the largest fish of the tournament, a 5.6-pound largemouth bass; and New Castle County winner Michael Hopkins, age 8, of New Castle, who took third place statewide, catching 3.47 pounds of fish at Lums Pond.
Established by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, and sponsored by the Delaware Natural Resources Police, the tournament introduces youth to the sport of fishing and teaches the catch-and-release approach to conservation. The 37th annual Youth Fishing Tournament was held June 3 at three locations, one in each county: Ingrams Pond in Sussex County, Akridge Scout Reservation in Kent County, and Lums Pond in New Castle County. Find complete results at tinyurl.com/nt48nnth.
