Senator Carper in New Castle County on Thursday, July 6, 2006

Wilmington, DE – Senator Tom Carper will spend Thursday, July 6, 2006, in New Castle County. The Senator will start his day with a canoe tour of Blackbird Creek Estuarine Reserve to learn more about nature conservancy and how federal appropriations have improved the area. With almost $4 million in federal funding secured by the Delaware Delegation this tour will allow the Senator to view the changes and learn about future appropriations requests from The Nature Conservancy. The State has matched these funds. Senator Carper will be joined by DNREC Secretary John Hughes, members of Delaware Coastal Management and Delaware Fish and Wildlife, and officials from The Nature Conservancy Conservation for this area is a collaborative effort that will help protect core forests, farms, and wetlands in Southern New Castle County. Senator Carper has long been a leader in preserving Delaware’s natural habitats and protecting our environment. Senator Carper will head to New Castle Senior Center, where he will eat lunch with members, make brief remarks, and tour the facility. Next stop is a tour of BrightFields, a new environmental remediation company in Wilmington. Formed in 2003, BrightFields’ slogan is “We turn brownfields into brightfields.” The Senator will meet with employees and tour the new Justison Landing site. Currently, BrightFields (formerly WIK Associates) is implementing DNREC’s Final Plan of Remedial Action and performing remediation activities, Environmental Health & Safety Monitoring and Soil and Groundwater Management during construction of the Justison Landing project. The Senator will then end his night by kicking off two events: first, for the Tour de Lance, where nearly 1000 participants are expected; second, serving the first ball and making remarks at the opening night of Delaware Smash, featuring Anna Kournikova. Thursday, July 6, 2006 9:30 am – 11:00 am Canoe Tour of Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve/Blackbird Creek Reserve 801 Blackbird Landing Road Townsend *See directions below 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Lunch, Visit, and Tour at New Castle Senior Center 400 South Street New Castle 1:00 pm – 1:15 pm Tour BrightFields Company 801 Industrial Street, Suite 1 Wilmington 1:20 pm – 1:55 pm Visit Justison Landing Project South Madison Street Wilmington 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm Kick Off Tour de Lance 5K Run/Walk Frawley Stadium Wilmington 7:00 pm – 7:15 pm Kick Off Opening Night of Delaware Smash AstraZeneca Tennis Facility Rockland Road Wilmington Directions to Blackbird Creek Reserve: From Wilmington, Delaware • Take either Route 13 South or I-95 South to DE-Route 1 South (portions toll) toward Shore Points/Dover. • Take exit #142 toward Mt. Pleasant/St. Georges. Merge onto Pole Bridge Road. • Turn left onto DuPont Parkway South/US-13 South and travel approximately 6.5 miles. • Turn left onto Blackbird Landing Road (at traffic light) and travel approx. 2 miles. Blackbird Creek Reserve parking area will be on your left. From Dover, Delaware • Take Route 1 North (portions toll). • Take exit #119 towards North Smyrna/Townsend. At the end of the ramp, turn left onto Route 13 North. • Follow Route 13 for approximately 1.9 miles and bear right onto Anchor Inn Road (behind the BP Gas Station). • Take the first right onto Gum Bush Road. • Bear left onto Blackbird Landing Road and follow for approximately 1.5 miles. ? • The Blackbird Creek Reserve parking area will be on your right.