Ahoy, lovers of all things Delaware: Two nonprofits have partnered to craft a new license plate that Delawareans can buy to help protect coastal waters.
The bonus: It features a image of a horseshoe crab scuttling across the sands of the beach.
The Center for the Inland Bays and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary will split 70 percent of the sales of the $50 tag.
Both organizations conduct scientific research and surveys in the Delaware Bay and the Delaware Inland Bays the help monitor the health of the waters and the area.
The new license plate features a coastal background with a horseshoe crab — Delaware’s official state marine animal — on one side with the silhouettes of shore birds on the other.
“Horseshoe crabs are so ecologically important to the Delaware area,” said Maddy Goss, spokeswoman for the Center for the Inland Bays. “Birds feed on the eggs that they lay and that helps them get through their migration.”
The Delaware Bay area is one of the world’s largest spawning areas for horseshoe crabs, Goss said.
The Center for the Inland Bays works to restore, protect and maintain Delaware’s inland bays and their watershed. The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary works with surrounding states to connect people, science and nature to maintain a healthy Delaware River and bay area.
The license plate can be bought online or in person at the Delaware Department of Motor Vehicles.
An earlier plate that supported the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary featuring a beach scene and lighthouse is still available for purchase.
For more information about the license plates, go here
