The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays was established as a nonprofit organization in 1994 under the auspices of the Inland Bays Watershed Enhancement Act (Title 7, Chapter 76). Its creation was the culmination of more than 20 years of active public participation and investigation into the decline of the Inland Bays and the remedies for the restoration and preservation of the watershed. Delaware’s Inland Bays were designated an “estuary of national significance in 1988 by the U.S. Congress, and as such, the Center for the Inland Bays is one of the 28 National Estuary Programs (NEP’s). The Center oversees the implementation of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Delaware’s Inland Bays (CCMP) and 2012 Addendum and promotes the wise use and enhancement of the Inland Bays watershed by conducting public outreach and education, developing and implementing restoration projects, encouraging scientific inquiry, sponsoring needed research, and establishing a long-term process for the protection and preservation of the watershed.