New York Almanack

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Nature

Peter Bauer: Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms

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NYSDEC Trail Work2022 may end up as the year some of the most important reforms in New York State Forest Preserve management were started, both in practice and in theory.

Forest Preserve management reform has been a long time coming as the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which is responsible for the care and custody of the Forest Preserve, has struggled for years with how to improve its overall management program.

Small changes have been attempted at various points, but no major reforms have been successfully brought to the DEC’s Forest Preserve management. [Read more…] about Peter Bauer: Important NYS Forest Preserve Management Reforms

Rangers Make Several Rescues, Search Continues For Missing Man

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forest ranger logoNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Rangers Make Several Rescues, Search Continues For Missing Man

Another Adirondack Resort Subdivision Proposed Without Conservation Design

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Large Subdivision and Resort Development proposed, Oct 2021I just skimmed through Eric Stackman’s recent replies to the Adirondack Park Agency (available on the APA website). Stackman, a Miami, Florida developer, wants to construct a 120-lot resort subdivision in Jay, Essex County, above the East Branch of the Ausable River, apparently within sightlines near Whiteface Mountain, Askaard Farm and many other viewing locations. [Read more…] about Another Adirondack Resort Subdivision Proposed Without Conservation Design

Advocates Urge NY Officials Not To Remove Wolf From Endangered Species List

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wolf courtesy Oregon Department of Fish and WildlifeAdirondack Council has called upon the NYS Dept. Environmental Conservation to drop a previously announced plan to remove the gray wolf from New York’s endangered species list. [Read more…] about Advocates Urge NY Officials Not To Remove Wolf From Endangered Species List

NNY Audubon Sponsoring Farm Grant Events in October

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Northern New York Audubon SocietyNorthern New York Audubon (NNYA) has announced two events to benefit their new Farm Grant Program, set for October 7th and 9th.

The Farm Grant program, which aims to connect bird conservation and farming in a mutually beneficial way, will distribute grants to local farms to fund the development of bird-friendly habitats and agricultural practices. The program launched in July at a Trivia event at Hex and Hop Brewery in Bloomingdale, in the town of St. Armand in Essex County, NY, which raised over $1,100. [Read more…] about NNY Audubon Sponsoring Farm Grant Events in October

New Invasive Affecting NYS Elm Trees; Threatens Major Spread

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elm zigzag sawfly courtesy Wikimedia user SigaThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that the elm zigzag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda) was detected for the first time in New York State at three locations in St. Lawrence County, including Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area, Brasher State Forest, and Lost Nation State Forest.

This exotic pest feeds exclusively on elm trees and can cause severe defoliation, branch dieback, and crown thinning. Although the sawfly has not yet been shown to cause tree mortality, repeated defoliation by established sawfly populations would put added stress on native elm trees already heavily impacted by Dutch elm disease. [Read more…] about New Invasive Affecting NYS Elm Trees; Threatens Major Spread

Six Rescued In Adirondack High Peaks

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forest ranger logoNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Six Rescued In Adirondack High Peaks

Sturgeon Events Planned For October

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6 foot Lake Sturgeon from Oneida Lake provided by DECThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and New York Sea Grant (NYSG) have announced a series of fall events celebrating the continuing recovery of the state’s three sturgeon species.

Sturgeon populations are rebounding in New York after decades of being on the threatened or endangered species lists as DEC continues to work to bring the primitive and distinctive fish back to the freshwaters of the state through strategic fish management and water quality improvements. [Read more…] about Sturgeon Events Planned For October