The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the adoption of new regulations for recreational and commercial fishing for Atlantic striped bass. These regulations, which take effect immediately, are to reduce state commercial and recreational harvests by 18 percent as required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). [Read more…] about Striped Bass Regulations Have Changed
Recreation
State Issues Guidance On Visits to State Parks
NYS DEC and State Parks are encouraging New Yorkers to engage in responsible recreation by recreating locally, practicing physical distancing, and using common sense to protect themselves and others.
Getting outdoors to walk, jog, hike, ride a bicycle, fish, or visit a park or state lands is a healthy way to stay active, spend time with immediate household family members, and reduce stress and anxiety when practicing social distancing. While indoor spaces and restrooms at State facilities are closed, most trails, parks, grounds, and forests are open during daylight hours, seven days a week. [Read more…] about State Issues Guidance On Visits to State Parks
Environmental Conservation Police Reports
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) enforce the 71 Chapters of NY Environmental Conservation Law (ECL), protecting fish and wildlife and preserving environmental quality across New York.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Environmental Conservation Police Officers in New York State. [Read more…] about Environmental Conservation Police Reports
Comments Sought on Brookfield Trail System
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that the agency is accepting public comments on regulatory proposals for the Brookfield Trail System at the Moscow Hill Camping and Assembly areas in Madison County.
[Read more…] about Comments Sought on Brookfield Trail System
Conservation Minute: The Art of Nature Journaling
There are numerous physical and mental benefits of exploring and connecting with nature. Often though, we are so eager to get on the trail and reach a destination, that we miss the details along the path – and the details can often make the journey more meaningful.
One way to help slow your pace and deepen your connection with nature is to start a journal. Nature journaling requires you to take pause, observe the wildlife, plants, or scenery around you, and record what you see through a combination of notes and sketches. [Read more…] about Conservation Minute: The Art of Nature Journaling
Birdwatchers Sought for 2020 Breeding Bird Atlas
State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced a call for citizen science volunteers to help in the development of a comprehensive, statewide survey that takes place every two decades to detail New York’s breeding bird distribution.
Starting in 2020, five years of field surveys will be conducted by volunteers and project partners to provide the data that will be analyzed to create the third New York State Breeding Bird Atlas. [Read more…] about Birdwatchers Sought for 2020 Breeding Bird Atlas
Trout and Salmon Fishing Season Opens April 1
Trout and salmon fishing season opens in New York State on Wednesday, April 1st.
New York’s coldwater lakes and streams offer springtime trout anglers the opportunity to pursue trout in a wide array of settings across the state. [Read more…] about Trout and Salmon Fishing Season Opens April 1
10th Mountain Division and Adirondack Ski History
Hal Burton. Arthur Draper. James Goodwin. These figures, each one an Adirondack legend, opened the area to winter skiing, from the backcountry ski trail on Wright Peak to the first downhill runs at Whiteface.
Not coincidentally, all three were members of the 10th Mountain Division, created in 1940 to provide the US Army with ski troops and soldiers who could fight an Alpine War.
The 10th would find glory in the Italian campaigns in the final months of World War II, as historian Maurice Isserman recounts in his new book, The Winter Army. [Read more…] about 10th Mountain Division and Adirondack Ski History
Rondout Reservoir’s Lost Towns, Flooded For NYC Water
The 6 ½-mile-long Rondout Reservoir was built in from the late 1930s to early 1950s, to collect clean Catskills drinking water as part of New York City‘s supply network.
Three towns, Eureka, Montela and Lackawack, were removed (including all the buildings, trees and vegetation and cemeteries) and the residents displaced for the building of the reservoir.
[Read more…] about Rondout Reservoir’s Lost Towns, Flooded For NYC Water
DEC Postpones April 3 Exams
Out of an abundance of caution and to limit the community spread of COVID-19, DEC has postponed the examinations scheduled for April 3, 2020, to practice the sport of falconry, become a wildlife rehabilitator, or use leashed tracking dogs to find wounded or injured big game animals. The exams were originally scheduled to be administered at DEC regional offices statewide. [Read more…] about DEC Postpones April 3 Exams