History, Natural History & the Arts
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has reopened the popular paddle-in campsites 5 through 11 on Long Pond in the Saint Regis Canoe Area, Franklin County, after a nuisance black bear was euthanized.
The Saint Regis Canoe Area, the only designated canoe area in New York State, is very remote, with no-reservation camping along multiple access points and waterways. [Read more…] about St. Regis Canoe Area Nuisance Black Bear Euthanized
Snapshot NY, a citizen science program created by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University in 2025, will begin Year Two in July.
The innovative program, which enables the public to participate in the state’s efforts to monitor wildlife by deploying privately-owned trail cameras, has already enlisted more than 800 volunteers. [Read more…] about Snapshot NY Citizen Science Wildlife Monitoring Project
In the 1950s, black bears only occupied the most remote and mountainous regions of New York, such as the Adirondacks, Catskills, and Allegheny mountains. Over the past 70 years, bears gradually expanded their range and now occupy most areas of the state except Long Island and New York City.
After hibernating through a long winter, these now groggy black bears are beginning to venture out of their dens, stretch their legs, and look for their first meals of spring. For people living or visiting bear country, March is a time to become bear aware. [Read more…] about Be Prepared for Spring Black Bear Visitors
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that hunters killed an estimated 1,759 black bears during the 2025-26 hunting seasons in New York State.
According to DEC’s tracking of the annual bear harvest since 1955, this was second only to the 2003 season, and Southern Zone estimates set a new record as well. [Read more…] about Bear Hunting Statistics Show Record Number Killed in 2025
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) were involved in two recent wildlife rescues, including a black bear cub rescued from a leg hold trap in Schoharie County and a whitetail deer entangled in a rope with another deer in Ulster County. [Read more…] about Black Bear Cub Rescued From Leg Hold Trap; Deer Rescued from Entanglement
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) recently rescued two young black bears from leg-hold traps in the Catskills and and a whitetail buck from an abandon well in Niagara County. [Read more…] about Blacks Bears Rescued from Trap; Deer Rescued from Well
A few nights ago, I heard a crash on the front porch and flicked on the light to reveal a black bear’s reflective eyes. It lorded over the contents spilling out of our overturned floor freezer. I opened the door, prompting it to tear back through the screen and off into the night.
With the Northeast black bear population at a record high, this kind of encounter is no surprise. [Read more…] about Burgeoning Black Bear Populations
New York Almanack regularly reports on the rescue and relocation of wildlife across New York State. The reports below were provided by the New York State Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs). You can read all our recent wildlife rescue stories here. [Read more…] about Recent Wildlife Rescues: Injured Screech Owl, Black Bear Relocated
Before they were suppressed in the late nineteenth century, some New Yorkers enjoyed cruel sports which would not be tolerated today. Among these were “baiting” which pitted specially trained dogs against various other species. This was a favorite of both city and country dwellers, and was sometimes even more popular than cockfighting.
Although baiting came from the Romams who matched every species of bird and beast they could, it continued in England where there is evidence that even before Tudor times (1485-1603) Britons practicing cockfighting as well as bull, badger and bear baiting. [Read more…] about The Baiting Ring: Bulls, Bears & Brutality in 19th Century New York
On April 22, a red-tailed hawk, reported injured in the Bronx and rescued by ECOs, was set free after making a full recovery. The raptor was rescued on February 28th by Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) Ableson and Baldwin behind The Children’s Learning Center. The bird was able to walk slowly but had trouble flying.
The ECOs safely captured the hawk with a net, placed it in a blanket, and transported it to the Wild Bird Fund rehabilitation center in Manhattan. [Read more…] about Injured Hawk Released; Sick Bear Euthanized
The Nature of the Place: On the Flora and Fauna of the Adirondacks (North Country Books, 2025) is Adirondack nature writer Edward Kanze’s invitation to slow down, smell the roses, and get to know fellow creatures with more longstanding claims to this landscape than we have.
Theirs is the real internet Kanze argues, a web of life that weaves together an almost infinite number of threads into a fabric that’s a wonder to behold and something close to a miracle in a largely hostile universe. [Read more…] about Ed Kanze’s Nature of the Place Reflects on Adirondack Flora and Fauna
On March 15, employees at Hunter Mountain Resort in the town of Hunter, Greene County, NY, contacted the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to report a sickly looking black bear cub along the Madison Square Trail. Ski resort employees managed to get the bear off the trail and into nearby woods.
Environmental Conservation Officers Milliron and Palmateer responded to the location and discovered the cub hiding in tall grass adjacent to the ski trail. The cub appeared malnourished and dehydrated, and was moving slowly with no mother in sight. [Read more…] about Bear Cub Rescued at Hunter Mountain Ski Resort
A Schoharie County man is facing several charges for illegally hunting a black bear in the town of Fulton, one of several men accused of poaching New York State wildlife recently. [Read more…] about Conservation Officers Charge Several Wildlife Poachers
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has vetoed the Safe Wildlife Crossings Act, a bill designed to make highways safer for motorists and wildlife with purpose-built crossings in the New York’s North Country. The bill would have required the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) and the NYS Thruway Authority to conduct studies to determine the most hazardous areas of highways for vehicle-animal collisions and develop a plan to reduce those hazards. [Read more…] about Governor Kathy Hochul Vetoes Safe Wildlife Crossings Act
The State Assembly and State Senate have both acted to pass the New York Wildlife Crossings Act, which was sponsored by Senator Leroy Comrie and Assembly Member Robert Carroll. The bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to assess roadways “in the state for potential wildlife crossings to improve wildlife habitat connectivity, reduce wildlife vehicle collisions, and increase public safety for New York motorists.” [Read more…] about NYS Legislature Passes New York Wildlife Crossings Act
On St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, New York State Environmental Conservation Officer Jarecki received a call reporting a black bear cub in the cab of an excavator in the town of Wilna, Jefferson County. [Read more…] about Bear Cub Rescued After Den Accidentally Destroyed
New York hunters killed an estimated 1,356 black bears during the 2023 big game hunting seasons. The overall number of bears killed increased slightly compared to the 2022 hunting season, with the greatest density of kills occurring in areas of the Catskills. [Read more…] about DEC Announces Black Bear Hunting Statistics for 2023
In a big mast year for oak trees, it seems like there’s a constant barrage of acorns thwacking roofs, parked cars, and – sometimes – unsuspecting humans.
These falling nuts can seem a nuisance. But when I look closely at a little acorn with its tidy hat and imagine its future, I’m reminded of what a miraculous object it is. [Read more…] about The Humble Acorns: A Feast for Wildlife
Recently, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has received inquiries from hunters about using of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) to assist with the recovery of deer or bear that have been shot, but cannot thereafter be located. [Read more…] about Drones Not Allowed For Deer Recovery in New York
On November 4, 2023 New York State Department of Environment Conservation (DEC) Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Jason Powers was notified by DEC Central Dispatch that an individual checking coyote traps in the town of Cuba on the western border of Allegany County, NY discovered a small black bear caught in one of his foothold traps. [Read more…] about Black Bear Caught in Coyote Trap Released by Conservation Officers
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