DEC

Adk Stream Crossing Restored After Boquet Barrier Removed

August 19, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

This summer the Ausable Freshwater Center (AFC) finished a stream restoration at the Moss Road crossing of the North Branch Boquet River in the Town of Lewis, in Essex County, NY, by removing two old, undersized culverts to restore a natural river channel.

The culverts that had constricted the river and blocked fish for decades are now gone, and a natural channel carries the river through the road crossing. The project reconnected some 50 miles of Adirondack river and coldwater tributary habitat. [Read more…] about Adk Stream Crossing Restored After Boquet Barrier Removed

Free Inclusive Learn-to-Fish Event at Utica Saturday

August 14, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County 4-H and the City of Utica, will host a free Learn-to-Fish event on Saturday, August 15, at Utica Harbor Point.

Learning to fish encourages outdoor recreation, promotes stewardship of fisheries, and introduces participants to safe and responsible angling. [Read more…] about Free Inclusive Learn-to-Fish Event at Utica Saturday

High Peaks Avalanche Pass Trail Rebuild Underway

August 12, 2026 by North Country Public Radio Leave a Comment

Last summer, heavy rain triggered a massive landslide on Mount Colden in the Adirondack High Peaks. The landslide dumped downed trees, rocks, and mud into Avalanche Pass. Since then, the trail through Avalanche Pass has been closed to hikers.

State and volunteer crews have been working this summer to clean up and rebuild the trail. [Read more…] about High Peaks Avalanche Pass Trail Rebuild Underway

Bronx Beavers: Rewilding the Bronx River

August 10, 2026 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

Wildlife cameras and conservationists along the Bronx River captured footage of a North American beaver (Castor canadensis) near the Mitsubishi Riverwalk in the Bronx Zoo, marking the first confirmed resident since a previous short-time resident disappeared in 2018.

Biology student and Bronx River Alliance intern R.J. Hawkins found the new beaver on trail cameras set April to May. A fresh tree gnawing and saplings cut down also proved a beaver was living and working in the area. [Read more…] about Bronx Beavers: Rewilding the Bronx River

New York’s Dams, Dam Removals & DEC

August 7, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s latest episode of “DEC Does What?!” podcast discusses the department’s oversight of more than 6,000 regulated dams across New York State. [Read more…] about New York’s Dams, Dam Removals & DEC

New Accessible Outdoor Recreation Opportunities

July 31, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) marked the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, public services, and public accommodations – by highlighting new investments that are expanding access to outdoor recreation and helping ensure New York’s public lands are welcoming to visitors of all abilities. [Read more…] about New Accessible Outdoor Recreation Opportunities

St. Regis Canoe Area Nuisance Black Bear Euthanized

July 25, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

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

Niagara’s Manhattan Project Legacy Haunting Homeowners

July 22, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Elevated radiation levels have been detected in the yards of over 120 homes in Niagara County, NY. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has been conducting the first radiological survey of the area since 1984 and at least four families have fled their homes.

Governor Kathy Hochul has called on the EPA to step up testing and accelerate distribution of resources to those affected [Read more…] about Niagara’s Manhattan Project Legacy Haunting Homeowners

New York State’s Polystyrene Foam Ban Expanded

July 19, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

In 2020, New York State adopted the nation’s strongest state ban of expanded polystyrene, single-use foam food and beverage containers, and polystyrene loose fill packaging materials, commonly known as packing peanuts. On January 1, 2026, the state’s Foam Ban expanded to include a ban on polystyrene foam coolers and other containers designed or intended to be used for cold storage. [Read more…] about New York State’s Polystyrene Foam Ban Expanded

Former Scout Camp Purchase Protects Seneca Lake Shoreline

July 16, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently announced the acquisition of 284 acres at the former Babcock-Hovey Scout Camp in the Town of Ovid in Seneca County.

Located between Willard Wildlife Management Area and Bonavista State Park, the acquisition will provide protection for 2,800 feet of Seneca Lake shoreline. [Read more…] about Former Scout Camp Purchase Protects Seneca Lake Shoreline

Great Camp Santanoni Accessibility Program Returns

July 12, 2026 by North Country Public Radio Leave a Comment

Visitors with mobility disabilities will have more opportunities to explore Great Camp Santanoni Historic Area this summer as the state expands its electric wheelchair accessibility program.

The free state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) program has more reservation dates and a simplified online booking process. [Read more…] about Great Camp Santanoni Accessibility Program Returns

Adirondack Project To Reconnect 43 Miles of Brook Trout Waters

July 6, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Trout Unlimited (TU) have announced a multi-phase aquatic re-connection project is underway in the Moose River Plains Complex, in the Adirondack Park in Herkimer and Hamilton counties.

The project, which began in June, is expected to replace more than 50 culverts in the next three to five years and reconnect 43 miles of brook trout waters. [Read more…] about Adirondack Project To Reconnect 43 Miles of Brook Trout Waters

Lake Champlain Aquatic Invasive Species Plan Updated

July 3, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and New York State Canal Corporation announced revisions this week to the Rapid Response Plan (RRP) that was implemented in 2022 to mitigate the spread of round goby, an invasive species, into the Lake Champlain Basin.

After first being discovered in the Hudson River near Troy in 2021, to date, round goby has not been captured north of Champlain Canal Lock 1 in Waterford, though there were two positive eDNA detections north of Lock 2 in Halfmoon in 2024. [Read more…] about Lake Champlain Aquatic Invasive Species Plan Updated

New Regulations Increase Antlerless Deer Hunting

June 29, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced several changes to whitetail deer hunting regulations to increase the number of antlerless deer (primarily female) killed each hunting season.

“Deer populations are growing across much of New York and, in many areas, are increasing to levels that are detrimental to deer, their habitat, and the public,” according to DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton. [Read more…] about New Regulations Increase Antlerless Deer Hunting

New York’s Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells

June 23, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Approximately 35,000 orphaned oil and gas wells are estimated to exist in New York State, many drilled and abandoned before the existence of modern environmental regulations.

The latest DEC Does What? podcast, produced by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), spotlights the work of their Division of Mineral Resources, which address the threats that unplugged oil and gas wells have on the environment and public safety across New York State. [Read more…] about New York’s Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells

Snapshot NY Citizen Science Wildlife Monitoring Project

June 21, 2026 by Anthony F. Hall Leave a Comment

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

After NY Wetlands Rules Struck Down, DEC Plans Webinar Tuesday

June 21, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

In April, Albany County Supreme Court issued a decision in Chautauqua Lake Prop. Owners Assn., Inc. v State of New York annulling the recently revised 6 NYCRR Part 664 freshwater wetlands regulations in their entirety.

The court said the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) failed to comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) during the adoption process. [Read more…] about After NY Wetlands Rules Struck Down, DEC Plans Webinar Tuesday

Verplanck Colvin’s State Land Surveying Legacy

June 17, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) latest episode of the bi-weekly podcast “DEC Does What?!” spotlights the work of the department’s forestry staff who manage the boundaries of state lands.

They discuss the history of land surveying and the man who started the process in the 1800s, Verplanck Colvin (1847–1920). [Read more…] about Verplanck Colvin’s State Land Surveying Legacy

New Community Forest Honors Black Civil War Veteran

June 16, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A new community forest in Germantown, in Columbia County, NY, has been named in honor of Theodore Robinson, a local Civil War veteran who was the only Black American from Germantown to serve in the United States Army during the war. [Read more…] about New Community Forest Honors Black Civil War Veteran

2026 State of Lake Champlain Fisheries

June 16, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The annual Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative State of the Lake meeting was held in March in Burlington, Vermont. The meeting offered an opportunity for the public to learn about the ongoing research and angling opportunities that exist on Lake Champlain and is now available online. [Read more…] about 2026 State of Lake Champlain Fisheries

DEC

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