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
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St. Regis Canoe Area Nuisance Black Bear Euthanized
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Measuring and Protecting Adirondack Park Remote Places
A canoeist paddling toward the center of Middle Saranac Lake can still hear the dull, monotonous roar of car and truck traffic. Are there any places left in the Adirondacks that could still be considered remote, far removed from the sounds and sights of urbanized America? And if so, how many?
That is what a group of environmental protection organizations – the Adirondack Council, Adirondack Wild, Adirondack Wilderness Advocates and the Rewilding Institute – hope the Adirondack Park Agency and the Department of Environmental Conservation can determine. [Read more…] about Measuring and Protecting Adirondack Park Remote Places
Recently Upgraded Public Water Access Sites
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has expanded and enhanced several fishing and paddling access sites across the state, including those with universally accessible features.
Check out the list below for your next adventure: [Read more…] about Recently Upgraded Public Water Access Sites
Rare and Fragile Floating Bogs and Fens
New York State is home to several rare and fragile floating bogs and fens. These unique ecosystems feature mats of sphagnum moss and vegetation that actually float over water.
Bogs and fens are both peatlands (wetlands that build up deposits of dead plant matter called peat). The primary difference is their water source: bogs are largely by nutrient-poor rainwater, making them highly acidic. Fens are fed by mineral-rich groundwater, making them alkaline or neutral. [Read more…] about Rare and Fragile Floating Bogs and Fens
A New Native Species Selection Tool
Are you looking for recommendations of native plants and trees to plant on your specific site? DEC and the New York Natural Heritage Program recently released a Species Selection Tool that provides a list of recommended native tree, shrub, and herbaceous plant species, including flowering species, ferns and herbs, to improve habitats, increase biodiversity, and benefit wildlife across New York State. [Read more…] about A New Native Species Selection Tool
Rev War Remains Being Brought to Lake George for Reinternment
The skeletal remains of 44 people believed to have been associated with the Continental Army effort to invade Quebec in 1775 will be transported in historic U.S. military vehicles on Wednesday, May 20 from the New York State Museum in Albany to Lake George.
Scientists there have spent seven years identifying and reconstructing the remains. They will be reinterred in a new memorial at Lake George Battlefield Park being dedicated Friday, May 22. [Read more…] about Rev War Remains Being Brought to Lake George for Reinternment