History, Natural History & the Arts
Birdhouses are a simple addition to your yard that can provide nesting places for many kinds of birds and weeks of wildlife watching opportunities.
Cavity-nesters, like tree swallows, house wrens, blackcapped chickadees, Eastern bluebirds, wood ducks, and American kestrels, all use nest boxes. The type of birds you might attract depends on the size of box and the nearby habitat; some birds prefer open fields while others prefer forests or wetlands. [Read more…] about Consider Bird Nest Boxes
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the around 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 Respond To Wildfire, Rescue Lost, Injured, & Unprepared
Every September for the past 40 years, DEC Lake Erie Fisheries Research Unit has set gill nets to assess the warmwater fish community. The primary goal of the survey is to collect abundance and age structure information for Walleye, Yellow Perch, and Smallmouth Bass – the three most targeted fish species by anglers in New York’s portion of Lake Erie. [Read more…] about 2020 Lake Erie Fish Survey Reveals Some Interesting Finds
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Region 7, with assistance from the Village of Deposit Division of Public Works, recently constructed a new angler parking area on Oquaga Creek in Broome County. The stretch three-mile long stretch between McClure and Deposit is considered among the best trout streams in the county. [Read more…] about New Oquaga Creek Fishing Access in Deposit, Broome County
The NYS Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are holding a joint public comment period on plans to tear down a rustic 1940s Adirondack camp at the north end of Debar Pond that is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
The camp commands a view of DeBar Pond and the adjacent mountains which frame the water. The main lodge is a rambling two-story rustic building by architect Saranac Lake architect William Distin. The site also includes a guide/caretaker house, and several barns and outbuildings. [Read more…] about State Proposes Removal of Historic DeBar Lodge Great Camp For Day Use Area
New York State’s recent acquisition of the 86-acres Parker tract in the Finger Lakes area, recalls the role of New York State Governor and later U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the creation of New York States Forests and Wildlife Management Areas.
The State purchased the parcel from the Parker Trust for $171,300 utilizing federal Pittman-Robertson Act (1937) funds. To ensure that use is in compliance with the Act, the state is planning to include the land in the High Tor Wildlife Management Area in Yates County.
[Read more…] about 80-Acre Addition To High Tor Area Part of FDR’s Preservation Legacy
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the around 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 Rescue Hunter Pinned Under Boulder With Broken Leg
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have announced the acquisition of a parcel in the Owasco Lake watershed that is expected to help protect public water supplies and safeguard riparian buffers and wetlands.
The acquisition of the Hirst Tract in the town of Locke, Cayuga County, is the first of several parcels TNC plans to purchase that target the protection of source waters with funding from New York State’s Water Quality Improvement Program. [Read more…] about 200 Acres At Owasco Lake Will Expand Fillmore Glen State Park
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the recent acquisition of 525 acres in the town of North Collins, Erie County, to create the Clear Lake Wildlife Management Area (WMA).
The land offers hunting, fishing, trapping, wildlife viewing, and other recreational opportunities and becomes the largest State-owned WMA in Erie County. [Read more…] about NYS Acquires 525 Acres at Clear Lake, Erie County
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that the Lower Fly-Fishing Section of the Salmon River will be open for catch-and-release fishing starting Saturday, October 31st, marking the success of actions taken by the Salmon River Flow Management Team to mitigate the impacts of low-water flows at the start of the salmon run.
Recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 remain in effect to ensure the health and safety of the public. [Read more…] about Salmon River Lower Fly-Fishing Area Opening