History, Natural History & the Arts
The plot continues to thicken around the killing of an 85-pound wolf near Cooperstown in December of 2021 and the response by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
Under state and federal law, a wolf that wanders into New York State is protected under the Endangered Species Act. The wolf shot near Cooperstown by a coyote hunter clearly enjoyed no such protections. [Read more…] about 38 Groups Call On DEC To Protect Wolves in New York State
New York’s new gun law, which bans weapons from “sensitive locations” such as parks and museums, will have no effect on musket demonstrations, including at Fort William Henry or re-enactments in Lake George Battlefield Park, according to Warren County Sheriff James La Farr.
“It is not within the spirit of the law to prohibit those activities,” LaFarr said. The re-enactors’ muskets and cannon fire only blanks.
Fort Ticonderoga, which is located in Essex County, is also unaffected by the new law, says its president and CEO, Beth Hill. “We do not plan to change our operations or special events,” she said. [Read more…] about Despite Elise Stefanik’s Claims, NYS Gun Law Doesn’t Prohibit Historical Events
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced changes to wild turkey hunting regulations that will provide hunters additional hunting opportunities on Long Island.
This despite the fact that turkey populations in New York State peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s and over the past decade, turkey productivity has consistently been below average, leading to lower populations. [Read more…] about Despite Statewide Decline, DEC Expands Wild Turkey Hunting on Long Island
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have confirmed that a white-tailed deer in the town of Dover Plains, Dutchess County, died recently after contracting Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD). This detection marks the first EHD confirmation in New York for 2022. DEC is currently investigating reports of several other dead deer from Dutchess County. [Read more…] about Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Confirmed in Dutchess County Deer
Honeoye Inlet Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in Ontario and Livingston Counties at the south end of Honeoye Lake and is named after the lake and stream that flows through the property.
A great variety of wildlife finds high-quality habitat on this WMA, making it a worthwhile stop for birding and other wildlife observation. Wood duck, great blue heron, swamp sparrow, and least flycatcher are abundant in the silver maple-ash swamp. Each spring, thousands of salamanders migrate from the surrounding upland forest into the swamp to breed. [Read more…] about Featured State Lands: Honeoye Inlet Wildlife Management Area
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced hunters in New York killed an estimated 211,269 deer during the 2021-22 hunting seasons.
The season’s take was down 17 percent last year and data points to a few factors for a cause, including the resurgence of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in certain regions of the State and fewer Deer Management Permits allocated. There was however a 36-percent jump in youth deer kills and a late-season deer harvest increase, particularly among young hunters. [Read more…] about DEC Releases 2021-22 Deer Hunting Estimates
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public comment on a draft recreation management plan (RMP) for the Three Lakes Tract Conservation Easement in the town of Webb, Herkimer County.
The 3,350-acre Three Lakes Tract (TLT) is comprised of commercially managed forestland and is named for three waterbodies located on the property-Hitchcock, Grass, and Moose ponds. The RMP will address public recreational access and facilities consistent with the conservation easement. The public comment period is open until July 1st, 2022. [Read more…] about Comments Sought on Herkimer County’s Three Lakes Easement
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced that the 2021 hunting seasons in New York were the safest ever, with the lowest number of hunting-related shooting incidents since record-keeping began.
Conservation Police Officers (ECO) investigated nine hunting-related shooting incidents (HRSIs) in 2021, including one fatality. DEC did not asses the impact of COVID-19 on the 2021 hunting season. [Read more…] about 2021 NYS Hunter Safety Stats Released
New York bear hunters killed 1,346 black bears during the 2021 hunting seasons, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced.
Hunters killed an estimated 403 bears in the Northern Zone and 943 bears in the Southern Zone. This represents roughly 30 percent fewer bears taken in the north and 20 percent fewer taken in the south than in 2020, but only about 10 percent fewer than the five-year average in each zone. [Read more…] about 2021 NYS Bear Hunting Statistics Released
According to a press release issued by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, on January 20th, a Watertown man paid a $700 penalty in the town of Watertown, Jefferson County, for unlawfully taking a white-tailed deer with the aid of a bait pile. [Read more…] about Trail Cam Helps Nab Poacher