New for 2021, DEC streamlined its annual fishing regulations guide. With few exceptions, contents in the new guide are limited to only a summary of the laws and regulations anglers need to know before hitting the water. [Read more…] about New 2021 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide
Wildlife
Daphnia: Microscopic Crustaceans and Resurrection Ecology
At this very moment, nestled into the sediment at the bottom of your nearest lake or pond, are Daphnia eggs – as many as 100,000 per square meter, according to one Michigan study.
A genus of microscopic crustaceans, Daphnia are sometimes known as “water fleas,” and their eggs can remain viable for anywhere from several years to a century or more. This trait has earned them a position of prominence in a fascinating new field known as “resurrection ecology,” which aims to shed light on how ecosystems adapt to environmental change. [Read more…] about Daphnia: Microscopic Crustaceans and Resurrection Ecology
Beavers: Landscape Engineers
When my sisters visit from Ireland, I try to play tour guide, but I’m occasionally at a loss for what to do next. During a visit in the late 1990s, my sister Grace said she would love to see a beaver.
At that time, I lived close to a beaver pond and often quietly waited for beaver sightings. Alas, the rodents failed to cooperate for Grace’s visit, although she was able to see their engineering work. I was disappointed for her, but not surprised. Many of my own encounters ended with at most a fleeting glimpse, and a loud slap of a leathery tail on water. [Read more…] about Beavers: Landscape Engineers
Champlain Lake Trout Stocking Cut By A Third
In light of increased wild production, the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative (NY, VT, USFWS) is reducing lake trout stocking by 33 percent (~27,060 fish).
This decision is based on data that indicates increased catches of wild lake trout in annual standardized nettings used to monitor the contribution of wild vs. stocked fish to the lake trout population. [Read more…] about Champlain Lake Trout Stocking Cut By A Third
No Rainbow Trout Sampling Events This Year for Finger Lakes Tributaries
The 2021 rainbow trout sampling events for Naples Creek in Ontario County and Cold Brook in Steuben County will not be held as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. [Read more…] about No Rainbow Trout Sampling Events This Year for Finger Lakes Tributaries
Bicknell’s Thrush: A History Podcast
Bicknell’s Thrush was first identified by American amateur ornithologist Eugene Bicknell on Slide Mountain in the Catskills in the late 19th century.
This rare songbird prefers our State’s higher peaks and will soon be returning from its winter residency in Hispaniola. [Read more…] about Bicknell’s Thrush: A History Podcast
Watch the Skies for Spring Bird Migrations
Spring is an ideal time to observe bird migrations. New York is conveniently located along the Atlantic Flyway, one of the main migration routes. This gives you a great opportunity to observe birds flying to their summer breeding grounds. [Read more…] about Watch the Skies for Spring Bird Migrations
DEC Releases 2020 Bear Hunting Statistics
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that New York State bear hunters killed 1,723 black bears during the 2020 hunting seasons. [Read more…] about DEC Releases 2020 Bear Hunting Statistics
Volunteers Prepare for Salamander and Frog Migration
Community volunteers throughout the Hudson Valley are getting out their flashlights, reflective vests, and raingear in anticipation of annual breeding migrations of salamanders and frogs, which typically begin in mid-March.
Volunteers in the Hudson Valley will record their observations as part of DEC’s Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings Project, coordinated by the Hudson River Estuary Program and Cornell University. [Read more…] about Volunteers Prepare for Salamander and Frog Migration
Our Hibernating Jumping Mice
Winter is the time when wildlife activity ebbs. Many residents of our fields and forests have retreated to shelters beneath the surface of the soil in an attempt to escape this season of low temperatures, snow and ice, and little if any food.
The woodland jumping mouse (Napaeozapus insignis) is one member of our wildlife community that retires to the seclusion of a cushiony nest underground and lapses into a profound state of dormancy, known as true hibernation, for roughly six months beginning sometime in mid-October. [Read more…] about Our Hibernating Jumping Mice