DEC Extends Comment Period for Piseco Lake Campgrounds Draft UMP

Posted on by June 5, 2017

Public Meeting Scheduled for June 14 at Arietta Town Hall

The comment period for the Draft Piseco Lake Campgrounds Unit Management Plan (UMP) has been extended to June 16 and a public meeting on the actions proposed in the Draft UMP has been scheduled for June 14 at the town of Arietta Town Hall in Hamilton County, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today.

DEC’s three Piseco Lake campgrounds – Popular Point, Little Sand Point, and Point Comfort – are located on the shores of Piseco Lake along County Route 24 (aka Old Piseco Road) in the town of Arietta, Hamilton County.

The public meeting will held at the town of Arrietta Town Hall, 1722 State Route 8, Piseco, NY, beginning at 5 pm. A presentation reviewing the management actions proposed in the Draft UMP at the beginning of the meeting. After the presentation, DEC staff will answer questions and then the public will have an opportunity to provide verbal comments.

The Piseco Lake Campgrounds Draft UMP (PDF, 4.5 MB) guides the management actions for the three DEC campgrounds and is available to review and download on the DEC website. An earlier press release provides an overview of the campgrounds and the management actions proposed for Little Sand Point Campground and Point Comfort Campground.

Due to limited attendance, staffing and resources, the Draft UMP proposes closing Poplar Point to camping and redeveloping the facility as a No Fee day use area/boat launch starting in 2017. Resources and staff are being redeployed to the nearby Little Sand Point and Point Comfort to provide more efficient services while continuing to offer great outdoor recreation opportunities to campers.

Copies of the Draft UMP are available on computer disc and may be obtained by calling (518) 457-2500. Public comments on the draft UMPs will be accepted through June 16, 2017, and can be submitted by mail to: Josh Houghton, NYS DEC Bureau of Recreation, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-5253, or by e-mail to campinfo@dec.ny.gov

http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/77537.html

Statewide Invasive Species Awareness Week to Be Held July 9-17

Posted on by June 5, 2017

 New York’s fourth annual Invasive Species Awareness Week (ISAW) will be celebrated July 9-15, the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. The annual educational campaign aims to educate New Yorkers about the negative impacts invasive species can have on our environment, economy, and health and empower residents to take action to stop the spread of these destructive pests. DEC is encouraging organizations to partner in hosting an event as part of New York’s ISAW.

“Preventing the spread of invasive species is the most effective way to fight and address the damage these species can cause to our natural resources,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Invasive Species Awareness Week is a great opportunity to highlight some of the environmental and economic threats these species can pose and raises awareness of the many ways that all New Yorkers can help protect against unwelcome species in their communities.”

During ISAW, the eight Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISMs), DEC, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and other state and local partners will host events to teach citizens how to identify, survey, manage, and map invasive species. Through these events, participants will gain the skills to participate in early detection and rapid response efforts in the places where they live, work, and play. Continue reading →

Finally, the 2016 Deer Harvest Stats

Posted on by May 17, 2017

Hunters in New York State harvested an estimated 213,061 deer during the 2016-17 hunting seasons, an estimated five percent increase over 2015-16 levels, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today.

The 2016 deer take included 106,055 antlerless deer and 107,006 antlered bucks. Statewide, this represents a 7.5-percent increase in buck harvest from 2015, reflecting modest population growth following the losses experienced during the harsh winter of 2014-15. Antlerless harvest was similar to 2015 (a 2.6-percent increase), as managers sought increased antlerless harvests in certain parts of the state and reduced harvests in others.

DEC’s 2016 Deer Harvest Summary report (PDF 3.75 MB) provides a suite of tables, charts, and maps detailing the statewide deer harvest. .

Regionally, hunters in the Northern Zone took 24,674 deer, including 16,495 adult bucks. In the Southern Zone, hunters took 188,387 deer, including 90,511 adult bucks.

Last year, DEC kicked off a campaign to encourage hunters to voluntarily pass up shots at young bucks in an effort to grow the population of larger bucks across the state. In areas where hunters had the freedom to choose what type of buck to take, nearly half of the adult bucks taken this past year were 2.5 years or older. Yearling bucks were plentiful, a result of strong survival rates through the 2015-16 winter, yet many hunters voluntarily chose restraint.

DEC also confirmed that bucks of all ages across the state were in good condition, with larger antlers, more mass, and fewer spike-antlered bucks.

New York’s First-Time Camper Program

Posted on by May 7, 2017

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) today announced that New York State will provide free First-Time Camper weekends throughout the summer in 2017. Families that have never camped before will have the opportunity to see if they enjoy sleeping under the stars before investing in their own gear by registering for a fully stocked campsite at select state campgrounds one weekend from July 7 through August 25, 2017.

Reservations are required and will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis starting May 17, 2017 from 9 a.m. -5 p.m. by calling 518-474-6718. For more information on the First-time Camper Weekend Program, visit DEC’s website.

Campgrounds are available throughout the state to give all New Yorkers an opportunity to participate. Campground locations are listed and linked below:

  1. 7/7-7/9 – North South Lake (Catskills)
  2. 7/14-7/16 – Wellesley Island State Park (link leaves DEC website)
  3. 7/21-7/23 – Paradox Lake (Adirondacks)
  4. 7/28-7/30 – Schodack Island State Park (link leaves DEC website)
  5. 8/4-8/6 – Kenneth L Wilson (Catskills)
  6. 8/11-8/13 – Green Lakes State Park (link leaves DEC website)
  7. 8/18-8/20 – Hearthstone Point (Adirondacks)
  8. 8/25-8/27 – Hamlin Beach State Park (link leaves DEC website)

Continue reading →

DEC Finalizes Sacandaga Easement Plan

Posted on by April 20, 2017

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released the Final Sacandaga Block Conservation Easement Lands Recreation Management Plan (RMP) that identifies management initiatives to increase public access for recreational use on 6,147 acres of easement lands divided between seven tracts in the southern Adirondacks, Regional Director Robert Stegemann announced today.

The complete Final Sacandaga Block Conservation Easement Lands RMP is available for viewing and downloading on DEC’s web site at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/107809.html.

          In June 2007, Finch, Pruyn and Company, Inc. sold 161,000 acres of land to The Nature Conservancy, which in turn sold the 92,035-acres to Upper Hudson Woodlands ATP and a Conservation Easement to the State of New York in March 2009. The Sacandaga Block Tracts consists of 6,147 acres of those lands in seven tracts:  Continue reading →

DEC ANNOUNCES 2016 BEAR HARVEST RESULTS

Posted on by March 27, 2017

Bear hunters in New York State took 1,539 black bears during the 2016 hunting seasons, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today.   

2016 Black Bear Harvest & Recent Trend Comparison

 

2016 Total

2015 Total

Recent
5-year Average
(2011-2015)

Historical Average
(1991-2000)

Northern Zone

514

583

472

515

Southern Zone

1,025

1,132

987

207

Statewide

1,539

1,715

1,459

722

 

A complete summary of the 2016 bear harvest with results and maps by county, town, and WMU is available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42232.html. Continue reading →

Links

Posted on by March 9, 2017

DEC’s Summary of Hunting Seasons
Boreas Ponds: Access the Adirondacks vs Adirondack Wilderness Advocates
Outdoor Wire: Minding Hunters and Hunting (must read)
NY Times: Hunters seeing pink
Website Upgrades: QDMA, NDA
Roger Fulton: Common Sense Gun Control
Delta Waterfowl lashes out and USFWS director  over commendation of HSUS
OL: Maine, New Hampsire and Vermont to offer more deer permits
U-Washington Study: Bring on the Mounain Lions
Adirondack Almanac: Interesting Land Swap
On the Newstand: Summer issue of ADK Outdoors Mag