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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Adirondack Land Trust today announced the addition of 250 acres to the Forest Preserve on Moxham Mountain between Minerva, Essex County and North Creek, Warren County. The acquisition will increase public access to the south side of Moxham Mountain for hunting, hiking and rock climbing. The Adirondack Land Trust purchased much of the south face of Moxham Mountain in 2019 from the Brassel and Zack families and the Brassel estate for $160,000. On Aug. 6, the land was transferred to New York State for addition to the Forever Wild Forest Preserve, in accordance with the family’s wishes. DEC and the Student Conservation Association opened a northside trail to Moxham’s 2,418-foot summit in 2012, as part of the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest. The current 2.7-mile trail climbs 1,152 feet and offers more solitude than some of the Adirondacks’ popular peaks. 

To learn more, visit www.adirondacklandtrust.org or contact info@adirondacklandtrust.org, (518) 576-2400. 

Photos Courtesy of the Adirondack Land Trust https://adirondacklandtrust.canto.com/v/MoxhamMountain/allfiles?viewIndex=0.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today that DEC has adopted new rules for deer and bear hunting in New York. Rule changes include extending hunting hours and dress code requirements when afield to improve hunter safety. 

The adopted changes are 

• Restore antlerless harvest during the early muzzleloader season in Northern Zone WMUs 6A, 6F, and 6J. The management objective for these units is to maintain a stable population and the deer population in these units has grown aided by a series of mild winters and prior restrictions on antlerless harvest;
• Extend the hunting hours for deer and bear to include the full period of ambient light from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. All other states allow deer hunting beginning one-half hour before sunrise or earlier, or specify daylight hours, and 46 of 50 states allow deer hunting until some period (mostly one-half hour) after sunset. This change conforms to the national standard for big game hunting;
• Require anyone hunting big game with a firearm, or accompanying someone hunting big game with a firearm, to wear a solid or patterned fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink hat, vest, or jacket. Most two-party hunting-related shooting incidents in New York involve a hunter victim who was not wearing fluorescent orange or pink clothing. Similar fluorescent orange requirements exist in most states;
• Simplify bear hunting season in the Adirondack region by extending regular season to cover the entire hunting period; 
• Establish a nine-day season for antlerless deer in mid-September (Sept. 11 – 19, 2021) using firearms in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 3M, 3R, 8A, 8F, 8G, 8J, 8N, 9A and 9F, and using bowhunting equipment in WMUs 1C, 3S, 4J, and 8C. Management objectives in these units are either to decrease the deer population or maintain a stable population, and increased antlerless harvest is needed to achieve these objectives. Objectives are based on public input and assessments of deer impacts to forests. Hunters may only use Deer Management Permits (DMPs) and Deer Management Assistance Permit (DMAP) tags in this season;
• Remove outdated language related to deer tag use during the September portion of the early bowhunting season. 

The full text of the adopted regulations is available at www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/34113.html#Parts_1_11.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation  announced the temporary closure of parts of the North Lake Conservation Easement will begin Sept. 7, to allow the property owners to conduct forest management activities. Owned by Heartwood Forestry Fund IV, the 11,490-acre North Lake Conservation Easement is located northwest of the village of Forestport in Herkimer County. The easement provides public use of the property for recreation while retaining the landowner’s authority to practice forest management, including closing portions of the property during sustainable timber harvesting operations. DEC will announce when the easement reopens fully to public access.

The temporary closure will begin Tuesday, Sept. 7, and continue until early winter. Affected areas begin at the Golden Stair Creek bridge and extend east, just south of Ice Cave Mountain. During this closure, the Loop Road and campsites along the Loop Road will remain open, but areas adjacent to the road and some campsites may be closed. Hunters and hikers will have access to the logging roads that lead off the Loop Road in order to recreate in areas not actively harvested. Users of the campsites and parking areas along the Loop Road should expect to encounter log trucks and other equipment and should exercise caution when driving or using the road. Contact DEC’s Herkimer office at 315-866-6330 with questions. Additional information is available on the DEC website.

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