Wildlife, Fish, and Marine Life Newsletter

DEC Seeks Volunteers for Annual “WAVE” Stream and River Monitoring Project

DEC is recruiting participants for the 2018 summer sampling season to help with water quality assessments in streams and rivers as part of the State’s Water Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators (WAVE) project. WAVE data collected by volunteers will provide valuable information to help identify healthy stream sites and flag sites with potential water quality concerns. This information is included in federal and state water quality reports and helps determine where restoration or conservation efforts are most needed.

All training materials are online so now anyone who can kick over a rock and has access to an online computer can participate! Participants visit stream sites once per year, anytime between July 1 and Sept. 30. Volunteers collect insects and other small organisms from the rocks and rubble on the stream bottom. If six or more of the "Most Wanted" organisms are found, the stream segment is assessed as having no known impacts and fully supporting aquatic life. If mostly "Least Wanted" organisms are found, the stream segment is flagged for further study. Visit the webpages above or send an e-mail to learn more about WAVE.

 DEC and Trout Unlimited Work Together to Improve Aquatic Habitats

DEC and Trout Unlimited routinely partner on aquatic habitat improvement projects around the state. An ongoing partnership project in the Capital Region has two goals. One goal is to restore connectivity for younger age classes of trout that are separated by a perched culvert on Cook Brook. One end of the perched culvert is above the water’s surface and can prevent fish from getting upstream. To restore connectivity for trout, the team will use a new baffle design. Baffles are structures placed inside a culvert (see photo to right) to assist in fish passage by changing flow patterns and slowing water velocity. DEC habitat staff plan to install the baffles in July. If successful, the project would restore 3.8 miles of high quality coldwater habitat to Cook Brook, a tributary to the Beaverkill (PDF, 851 KB).

The second goal of the partnership project in the Capital Region is to test two DEC-constructed Radio Frequency Identification Units (RFID) against one it purchased. RFID units are used to detect Passive Integrated Transponders in fish as they pass over or through the unit’s antennas. The transponders are similar to microchips used for pet identification. DEC habitat staff can construct these units for a fraction of the cost of purchasing one. The “in-house” units that were deployed on multiple tributaries to the West Branch of the Delaware River last fall worked well. Staff plan to tag fish in late May.

Photo by: ATS Environmental.

DEC to Discuss Managing Wildlife on Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area

DEC will host an open house to share details about a recently completed management plan for Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area:

Tuesday, May 22, 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Belgium Cold Springs Fire Department
7920 River Rd
Baldwinsville, NY 13027

DEC staff will be available for questions from 6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., followed by a formal presentation at 6:30 p.m. Stop by and learn how DEC plans to manage habitat for wildlife at this property. The meeting facility is wheelchair accessible. Please contact Adam Perry at 607-753-3095 with any specific requests for accommodations.

DEC Offers Free Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator Examination

The next Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator examination is set for Friday, June 8, 2018, from 10 a.m. - noon at the DEC Region 2 office, 47-40 21st Street, Long Island City, NY 11101.

The examination is for individuals seeking a general (commercial) license to provide wildlife removal services. Applicants can purchase a printed copy of the New York State Nuisance Wildlife Control Training Manual or review free information online to study for the exam.

There is no fee to take the exam. Register for the exam by contacting the DEC Region 2 Wildlife Office at (718) 482-4922. Registration deadline is Monday, June 4, 2018.