Wildlife, Fish, and Marine Life Newsletter

There's Still Time to Take One of the I Bird NY Challenges

Do you enjoy watching birds? Then take part in one of our two birding challenges!

If you are 16 years or younger and a resident of New York State and you have an interest in birds, take our I Bird NY challenge. Find 10 common New York bird species and we'll send you a special certificate and bracelet for taking the challenge. You will also be entered into a drawing for binoculars or a spotting scope. Download our I Bird NY Challenge form (PDF, 977 KB) and get started today.

If you are already a birder, take your birding to the next level by taking the I Bird NY Experienced Birder Challenge. Find any 10 (or more) of the 50 bird species listed, which represent birds from a variety of habitats all across New York State. Then fill out the Experienced Birder Challenge entry sheet (PDF, 198 KB). Some species are common and found in many places, while others are rare and may be limited to a specific habitat or part of the state, so everyone can find some of them.

Learn more about these birds on DEC's bird species page where each species is profiled. The challenge is open through September 15, 2018. All entries must be received by September 30, 2018.

DEC Awards $375,000 in Grants to Fund Water Quality Improvements, Increase Flood Resiliency, and Conserve Natural Resources in Coastal Communities

DEC awarded $375,000 in grant funds to help Westchester and Long Island communities improve water quality, increase flood resiliency, and restore fish passage for American Eel and River Herring in the South Shore Estuary Reserve and Long Island Sound tributaries. Through this award, fish passage will be installed in the Carmans River in Suffolk County and design plans will be completed for Bellmore Creek in Nassau County and the Hutchison River in Westchester County. The funding is provided by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and is administered under DEC’s 2018 Division of Marine Resources Marine Habitat Tributary Restoration and Resiliency Grant.

For more information, view the announcement of the grant awards. Visit our website for more information on fish passages.

DEC Staff Relocate a Trapped Moose

On August 1, Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Matthew LaCroix received a call regarding a moose discovered by a farmer in an enclosed pasture outside Plattsburgh. The officer responded to the scene and found a young female moose in a fenced-in area that included a barn and several donkeys. DEC Bureau of Wildlife staff and several additional ECOs responded to assist in removing the moose from the pasture. Due to the proximity to residential and commercial areas close to Plattsburgh, the officers determined that the moose should be relocated to a more suitable habitat. Bureau of Wildlife personnel chemically immobilized the moose while ECOs provided traffic control, site security, and assisted in lifting the moose from the field into the transport vehicle. The moose was successfully relocated to a remote area of the Adirondacks and was last seen entering the woods in good health.

DEC Seeks Pool Owners for Citizen Science Survey of Invasive Beetle

DEC is encouraging New York pool owners to participate in DEC's annual Asian Longhorned Beetle Swimming Pool Survey. This is the time of year when Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) emerge as adults and are most active outside of their host tree. The goal of the survey is to look for and find these exotic, invasive beetles before these pests cause serious damage to our forests and street trees. DEC is requesting that people with swimming pools periodically check their pool filters for any insects that resemble ALB and either e-mail photos to foresthealth@dec.ny.gov or mail insects for identification to DEC's Forest Health Diagnostics Lab, Attn: Jessica Cancelliere,108 Game Farm Road, Delmar, NY 12054.

ALB is a wood boring beetle native to Asia that was accidentally introduced to the United States through wood packing materials. These pests attack a variety of hardwoods, including maples, birches and willows. They have caused the death of hundreds of thousands of trees across the country. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) has worked diligently to manage the ALB infestations in our state and succeeded in eradicating the invasive beetle from Staten Island, Manhattan, Islip and Eastern Queens.