Find Your Adventure: Summer Adventure Awaits

Frontier Town Campground Now Open!

Make Frontier Town Campground, Equestrian and Day Use Area your base camp for your next Adirondack Adventure! DEC and partners celebrated the completion of the construction of the new campground in the town of North Hudson at a special event earlier this week. It is a signature piece of the Governor's "Gateway to the Adirondacks" tourism hub. North Hudson is a prime location to start exploring all that the Adirondacks has to offer. Campers can book reservations at the state's newest campground now.

Free Fishing Days in New York State This Weekend

New York residents can fish for free without a license in one of the 7,500 lakes and ponds or 70,000 miles of rivers and streams across the state during the weekend of June 29-30, 2019. New York's Free Fishing Weekends help encourage more people - whether skilled or new to the sport - to get outdoors and enjoy the many world-class fishing opportunities available.

The Free Fishing Days program is administered by DEC as part of Governor Cuomo's NY Open for Fishing and Hunting Initiative. The upcoming Free Fishing Days are among six planned for 2019, including September 28 (National Hunting and Fishing Day), and November 11 (Veterans Day). The free fishing days program began in 1991 to give people who might not fish a chance to try the rewarding sport at no cost, introduce people to a new hobby and encourage people to support the sport by purchasing a New York State fishing license. 

Visit the Places to Fish pages on DEC's website.

Thousands Celebrate Outdoors Day

DEC celebrated National Get Outdoors Day on June 8th by hosting free events across the state. The Outdoors Day events were part of Governor Cuomo’s Adventure NY initiative to connect people to nature and provide increased access to outdoor recreation through hands-on activities. DEC hosted 10 events across the state where thousands of New Yorkers spent the day trying new activities, including, paddling, fishing, archery, bird watching and more. Thank you to all those who attended! Check out photos in our Flickr album. Save the date for Outdoors Day 2020 - June 13th!

Partner Profile: Friends of Rogers

Friends of Rogers (FOR) is a nonprofit organization made up of dedicated staff and supporters that run the Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne, Chenango County. FOR’s mission is to provide outstanding educational opportunities that excite, inspire and motivate people of all ages. They run environmental educational programs and outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the seasons for kids and adults. In addition to these community events, school programs, and Adventure Camps, the Visitor Center displays a collection of New York State wildlife. FOR manages six miles of walking trails on 600 acres of state-owned property.

FOR has also partnered with DEC to provide programming through the Adventure NY initiative including Outdoors Day, First Day Hikes, and I Love My Park Day. Thank you for all that you do to help promote outdoor recreation!

Each year, hundreds of volunteer stewards help maintain DEC's nearly 5 million acres of land for the public to enjoy. This feature highlights the efforts of those partners and volunteers who are instrumental in protecting and providing stewardship of those lands.

Upcoming Events

Wildlife Watching:
July 17: 6:30 PM: Reinstein Woods: Birdwatching Walk
July 10 & 16: 6:30 PM: Reinstein Woods: Family Nature Hour at Julia Boyer Reinstein Library

Guided Walks:
June 29 - 10 AM: Five Rivers - Guided Walk: The Wild Turkey Trail
July 6: 11 AM: Reinstein Woods: Woods Walk
July 13: 10 AM: Reinstein Woods: Trail Steward Saturday
July 16: 8 PM: Reinstein Woods: Full Moon Walk
July 17: 10 AM: Reinstein Woods: Senior Stroll

Free Fishing Clinics:
June 28: 9 AM - 12 PM: Drop in Hudson! at Nutten Hook (Hudson River), Stuyvesant
June 29 & 30 - Free Fishing Weekend
June 29: 12 PM - 4 PM: Harlem Piers Free Fishing Clinic
June 29: 10 AM - 1 PM: Sterling Forest State Park Fishing Clinic
June 29: 9 AM - 1 PM: Family Fishing Clinic at Grafton Lakes State Park (Long Pond)
July 5: 9 AM - 1 PM: Drop in Hudson! Nutten Hook (Hudson River)
July 10: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM: Town of Brookhaven Summer Family Fishing Clinic

Save the date! The Great New York State Fair: August 21 - September 2