Wildlife, Fish, and Marine Life Newsletter

Look for Wildlife Tracks this Winter

Now is a great time to search for winter tracks (PDF) or other animal signs visible in the snow. It can be fun to be a detective and figure out what animals have been walking through your yard or across a trail. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Snow conditions can make a difference in a track’s appearance—wet snow captures a print better than powdery snow.
• Members in the dog family (coyote, fox, or dogs) will usually leave claw prints above the toes, while the cat family (bobcat, housecat) will not. You should see four toes on both front and back feet for both families.
• Rodents, such as squirrels, chipmunks, mice, muskrats, and voles, usually have four toes on the front feet and five on the back. Claws may or may not be seen.
• Bring a notebook, camera, or field guide with you.
• Sometimes an animal’s droppings, or scat, can help you identify it—a rabbit’s looks like small balls of sawdust.

Find out more in the Become a Winter Wildlife Detective (PDF) issue of Conservationist for Kids.

In case you missed it, check out the recent Winter Wildlife Tracks and Scat Identification Video on DEC’s Facebook page.

Photo by Sandy Van Vranken.

DEC to Discuss Managing Wildlife at Erwin Wildlife Management Area

DEC will host a virtual public presentation to share details about a recently completed habitat management plan for Erwin Wildlife Management Area (WMA) on Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.

The event will feature a 60-minute presentation that discusses the WMA’s history, habitat goals, and planned habitat management actions, followed by a question-and-answer period. This presentation will also be recorded and made available to the public afterward.
 
Registration is required for the online presentation. Type your questions into the chat box during the presentation, or send questions via email. Please contact Michael Palermo at (585) 226-5383 with any specific requests for accommodations.

View the habitat management plan and see what activities you can do at Erwin WMA by clicking on the link above.

Photo by Michael Palermo.

Deadline Approaching for "Why I Hunt" and "Why I Trap" Photo Essay Contest

DEC’s "Why I Hunt" and "Why I Trap" photo contest is still open! The contest is for hunters and trappers to share stories about why they hunt or trap in New York State. Participating hunters and trappers may submit photos and essays in one of the following categories:

• Youth (under 17, non-first year)
• First-year hunters (youth)
• First-year hunters (adult)
• Adults (non first-year)

Each contestant may submit up to two photos with their essay entry. DEC staff will select the best photo/essay in each category. Winners' essays and photos will appear in the 2021-2022 New York Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide, which is read by more than half a million people each year. Contest specifications:

• Essays should be non-fiction, original material (not previously published), and told from a first-person perspective.
• Essays should be no less than 50 words and no more than 500 words.
• Limit of one entry per person.
• Maximum of two photos per entry.
• Photos must be taken in New York State.

For more information about the "Why I Hunt" and "Why I Trap" contest, call (518) 402-8963, e-mail us, or write to: Hunter Education Program, 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-4754.

Submissions should be made online. The deadline for contest entries is January 31, 2021.

Final 2020 Deployment of Rail Cars to New York's Artificial Reefs

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the final 2020 deployment of rail cars to the state's artificial reef network, bringing the total number of rail cars added to reefs in New York to 75. Rail cars were donated by Wells Fargo Rail Corporation during the third year of New York's historic expansion of artificial reefs. The rail cars used for the reef expansion are cleaned to mitigate potential impacts to sea life before being deployed to the reef sites.

The first 16 of the 75 rail cars donated by Wells Fargo Corporation, as well as a steel turbine and the 70-foot tugboat "Jane", were placed on Hempstead Reef. In October 2020, another 16 rail cars were deployed on the Atlantic Beach Reef. In November, 16 additional rail cars were deployed on the Fire Island Reef, and 16 more rail cars were placed on the Twelve Mile Reef. Lastly in December, seven rail cars were added to Shinnecock Reef and the final four rail cars were deployed to Moriches Reef.

In the 2020 State of the State address, Governor Cuomo committed to doubling New York's existing reef acreage by 2022. In December 2020, DEC released the Notice of Complete Application (PDF) to expand seven of the State's existing 12 artificial reef sites and create four new sites for public review and comment. Currently, New York’s existing artificial reefs cover approximately 3,389 acres and this proposal would expand New York’s reefs by an additional 3,423 acres for a total of 6,812 acres.