News and Events for Nassau and Suffolk Counties (Region 1)

In This Issue:

• DEC Sets Youth Conservation Program Dates
• Key Milestones to Advance Bay Park Conveyance Project
• Long Island Segment of Statewide Birding Trail Now Open
• Spring Family Fishing Festival at Belmont Lake on April 2
• Environmental Conservation Police on Patrol
• New York State Outdoor Burn Ban

DEC Sets Youth Conservation Program Dates

DEC's Hunter Education Unit will offer a two-day, hands-on program on youth hunting safety. It is part of the state’s Youth Conservation Program designed to introduce girls and boys between the ages of 12 and 16 to the basic principles of conservation, hunter education and general outdoorsmanship.

The course will take place on April 23 and 24, 2022, at the Peconic River Sportsman’s Club in Manorville and is open to youths who have not yet taken their Hunter Education course. Applications must be returned by April 13, 2022.

Each class is limited to 35 participants. Participants who successfully complete the program will receive their Hunter Education Training Certificate. This certificate is required to purchase a hunting license.

The Youth Conservation Program is part of the New York Open for Hunting and Fishing Initiative and since 1994, this regional hunter safety event has been sponsored by DEC’s Hunter Education Program, the New York State Conservation Officers Association, and the Peconic River Sportsman’s Club. The Open for Hunting and Fishing Initiative is an effort to improve recreational activities for in-state and out-of-state sportsmen and sportswomen and to boost tourism opportunities throughout the state. It includes the streamlining of hunting and fishing licensing and reducing license fees, improved access for fishing at various sites across the state, and increasing hunting opportunities in various regions.

For more information or to register for the Youth Conservation Program, contact the NYS DEC Hunter Education Office by phone at (631) 444-0255 or email.

New York State DEC and Nassau County Announce Key Milestones to Advance Bay Park Conveyance Project

Key milestones are advancing on the Bay Park Conveyance Project on Long Island. The Project is a partnership between New York State and Nassau County to improve water quality and storm resiliency in Long Island's Western Bays by upgrading existing wastewater management infrastructure.

On March 14, sliplining began, repurposing more than seven miles of an abandoned aqueduct beneath Sunrise Highway between western Rockville Centre and western Wantagh in Nassau County. By repurposing this existing structure, the new pipeline will be constructed faster, at a substantially reduced cost, and with less disruption for area residents.

Microtunneling began - an innovative digging technique - that will construct tunnels for a new pipeline deep below the surface from the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) extending two miles north to Sunrise Highway and from Sunrise Highway in western Wantagh extending over one and half miles south to the Cedar Creek Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP). This approach minimizes surface disturbance to the surrounding communities and allows the project to advance in multiple locations simultaneously accelerating construction.

In total, the Bay Park Conveyance Project will construct 10.9 miles of new pipeline to convey treated water from the South Shore WRF to the Cedar Creek WPCP to be discharged through an existing ocean outfall.

Sliplining is an innovative, trenchless construction technique that installs a smaller pipe inside a larger host pipe, minimizing surface disturbance. Sliplining is now underway in Freeport, the first of 24 total work sites along Sunrise Highway. As part of the sliplining process, crews excavate to the existing aqueduct at individual pit locations, place a hydraulic jacking machine at the base of the pit, and then slide the new conveyance pipe into the existing aqueduct. By accessing the aqueduct from discrete work locations along Sunrise Highway, sliplining activities will have limited disturbance to Sunrise Highway, adjacent businesses, and the public.

Microtunneling will soon begin in Bay Park at the first of 14 shaft locations. Shafts along the microtunneling corridor are being constructed to provide deep access points where microtunneling will advance. Microtunneling cuts a hole far underground and drills horizontally from a shaft without disturbing the surface above. This construction technique is a safe, effective way to install piping deep into the ground, avoiding long trenches and surface disturbance.

This milestone follow the Project's formal Notice to Proceed in March 2021, groundbreaking in April 2021, significant completion of design, and the construction of several pits and shafts across the Project's corridor to support the commencement of sliplining and microtunneling.

To learn more, visit the Bay Park Conveyance Project website.

DEC Announces Opening of Long Island Segment of Statewide Birding Trail

The Long Island segment of the New York State Birding Trail to highlight the state's world-class and wide-ranging birding opportunities is now open. The Long Island segment includes 20 locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, providing a variety of quality birding experiences for New Yorkers and visitors to enjoy.

Birdwatching has become one of New York's fastest-growing recreation and tourism activities. DEC manages the New York State Birding Trail in collaboration with partners including the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. The statewide trail includes a network of promoted birding locations that can be accessed by car or public transportation, providing an inclusive experience for all visitors to enjoy birds amid beautiful natural settings with little or no cost or investment in equipment.

The Long Island segment of the birding trail includes 20 locations on a mix of State and Federal lands throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. From Montauk Point State Park on the tip of Long Island to Hempstead Lake in Nassau County, visitors can experience birding at a variety of habitats. Visitors can enjoy birding at coastal locations like the barrier island ecosystem at Fire Island Lighthouse, where one-third of all North American species have been recorded. Inland sites like Edgewood Oak Brush Plains and Ridge Conservation Area offer multiple opportunities to observe migratory birds and other forest and grassland species. The sandy pine barrens of Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest are ideal habitat for woodpeckers, great horned owls, and orioles. Three National Wildlife Refuge properties with salt marshes and lagoons offer the chance to see waterfowl, raptors, waders, and songbirds. Visiting north shore sites such as Sunken Meadows State Park that has salt marshes where snowy and common egrets, black-crowned night herons, and great blue herons can be seen fishing in the waters of the marsh. Long Island is part of the Atlantic flyway and on the migratory path of a high diversity of bird species. A visit to these sites will have something for everyone.

To promote the trail as an inclusive experience for all, DEC and partners are working to select sites that are welcoming and accessible by public transportation. More than half of the locations on Long Island are accessible by public transportation. DEC also continues to solicit input from a wide range of New Yorkers and organizations that represent Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and is making information available in both English and Spanish. Bird walks are held in collaboration with organizations working with BIPOC communities.

Nature enthusiasts can find more information about birding on our website: map of the Long Island segment (PDF) of the birding trail,  I Bird NY webpage, Beginner's Guide to Birding (PDF), Beginner's Guide to Birding in Spanish (PDF)

Photo courtesy of NYS ESD Darren McGee

DEC and State Parks to Sponsor Spring Family Fishing Festival at Belmont Lake on April 2

DEC and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) will hold the annual Spring Family Fishing Festival on Saturday, April 2, at Belmont Lake State Park. Additional sponsors for the fishing festival include the Natural Heritage Trust, The Fisherman Magazine, New York Life, Seaford Knights of Columbus Fishing Club, Art Flick Chapter Trout Unlimited, and radio stations 106.1 WBLI and 102.3 WBAB.

Festival activities begin at 10 a.m. and are provided free of charge. Activities include open fishing, casting instruction, rod use, fish identification, fishing instruction, fly-casting demonstrations, and a fish cleaning station. DEC and local fishing clubs will host informational displays and loaner rods and free bait will be available to participants. The supply of loaner rods is limited and participants are encouraged to bring their own fishing tackle if possible.

Children's activities include the "Spring Fling" casting contest, as well as hands-on educational displays by DEC's Education Unit. Children participating in the casting contest will have a chance to win prizes supplied by DEC's I FISH NY Program. This event will be held rain or shine.

The Spring Fishing Festival is designated as a Free Fishing Event, so the freshwater fishing license requirement for anglers ages 16 and older is suspended for this event only. After 4 p.m., anglers will need a valid State freshwater fishing license to legally fish. All fishing regulations will continue to apply.

A vehicle use fee of $8 will be in effect. Parking is free for Empire Pass holders. You can purchase the 2022 Empire Pass for $80 at State Park offices or online.

The festival highlights DEC's spring trout stocking program in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Prior to the festival, DEC will stock Belmont Lake with nearly 1,000 brown and brook trout. Additional brook and rainbow trout will be stocked by State Parks. DEC will also stock Upper Twin Pond in Wantagh, Oyster Bay Mill Pond, and Massapequa Creek and Reservoir, along with 14 other Long Island lakes with trout before April 1, providing excellent prospects for spring fishing. In total, DEC's spring stocking program, conducted by regional freshwater fisheries staff, staff from DEC's Catskill Fish Hatchery, and volunteers, will place 20,000 brown trout and rainbow trout in ponds and streams in Nassau and Suffolk counties. You can find a complete list of DEC fish stocking on DEC's website.

Trout fishing season on Long Island is year-round for most lakes and streams. There is a daily limit of three fish per person. Spring trout stocking begins in mid-March and will be completed by early May. For more information, call I FISH NY at (631) 444-0283 or Belmont Lake State Park at (631) 667-5055, or visit DEC's Learn to Fish webpage. For information about freshwater fishing on Long Island or the spring trout stocking program in Nassau and Suffolk counties, call the DEC Bureau of Fisheries at (631) 444-0280, or e-mail the regional fisheries office.

Environmental Conservation Police on Patrol

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Division of Law Enforcement enforces the 71 chapters of New York State's Environmental Conservation Law (ECL), protecting fish and wildlife and preserving environmental quality across New York. In 1880, the first eight Game Protectors proudly began serving to protect the natural resources and people of New York State. In 2021, 282 Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) and Investigators across the state responded to 26,207 calls and worked on cases that resulted in 11,562 tickets or arrests for crimes ranging from deer poaching to solid waste dumping, illegal mining, the black market pet trade, and excessive emissions violations. Below are examples of the work our Officers perform in your region.

Suffolk County - DEC Attends Ward Melville Fishing Show 
On March 5, ECO Macropoulos joined employees from DEC's Division of Marine Resources at the Ward Melville Fishing Show at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket. Thousands of excited anglers attended the event and received extensive information about the State's fishing rules, fish stocking, and New York's Artificial Reef Program. In addition to answering questions from attendees, Officer Macropoulos spoke to several aspiring ECOs. While an exam date is not yet scheduled, DEC's Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) encourages interested individuals to contact their local DEC office or visit Environmental Conservation Police Officer - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation to learn more about an exciting and rewarding career as an ECO.

Suffolk County - All for a Photo Op 
On March 6, ECOs DeRose and Perkins assisted New York State Park Police responding to a large gathering of cars organized over social media at Captree State Park. Some participants were driving recklessly and others parked on the fishing pier. The Officers found five vehicles parked in and around the pier, including one parked on seagrass in a tidal wetland area. Another driver attempted to drive a sedan on the beachfront where it became stuck. When the Officers asked the drivers why they were driving in an area not designated for vehicles, the subjects all gave the same answer-to take photographs. Park Police ticketed the drivers found in the area and ECOs issued additional tickets to the driver of the vehicle parked on the seagrass and the driver stuck on the beachfront for disturbing the natural state of a tidal wetland without a permit. The Environmental Conservation Law violations are returnable to Suffolk First District Court.

Suffolk County - Deer Rescued from Icy Waters 
While on patrol recently in Suffolk County, ECO Della Rocco heard a call on the radio about a deer that had fallen through the ice off Smith Point in the town of Mastic. Officer Della Rocco responded to the location with members of the Suffolk County Marine Bureau and Suffolk County Park Rangers. Utilizing ice rescue training, the ECO assisted Suffolk County Marine in rescuing the deer from the ice. Once back on shore, ECO Della Rocco and local wildlife rescue personnel revived the deer using blankets and a warm vehicle. The deer was brought to a wildlife rehabilitator for monitoring and released the next morning, alive and well.

New York State Outdoor Burn Ban

The outdoor burn ban is in effect from March 16- May 14. Open burning is prohibited in NYS, with several exceptions:

• Camp fires or any other outdoor fires less than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in length, width or diameter are allowed;
• Small cooking fires are allowed;
• Ceremonial or celebratory bonfires are allowed. Disposal of flags or religious items in a small-sized fire is allowed, if it is not otherwise prohibited by law or regulation;
• Only charcoal or dry, clean, untreated or unpainted wood can be burned;
  Fires cannot be left unattended and must be fully extinguished;
• Open burning is the single greatest cause of wildfires in New York State.

Since the spring burn ban was implemented in 2009, the number of wildfires has decreased by more than 40 percent. For more information on the burn ban, please visit DEC’s website.