Wildlife, Fish & Marine Life Newsletter

Each May and June, Motorists Should be on the Alert for Turtles Crossing the Road  

Our native turtles are on the move in May and June seeking sandy areas or loose soil to lay their eggs. In New York, thousands of turtles are killed each year when they are struck by vehicles as they migrate to their nesting areas.     

What you can do to help:   

• If you see a turtle on the road, please give turtles ‘a brake’. Slow down to avoid hitting it with your car. 
• If you can safely stop your vehicle, please consider moving it to the shoulder on the side of the road in the direction it was facing.
• Picking the turtle up by its tail may frighten or injure it. Most turtles can be picked up by the sides of the shell.
• Use caution when moving snapping turtles; either pick her up at the rear of the shell near the tail using two hands, or slide a car mat under the turtle to drag her across the road.
• Please do not take turtles home. All native turtles are protected by law and cannot be kept without a permit. All eleven species of land turtles that are native to New York are declining. Even losing one mature female can have a negative impact on a local population. 

Photo of painted turtle by Liz Ricci.

Tracking Timberdoodles

The American woodcock, or Timberdoodle, is a migratory upland bird, whose numbers have been declining for several decades. Since 2018, DEC has been a partner in the Eastern Woodcock Migration Research Cooperative, led by the University of Maine. The goal of the larger collaborative is to understand the woodcock’s migration ecology. During this study, 40 woodcock have been marked in New York and over 500 for the project overall. This year, DEC is expanding its efforts by partnering with SUNY Brockport and the University of Maine to better understand woodcock’s habitat usage during the spring breeding and summer brood rearing seasons. As part of the expanded effort, DEC biologists and technicians will be out trying to capture woodcock in early May. The information from this study will help guide habitat management on state and private lands in New York to benefit woodcock and other species that rely on early successional forest habitats. Check out a video about this interesting research.  

Photo by M. Noome

DEC Releases Draft Access and Public Use Plan for Ashland Flats Wildlife Management Area

A draft Access and Public Use Plan (APUP) for Ashland Flats Wildlife Management Area (PDF) (WMA) is complete and available for public review and comment. Ashland Flats WMA contains 2,028 acres of primarily open meadows, secondary forest (re-grown forest), and young forests in Jefferson County east of Lake Ontario.

The plan addresses management objectives for wildlife-dependent recreation, access features, and facility maintenance.

The public is invited to provide comments on the draft APUP until June 1, 2022. Comments can be sent to DEC's Bureau of Wildlife, Region 6, 317 Washington Street, 7th Floor, Watertown, NY, 13601 or by email with the subject line "Ashland Flats WMA draft APUP."

Photo: Accessible observation tower at Ashland Flats WMA.

May is American Wetlands Month

New York State is home to over two million acres of freshwater wetlands. Freshwater wetlands are lands typically covered with water, are very wet, but are not connected to the ocean or estuary. Freshwater wetlands have many different names including bogs, swamps, marshes, vernal pools, potholes, and fens. 

Wetlands provide many benefits, including:

• Habitat. Many plants and animals spend most of or all or their lives in wetlands. Springtime is the perfect time of year to visit a wetland and look for spring peepers and other amphibians who reproduce there.
• Filters. They remove excess nutrients, toxic chemicals, and sediment from water that flows through them.
• Flood protection. They absorb excess rain or river water. 

During American Wetlands Month, we encourage you to explore a local wetland or two. Warm, damp nights after a rain are perfect times to explore a wetland. Grab your rubber boots, rain jacket, and flashlight, and go out for an evening adventure!

Photo of spring peeper by John Lehmann.