Find Your Adventure - February 2023 Issue

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent this bulletin on 02/27/2023 11:14 AM EST
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Find Your Adventure - February 2023 Issue

Additions to the NYS Birding Trail and Updated Site Nomination Process

An aerial view of Mohonk Preserve ridge with the road leading up to it

Even more locations have been added to the NYS Birding Trail! Seven new locations bring the total number of Birding Trail sites across the state to 332. The newly added locations are on a mix of public and private lands across the state:

  • Hudson Valley: Mohonk Preserve
  • Adirondacks – North Country: Up Yonda Farm Environmental Education Center
  • Central – Finger Lakes: Finger Lakes Museum & Townsend-Grady Wildlife Preserve
  • Greater Niagara: Hunters Creek Park
  • Greater Niagara: Mossy Point
  • Southern Tier: Point Gratiot Park
  • Southern Tier: Dunkirk Harbor

In addition to State-owned and managed locations for the Birding Trail, publicly and privately managed sites can complete a simple self-nomination process to be considered for inclusion on the trail. As DEC moves towards long-term management of the trail, nominations will now be reviewed and added to the Birding Trail on a quarterly basis. Learn more about the updated self-nomination process on DEC’s website. 

Photo credits: Gerald Berliner (Mohonk Preserve)

Lake George Islands Now Have Digital Bookings

A campsite set up on an island with a campfire going, a tent, and other camping supplies spread around the island

DEC announced the transition to automated, online sales for all day-use permits at the Lake George Islands. Online day-use sales are anticipated to begin May 12, seven days prior to the opening of the Lake George Islands, boat access only campgrounds located on Lake George. Reservations can be booked as early as seven days prior to the day of arrival and as late as the same day. Visitors will be able to see real-time availability and even book a dock while on the water. This will not affect the booking of campsites at the Islands. The total fee for a day use permit is $12. Bookings can be done through ReserveAmerica.

Winter on the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor

A woman standing in the snow with heavy snow falling around her on an Erie Canal towpath

Get up. Get Out. Get Active. The FEBRUARY 15 Challenge is back! During this special winter 15-mile challenge, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor (ECNHC) invites you to log miles anywhere in the Canalway Corridor. Walk, run, hike, snowshoe, or cross-country ski at your local park, state park, on the Canalway Trail, or even in your own neighborhood—if it’s in the corridor, it counts! Sign up for 15-miles through the Canalway Challenge website and log your miles by February 28 to earn your badge.

For those with mobility challenges, SUNY Upstate’s Fitness Inclusion Network and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor launched of a Virtual 1st Mile Challenge. The program offers a series of 15 Peloton-style videos, each featuring a one-mile segment of the trail in Onondaga County, giving participants the opportunity to complete one mile or to achieve a 15-mile goal by completing each of the 15 video segments. Learn more by visiting the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor’s website.

DEC is Hiring Staff for the 2023 Summer Camps Program

A camp counselor giving campers a lesson in the woods

DEC is actively recruiting Directors, Assistant Directors, Waterfront Directors, Cooks, Nurses, EMTs, Counselors, and Camp Aides for the 2023 Summer Camps Program. All positions offer competitive salaries, plus room and board for the summer at one of DEC’s four Summer Camps:

  • Camp Colby in Saranac Lake
  • Camp Pack Forest in Warrensburg
  • Camp Rushford in Caneadea
  • Camp DeBruce, near Livingston Manor

Learn more about the employment opportunities at DEC's Environmental Education Camps.

This is a unique opportunity to work at a rustic and beautiful summer camp in the Catskills, Adirondacks, or Western NY. Our week-long residential programs draw 11–17-year-old youths from across NYS for life-changing experiences in the outdoors. DEC Summer Camps combine environmental education, hunter education, and outdoor recreation to create an adventurous experience for youth. Camp staff engage campers in ecological principles such as field, forest, aquatic, wildlife, and human impact and outdoor skills including backpacking, camping, and canoeing.

To apply, please submit a resume, cover letter, and unofficial college transcript to campemploy@dec.ny.gov.

Email is preferred, but you may mail your application to:
DEC Camps Employment
C/O Camps Administrator
625 Broadway; 3rd Floor
Albany, NY 12233-5256

Upcoming Events

Tues. March 7 from 4:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Five Rivers: Community Science Winter Raptor Survey
Sat. March 11 at 10 a.m. – Maple Magic at Rogers Environmental Education Center
Sat. March 11, 18 & 25 from 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Five Rivers: The Sweeter Side of Five Rivers
Sun. March 12 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. – Sunday Scribblers at Rogers Environmental Education Center
Sat. March 18 & Sun. March 19 – Adirondack Sports Summer Expo
Tues. March 21 from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Equinox Fire Pit Trivia Night at Rogers Environmental Education Center

Save the Date for Get Outdoors & Get Together Day 2023 on Saturday, June 10.