Find Your Adventure - October 2023

The 2023 I BIRD NY Challenge is Wrapping Up

It’s the final countdown...of birds, that is! The I BIRD NY Challenge ends on November 1, 2023 and is open to all ages. To complete the challenge, participants must identify any 10 bird species of their choosing and submit a challenge sheet to the DEC. You may complete the Challenge log online or download the 2023 I BIRD NY Challenge form (PDF). A downloadable Challenge form is also available in Spanish (PDF). New to birding? Here’s I BIRD NY: A Beginner’s Guide to Birding (PDF). Also available is I BIRD NY: Una Guía de Observación de Aves Para Principiantes (PDF).

Photo credit: Anna Shaheen

Be Safe. Be Seen. Share the Woods.

Fall in New York is a great time to experience the outdoors! All New Yorkers and visitors should be able to access, enjoy, and feel welcome on state lands. This is a reminder that most public land across New York State is open to multiple forms of recreation, so it’s important to Share the Woods and recreate safely. Bowhunting seasons for deer and bear began in the Northern Zone on September 27th. Hunting and trapping seasons are posted on the DEC website. The DEC requires big game hunters using a firearm to wear hunter orange or pink and encourages non-hunters to wear blaze orange, blaze pink, or other bright colors during fall and winter months to be seen more easily and from greater distances. Pet owners are encouraged to put bright colors on their pets and keep them leashed at all times as well.

Photo Credit: Teresa Ruiz

Check Out the View From On High

While you’re at it, why not take the 2023 Catskills Fire Tower Challenge? Visit all six Catskills Fire Towers before December 31, 2023, take some fun photos, then fill out and either complete the log via Survey Monkey, or download (PDF) and email the log, along with your favorite photo, to CatskillsChallenge@dec.ny.gov. Make sure to check the I Love NY 2023 Fall Foliage Report before you go! We all Love Our New York Lands, so all visitors are encouraged to practice Leave No Trace^TM Principles by recreating safely and sustainably, and only hiking in suitable conditions based on weather and experience level. DEC also offers a Hike Smart NY poster available for download in 15 languages.

Photo credit: Caylin Karppe

DEC to Host Annual ‘I FISH NY’ Fall Fishing Festival October 21 at Hempstead Lake State Park 

Join DEC and State Parks for the annual Fall Family Fishing and Children’s Festival at Hempstead Lake State Park on Saturday, October 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Festival activities will include fishing with free loaner rods and bait, fishing instruction, and fish-cleaning services. Other activities include a children’s casting for pumpkins contest, a live animal, show, magician, pumpkin decorating, fish printing, and DEC and State Parks displays.

Hempstead Lake State Park also features the newly completed multi-year project that includes new trails that are Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, as well as an observation deck and other infrastructure improvements. The fishing license requirement for all anglers over the age of 16 is suspended for the festival, and admission and parking are free.

Take Note of Reopenings and Closures of State Forest Roads

Two State Forests are now open after the completion of maintenance and improvement projects. The Kriedeman Forest Access Road and Campsites in East Otto State Forest (Cattaraugus County) are reopened. Site improvements included re-grading, shaping, and installing fresh gravel on Kriedeman Forest Road, in addition to rehabilitation of the road’s ditch to improve storm water drainage. Additional improvements are planned for next year to improve visitor safety and convenience. Also reopened is Rock City Forest Road in Rock City State Forest (Cattaraugus County). Work to re-grade, shape, and install fresh gravel for road restoration is complete.

The Turnpike State Forest  Access Road in Turnpike State Forest (Allegany County) will be temporarily closed to traffic during October 2023. As part of a timber sale, the Turnpike Forest Road will be rehabilitated, and fresh gravel will be set. Turnpike State Forest will still be accessible from Stewart Forest Road and nearby town roads.

The northern portion of Dixon Forest Access Road in Bully Hill State Forest (Allegany County) will be temporarily closed until April 2024. As part of a timber sale, the northern portion of Dixon Forest Road was rehabilitated and will be closed to traffic to accommodate new culvert improvements, back slopes, and fresh gravel. Bully Hill State Forest can still be accessed from Sterns Forest Access Road, Connection Forest Access Road, the southern portion of Dixon Forest Access Road, and nearby town roads.

Upcoming Events

Oct. 16-22: Birdability Week 2023

Sat. Oct. 21: Annual ‘I FISH NY’ Fall Fishing Festival at Hempstead Lake State Park

Sat. Oct. 21: Five Rivers – Stream Investigation

Sat. Oct 28: Reinstein Woods – Fun Guy’s Guide to Fungi

Weds. Nov 1: Final day to submit entries for the 2023 I BIRD NY Challenge

Sat. Nov. 11: Final Free Fishing Day for 2023

Save the Date:

Sun. Dec 31, 2023: Final day to submit entries for the 2023 Catskills Fire Tower Challenge

Mon.  Jan. 1, 2024: First Day Hikes, 2024