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Department of Environmental Conservation

Lost Hikers Rescued By Forest Rangers In Region Lost Hikers Rescued By Forest Rangers In Region
Lost Hikers Rescued By Forest Rangers In Region Two lost hikers in the region were guided to safety by forest rangers as darkness set in the region. The incident occurred around 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 11 in Ulster County in the Slide Mountain Wilderness Area in the town of Shandaken. According to officials with the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the two hikers, ages 28, and 31, lost the trail and called 911 as darkness began to fall. Forest Ranger Horn called one hiker’s cell phone and helped guide the pair a short distance back to the trail. The hikers shared tracking information with Ranger Horn to en…
Increased Crash Risk: Watch For Deer During Mating Season, State Warns Motorists Increased Crash Risk: Watch For Deer During Mating Season, State Warns Motorists
Increased Crash Risk: Watch For Deer During Mating Season, State Warns Motorists With the arrival of fall, there is an increased risk of crashes involving deer, both the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are warning motorists. Deer are most active and more likely to enter public roadways this time of year as they search for mates during their breeding season, which is the months of October, November, and December. According to the University at Albany’s Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research, in 2022, 41.5 percent of the crashes between deer and vehicles occurred during this three-month…
Taxidermist Admits Improperly Disposing Of Animals, Other Violations At Glenville Business Taxidermist Admits Improperly Disposing Of Animals, Other Violations At Glenville Business
Taxidermist Admits Improperly Disposing Of Animals, Other Violations At Glenville Business A taxidermist in the region has admitted to improperly disposing of animal parts and other violations. The Schenectady County business owner, who operates a taxidermy company in Glenville on Scotch Bush Road, pleaded guilty and paid a fine for Environmental Conservation Law violations on Monday, Oct. 3. According to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), officers executed a search warrant at the business in April 2023. Inside, they reportedly found animal parts that were improperly disposed of and susceptible to Chronic Wasting Disease, which affects deer, elk, reindeer, and m…
Coops! Driver Ticketed After Mini Cooper Gets Stuck At Albany Pine Bush Preserve Coops! Driver Ticketed After Mini Cooper Gets Stuck At Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Coops! Driver Ticketed After Mini Cooper Gets Stuck At Albany Pine Bush Preserve A man is facing several tickets after driving his car onto a popular hiking trail in the region and then getting stuck, authorities said. Forest rangers in Albany County were called Tuesday, Feb. 21 with reports of an abandoned vehicle in the woods approximately a half mile from the Albany Pine Bush Madison Avenue Pinelands trailhead, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). An investigation by rangers and Albany Police determined that a 42-year-old Troy man had driven a Mini Cooper through a split rail fence at the trailhead. He then proceeded to drive down the hik…
Slithery Surprise: 14-Foot Python Found On Side Of NY Road Slithery Surprise: 14-Foot Python Found On Side Of NY Road
Slithery Surprise: 14-Foot Python Found On Side Of NY Road Wildlife officers in New York got a slithery surprise on Valentine’s Day when a massive reticulated python was found on the side of a Long Island road. Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officers were called Tuesday, Feb. 14, with reports that a large snake had been found on the side of the road in the town of Medford, according to the agency. When officers arrived, they found the python curled up in a ball. They quickly determined that the reptile, which measured 14 feet long, was dead. Officers removed the snake from the roadway to “appropriately dispose of it,” the agency s…
Mountain Rescue: Rangers Carry Injured Hiker Mile To Safety In Capital Region Mountain Rescue: Rangers Carry Injured Hiker Mile To Safety In Capital Region
Mountain Rescue: Rangers Carry Injured Hiker Mile To Safety In Capital Region Forest rangers carried an injured hiker a mile to safety after the hiker suffered an ankle injury in the Catskill Mountains. The hours-long rescue operation began at around 3:45 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 in Greene County, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).  Crews were told that a hiker had been injured on the west side of Sugarloaf Mountain, near the town of Hunter. After reaching the 65-year-old hiker, who is from Connecticut, a ranger determined that additional crews would be needed to carry the hiker the one mile down the mountain in icy condition…
Fuel Spill With Side Of Fries: Tractor-Trailer Hits Overpass On NY Parkway Fuel Spill With Side Of Fries: Tractor-Trailer Hits Overpass On NY Parkway
Fuel Spill With Side Of Fries: Tractor-Trailer Hits Overpass On NY Parkway This story has been updated. A truck carrying 42,000 pounds of frozen french fries struck an overpass on a Westchester County parkway, causing a fuel spill and a closure of the roadway's lanes in one direction.   The incident happened on Wednesday morning, Feb. 1 around 6:50 a.m., when a tractor-trailer traveling south on the Hutchinson River Parkway in Scarsdale hit the Mamaroneck Road bridge, Westchester County Police Public Information Officer Kieran O'Leary said.  As a result of the crash, 75 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from the trailer's refrigeration unit onto the parkway and int…
Deerly Departed: NY Hunter's Buck Confiscated After Facebook Post Deerly Departed: NY Hunter's Buck Confiscated After Facebook Post
Deerly Departed: NY Hunter's Buck Confiscated After Facebook Post A New York hunter learned the hard way that if you’re going to break the rules, it’s probably best not to announce it on social media. Department of Environmental Conservation officers in Greene County were tipped off on Wednesday, Dec. 7, about a Facebook post showing a man with a deer that had been taken illegally, the department said. Officers learned that the man had moved from the Capital Region to the town of Hope in Hamilton County. Investigators there were able to track down the man’s location, where they spotted the prized buck hanging on a property. While interviewing the man, h…
Spotted Lanternfly Confirmed In These NY Counties Spotted Lanternfly Confirmed In These NY Counties
Spotted Lanternfly Confirmed In These NY Counties The invasive spotted lanternfly continues its invasion of New York. A state effort to track the spread and prevalence of the insect using community reports and digital mapping shows it has now been spotted in all five boroughs of New York City, across Long Island, and throughout the Hudson Valley. Earlier Report: Capital District Among Regions In NY That Have Been 'Infested' By Invasive Insect, Schumer Says As of November 2022, the insect, also known as Chinese blistering cicada, has been confirmed in 16 New York counties, including Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, …
Mother Bear Illegally Shot, Killed In NY, DEC Says Mother Bear Illegally Shot, Killed In NY, DEC Says
Mother Bear Illegally Shot, Killed In NY, DEC Says A man from the region was ticketed after allegedly illegally shooting and killing a bear in the Hudson Valley. The incident took place in Ulster County in the town of Rochester in October, said the state Department of Environmental Conservation. According to a report from DEC, two department officers received reports that someone had illegally killed a bear. The complainant said a local hunter shot the female bear with a bow and then, with two accomplices, tracked the animal into the woods and killed it with a shotgun.  The hunter posted several pictures of himself and the two ac…
'Cold, Hungry, Thirsty': Lost Students Rescued Hours After Bus Leaves Them In Adirondacks 'Cold, Hungry, Thirsty': Lost Students Rescued Hours After Bus Leaves Them In Adirondacks
'Cold, Hungry, Thirsty': Lost Students Rescued Hours After Bus Leaves Them In Adirondacks Two college students in New York had to be rescued by state Forest Rangers after getting left behind in the woods of the Adirondacks while on a day retreat. Emergency crews in Warren County were called at around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, with reports that two students were lost near Dippikill Pond, located about 10 miles northwest of the town of Warrensburg. A Forest Ranger contacted the students via phone and responded to the area, where he was able to make voice contact with them, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said.  He then made his way to them a short time …
Fuel Spill In Capital District Draws Large Response Fuel Spill In Capital District Draws Large Response
Fuel Spill In Capital District Draws Large Response Emergency crews responded after a fuel spill was discovered in a creek in the area. Greene County 911 was first alerted of trouble at around 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 20, with reports of a diesel spill in Catskill Creek in the village of Catskill, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Several of the department’s officers, along with a team of its Spill Responders and local police, were called to the scene. Crews deployed approximately 150 feet of boom floats and 75 feet of absorbent boom to contain the spill, according to officials. Investigators determined that t…
NY Bumps Starting Pay For Lifeguards Amid Staffing Shortage NY Bumps Starting Pay For Lifeguards Amid Staffing Shortage
NY Bumps Starting Pay For Lifeguards Amid Staffing Shortage Lifeguards in New York are getting a pay raise. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a new directive Wednesday, June 22, increasing the starting pay rates for lifeguards at state park beaches and pools, as well as campgrounds and day-use area beaches. Newly hired lifeguards at upstate facilities will see a 34-percent increase in pay from $14.95 per hour to $20 per hour. And starting pay at downstate facilities will go up 21 percent from $18.15 per hour to $22 per hour. Hochul said the idea is to better attract qualified candidates amid a staffing shortage at New York State Park and Department of E…
Police Warn Of Black Bear Spotted At Albany Cemetery Police Warn Of Black Bear Spotted At Albany Cemetery
Police Warn Of Black Bear Spotted At Albany Cemetery Authorities are warning people to be on the lookout after a black bear was spotted hanging around a cemetery in the Capital District. Several people spotted the bear in Albany, at Graceland Cemetery on Delaware Avenue, at around 2 p.m. Friday, May 27, Albany Police said. Those in the area should exercise caution and keep pets on a leash, police said. They advised anyone who sees the bear to not approach the animal and call 911. Black bears are rarely seen by most New Yorkers, but have increasingly been spotted in semi-rural environments, agricultural areas, and sometimes urban centers, ac…
Hiker Dies After Fall In Capital District Hiker Dies After Fall In Capital District
Hiker Dies After Fall In Capital District A Hudson Valley woman has died after she reportedly fell while hiking in the Catskill Forest Preserve. Forest Rangers were first alerted of trouble at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 22, with reports of a fallen hiker in Greene County, near Platte Clove Road in the Town of Hunter, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The woman, identified as a resident of Hopewell Junction in Dutchess County, was pronounced dead at the scene. Rangers conducted a technical rope to retrieve her body, DEC officials said. Her body was turned over to the Greene County Coroner, who wil…
12-Year-Old From Cooperstown Attacked By Bear 12-Year-Old From Cooperstown Attacked By Bear
12-Year-Old From Cooperstown Attacked By Bear A 12-year-old Boy Scout is on the mend after an encounter with a black bear left him with minor injuries, ABC7 reports. Henry Ayers told the outlet he was with his troop from Cooperstown camping at Harriman State Park, located in both Rockland and Orange counties, Sunday, May 1, when he awoke to a sharp pain in his leg. "I look up and it was a giant bear,” Ayers told ABC7. “I thought it was a nightmare. It was honestly crazy. I didn't think I was awake." The Scoutmaster, Diana Nicols, told the outlet the bear bit through the boy’s sleeping bag, leaving him with minor cuts and bruises. He…
VIDEO: Transient Moose Relocated Out Of Schenectady VIDEO: Transient Moose Relocated Out Of Schenectady
Video: Transient Moose Relocated Out Of Schenectady A moose is on the loose no longer, at least not in the region. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said a young cow moose was successfully immobilized in the Capital District in downtown Schenectady over the weekend and released back into the wilds of the southern Adirondacks. View the video here. The transient moose had been spotted around town several times this month, including near Schenectady Community College on Friday, May 13, the DEC said. “Immobilizing a large animal (or any animal) is also a risky endeavor and is reserved for when it is truly a last resort and th…
Dog Attacked By Coyote Near New York City, Police Say Dog Attacked By Coyote Near New York City, Police Say
Dog Attacked By Coyote Near New York City, Police Say Residents in Westchester have been advised to be on alert after a coyote attacked a dog in the area. In Mount Vernon, the police department issued an advisory cautioning that a small dog was recently attacked near North Columbus Avenue and California Road by what was reported to be a coyote. It is the latest sighting in the area, and the first reported attack. Earlier story - Coyote Advisory Issued In Westchester After Multiple Sightings “Please remember that we share our environment with wild animals, so while it is rare that they appear in Mount Vernon, they do appear from time to time…
Pittstown State Forest Doubles In Size After New Acquisition, Officials Say Pittstown State Forest Doubles In Size After New Acquisition, Officials Say
Pittstown State Forest Doubles In Size After New Acquisition, Officials Say New York State officials announced the acquisition of 1,175 acres of land, more than doubling the size of a a state forest in the region. Gov. Kathy Hochul made the announcement about the acquisition of the lands in Rensselaer County adjoining Pittstown State Forest on the Rensselaer Plateau in Grafton on Wednesday, April 20. "New York State is laser focused on preserving and enhancing open space, and the Rensselaer Plateau, just a short visit from the Capitol, provides a spectacular outdoor escape from Albany's bustling downtown," Hochul said. "Today's addition to the Pittstown State …