≈ NEWS ≈
New Big Game Hunting Laws Affecting Cortland, Delaware, Sullivan and Ulster Counties
August 31, 2011: Two changes to laws affecting big game hunting this year in Cortland County and in parts of Delaware, Sullivan and Ulster counties were signed into law in mid-August, and are not included in the hardcopy version of the 2011-2012 New York Hunting & Trapping Regulations Guide.
A new law allows the use of rifles for big game hunting in Cortland County, but does not allow the use of crossbows in this county during the regular big game season; however, crossbows may be used in Cortland County during the late muzzleloader season. A map of where rifles, shotguns, vertical bows and crossbows can be used for big game hunting is available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/35010.html . Details about hunting with crossbows and the required Certificate of Qualification are available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/68802.html .
Separate legislation authorizing the use of rifles for big game hunting in Wyoming County and in the portion of Chautauqua County south of Route 20 also allows the use of crossbows during the regular big game season and late muzzleloader season in those counties.
In Delaware, Sullivan and Ulster counties, the new law establishes mandatory antler restrictions in a portion of WMU 3A. Hunters are prohibited from taking any antlered deer except those that have at least one antler with at least three points. The law applies to all public and private lands and all deer hunting seasons. Only hunters under the age of 17 are exempt and may take any antlered deer with at least one antler measuring three or more inches in length. Deer hunting regulations in all other WMUs were not affected by this legislation. For a map of deer hunting seasons including the area with mandatory antler restrictions, visit www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28605.html . Information about antler restrictions in NYS is available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27663.html .
August 15: Rifle Hunting for Big Game Expands to Additional Counties
New DEC Policy to Reduce Cooling Water Intake Fish Kills by 90%
July 20, 2011: Power plants and other industrial facilities throughout the state will be required to use the Best Technology Available (BTA) to protect aquatic wildlife when seeking cooling water intake permits, under a new policy finalized by DEC today.
Throughout New York State, more than 16 billion gallons of water are permitted to be withdrawn each day for the purposes of industrial cooling. As a result, more than 17 billion fish of all life stages (eggs, larvae, juveniles and adults) are entrained or impinged annually. Entrainment is passing through a plant’s cooling systems along with the cooling water. Impingement is where they are smashed against the intake structure directly. Fish can suffer from lethally high water temperatures, contact with impellers or heat-exchangers, or from exposure to the chemicals used to maintain heat-exchanger cleanliness.
The revised, final policy is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/32847.html .
DEC Report on Recommendations for Permitting Hydraulic Fracturing is Online
July 8, 2011: The 2011 draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement for high-volume hydraulic fracturing is now available on the DEC’s website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/75370.html .
New York Documents Oldest Yellow Warbler in North America
Info from DEC: On June 15, 2011, a new record was set for the oldest known yellow warbler in North America. The female bird was first captured and banded in June of 2001 through the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program at DEC's Five Rivers bird banding station in Albany County. Based on conventions set by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for calculating bird ages, she was determined to be at least eleven years old. Information collected from banded birds is reported to the federal USGS Bird Banding Lab and is used to help biologists understand movement, life-span, population growth, and behavior of birds. For more information about bird banding, click here .
New York Requests “No-Discharge” Designation for Lake Ontario
May 24, 2011: State officials are calling for New York's portion of Lake Ontario to be designated as a “Vessel Waste No-Discharge Zone” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an initiative to keep Lake Ontario Waters clean.
A No-Discharge Zone designation means that boaters are banned from discharging their on-board sewage into the water. Boaters must instead dispose of their sewage at specially designated pump-out stations, which can be found at many marinas.
DEC, in collaboration with the state Environmental Facilities Corporation and the Department of State, has prepared a petition to the EPA requesting the designation to protect the waters of Lake Ontario. Approval would extend protection to 326 miles of Great Lakes shoreline from Youngstown in the west, to Cape Vincent in the east.
|
|