NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

UPDATE: Hear from the DEC Forest Rangers and New York State Police Aviation crew members involved in the rescue of three passengers involved in a plane crash yesterday in Vermont. On February 26th at 9:20 a.m., New York State Police (NYSP) Aviation received a call about a plane crash on Mt. Equinox in Bennington County, Vermont. The report indicated there were three passengers aboard the plane at the time of the crash in need of assistance. Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers Gullen and Thompson were preparing for a day of hoist training out of Albany International Airport with NYSP Pilots Anderton and Sperber and Trooper Aurigena. When the call came in, the crew piloted the rescue helicopter to the crash location. At 12:15 p.m., Trooper Aurigena lowered both Forest Rangers to the subjects. Rangers packaged the patients and Trooper Aurigena hoisted them into the helicopter. An ambulance took two of the patients to the hospital. A MedFlight transported the third patient.

A New York State Police helicopter hoists one of the survivors from a plane crash in Vermont on February 26th, 2025.

Short-eared Owl Rousing

This short-eared owl is showing off a behavior known as "rousing". Rousing is when a bird lifts and shakes out its feathers, often to rearrange displaced feathers and shake off water and dust during grooming. It's also a sign of a relaxed and content bird. #WildlifeWednesday Video by Keith Walters Photography

Forest Rangers on an air boat, participating in flat ice airboat training at Balsam Swamp State Forest.

Tully Land Transfer

This week in 1887, President Grover Cleveland signed the Dawes Act which gave the president the authority to divide up land allotted to Native Americans in reservations to individuals. This action was highly destructive to the cultures of Indigenous communities across the country, resulting in the government stripping more than 90 million acres of tribal land from Native Americans, then selling that land to non-native U.S. citizens. DEC is working with many partners to help address the longstanding consequences of Dawes and other efforts to eliminate the traditions and social cohesion of Indigenous people and most recently celebrated the return of 1,000 acres in Central New York’s Tully Valley to the Onondaga Nation.

Connected Conservation - A Future for Adirondack Brook Trout

Exciting initiatives are underway for native brook trout across New York, specifically in the South Moose River Plains, where Trout Unlimited and DEC are teaming up to assess, study, and improve their habitat. The team has identified some 30 barriers within the South Moose that, once removed, will reconnect over 30 miles of previously fragmented native brook trout habitat. Tune into “Connected Conservation,” a new film produced by Frequent Flyers, which showcases the effort to reconnect critical brook trout habitat in the South Moose and the partnerships making it possible. Share with a friend who loves the brookies and the Adirondacks. #TroutUnlimited

We're LIVE with Wildlife Biologist Kevin as he walks us through the basics about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

Bird flu (known as HPAI) is widespread in wild birds and mammals but the risk of transmission to humans remains low. DEC continues to collaborate with the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets and NYSDOH - New York State Health Department and the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab on measures to prevent the spread of HPAI and is closely monitoring the occurrence and impact of HPAI in wildlife across the state. If you encounter a group of dead birds, there is a strong likelihood the birds are HPAI positive. Confirmed cases are listed on the USDA website: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/wild-birds and shown on the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) map: https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/distribution-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-h5-and-h5n1-north-america-20212022 The public should follow Centers for Disease Control CDC safety protocols to reduce contact with wild birds: https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/inhumans.html and can report observations on DEC’s website at https://dec.ny.gov/nature/wildlife-health/animal-diseases Not all reports will result in DEC retrieving the animals for testing and/or disposal. Once a report is received, DEC’s field response is guided by the report’s details, including the number of sick or dead birds, bird species, and observations from new areas where HPAI has not been documented. If you need to remove carcasses, the public is reminded to wear disposable gloves, a mask, and eye protection. Avoid direct contact with the carcass or carcass fluids by using a shovel and washing hands and clothing immediately after with soap and hot water. Carcasses should be triple bagged and placed in your outdoor trash bins. DEC will continue to track HPAI prevalence on the landscape and encourages the public do their part by minimizing risk and helping limit disease spread by preventing contact between domestic animals and wild birds.

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by staff from DEC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife—Roy “JR” Jacobson, Habitat Protection Section Head, and Krista Spohr, Freshwater Wetlands Outreach Coordinator—for a conversation about the newly adopted freshwater wetland regulations and general permits, how DEC determines where wetlands are located to enhance conservation efforts statewide, and the long history of state and federal environmental protections for these critical ecosystems. 🎧 Listen to Episode 20 of “DEC Does What?!”: http://dec.ny.gov/podcast

On January 24, Forest Rangers responded to an injured ice climber at Buttermilk Falls in Greene County. The 35-year-old from New Paltz fell while climbing solo without ropes or a phone. He managed to descend four more pitches before reaching a group of climbers who called for help. Rangers reached him at 1:15 PM and found unstable ankle and wrist injuries. Due to the rugged terrain, New York State Police Pilots Leeder and Plitsch conducted a hoist rescue, with Ranger Cowart securing him for transport. By 4:30 PM, he was transferred to Hunter Ambulance. 🔹 Safety Reminder: Always climb with a group so help is available in an emergency. For more details about this and other stories, visit https://dec.ny.gov/news/press-releases/2025/1/dec-forest-rangers-week-in-review-2

ADK Moose Survey

It’s a bird…It’s a plane…It’s a moose survey! DEC biologists will be conducting aerial surveys this winter in the northern tier of the Adirondacks (Franklin, Essex and Clinton counties) to estimate the current moose population. Previous aerial surveys conducted from 2016-2019 estimated that around 700 moose resided within the Adirondack Blue Line. The information collected from these surveys will provide insights into the long-term trajectory of New York’s moose population.