The Peru Gazette

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Birds Expected to Increase Over Winter Months Interview with DEC Wildlife Health Program Leader, Kevin Hynes, is available to view Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) continues to infect birds and mammals across the U.S. and Canada, including New York State. With wild bird mortalities from HPAI increasing in late fall […]

Georgian, Adirondack leaders use Rotary programs to exchange small-scale farming and food security ideas Click here for the Adirondack Explorer story 

Click here for the Syracuse.com story 

Many Deer Hunting Violators Arrested  The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Division of Law Enforcement enforces the 71 chapters of New York State’s Environmental Conservation Law (ECL), protecting fish and wildlife and preserving environmental quality across New York. In 2025, DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement fielded an estimated 101,169 calls, resulting in […]

Annual gathering returns February 26 at The Wild Center News Release of Jan. 10, 2026, Tupper Lake, NY – The Adirondack Food System Network (AFSN) is pleased to announce that the 2026 Adirondack Food Justice Summit will take place on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, New York. Registration is […]

New Policy Provides Framework for Identifying Opportunities for the Use of Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices. Written Comments Accepted until Monday, March 9; Virtual Public Meeting on Wednesday, February 4 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced the release of a draft Commissioner Policy to improve access to the outdoors […]

Hamlet of Elka Park Greene County Dog Rescue: On January 1 at 2:20 p.m., Ray Brook Dispatch called Forest Ranger Peterson about an injured dog on the Pecoy Notch trail on Twin Mountain. Ranger Peterson hiked in from the Roaring Kill trailhead and reached the hiker and a 40-pound dog. Ranger Peterson provided foot warmers to […]

Farmer Rebekah Pierce shows how mixing food and energy builds local resilience and saves farms. Click here for the Adirondack Almanac story 

First Revised Plan in Nearly Half a Century will Guide Management to Ensure the Future of This Unique Fisheries Resource New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced the release of the final Adirondack Brook Trout Pond Management Plan. The brook trout is New York’s state fish and an iconic […]

School Districts – Lead in Water: Testing and Reporting (2025-MS-2) [read complete report – pdf] We also issued individual reports for the following municipalities: Bayport Blue Point Union Free School District, Chazy Union Free School District, Cheektowaga-Maryvale Union Free School District, Commack Union Free School District, DeRuyter Central School District, East Bloomfield Central School District, […]

A long, wooden trough used for transporting logs once stretched 7.5 miles in the Adirondacks Click here for the Adirondack Almanack story 

Click here for the WCAX News story 

Includes $516,000 for North County Communities Albany, NYS DEC News Release of Jan. 2, 2026 – New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced $22.7 million in Climate Smart Communities Grant awards for 43 projects to help municipalities take action to address climate change. This year’s funded projects reduce flood risk by […]

Includes Expansion of New York State’s Polystyrene Foam Ban and Restrictions on Hotel Hospitality Single-Use Plastic Bottles The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is reminding businesses, organizations, and consumers of upcoming waste reduction law requirements taking effect on January 1, 2026. The provisions will help reduce pollution by expanding the State’s ban […]

WAMC Reports 

Recapping a dry year for the Eastern Adirondacks Click here for the Adirondack Explorer Story 

The mountain’s snow season has shrunk by almost three weeks since 1965, with snowpack onset occurring later in the fall months and disappearing earlier in the spring months, according to National Weather Service data. Click here for the VTDigger story 

NYS DEC News Release of Dec. 30, 2025 – York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. Working with other State agencies, local emergency response organizations, and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate, and extract lost, injured, or distressed people from across New York State. […]

More than 645,500 Pounds of Chemicals, Pesticides, Paint, Oil, Flammable Liquids, and Other Hazardous Materials Collected During 2025 Albany, DEC News Release of Dec. 29, 2025 – New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton today announced another record-breaking year for the CleanSweepNY program. More than 645,500 pounds of chemicals, including pesticides, […]

Tracking the year’s most popular wildlife stories Click here for the Adirondack Explorer story 

U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced a change in venue for two World Cup events due to unseasonably warm weather in Park City, Utah. Click here for the WPTZ News story 

News Release of Dec. 23, 2025 – Grand Isle, VT – The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), in partnership with NEIWPCC, seeks projects that will restore stream connectivity and remove barriers to aquatic organism passage. The intent of this opportunity is to remove barriers to aquatic organism passage and restore stream connectivity, adding high-quality […]

Board delays decision, questions consultant price tag Click here to view the Adirondack Explorer story 

Prohibits Sale of Kratom to Individuals Under the Age of 21, Imposes Civil Penalties for Violations and Requires Product Warning Label Requirements  NYS News Release of Dec. 22, 2025 – Governor Kathy Hochul today signed two pieces of landmark legislation to protect New Yorkers from the harmful effects of kratom, a commercially available herbal product sold […]