Environment DEC
From the October 2004 issue
New York State Fair DEC's Largest Outreach Effort
Many New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) programs took advantage of the opportunity to interact with thousands of their constituents at the 2004 New York State Fair, held in Syracuse from August 26 through September 6. DEC personnel staffed exhibits and offered activities in the Aquarium Building, the Log Cabin and at several other areas on the fairgrounds.
Aquarium Building Big Draw
The Aquarium Building, by far, is the most heavily visited of DEC's sites. Its displays of freshwater and marine fish and other creatures, maintained by the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources (DFWMR), always fascinate and educate visitors. Many sportsmen and sportswomen traditionally buy their sporting licenses at the fair, and the DECALS system enabled staff in the Aquarium Building to easily and quickly sell them, making for many happy customers! More than 1200 license buyers also responded to the offer of a special lapel pin with each purchase of a $5.00 Habitat/Access Stamp. Proceeds from stamp sales go to the Conservation Fund for fish and wildlife habitat enhancement.
DEC Region 7 employee,
Wayne Masters,
sells a hunting license to
a happy first-time
hunter
New this year was DFWMR's "Information Biologist," a knowledgeable staff member who had access to DEC's Web Site and could answer just about any relevant question asked. The Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) took advantage of the number of sportspeople in the Aquarium Building to display "RoboDeer," one of several remote-controlled decoys used to catch poachers. And because hunters never tire of admiring large and unusual deer antlers, DFWMR and the New York State Big Buck Club displayed several award-winning, white-tailed deer mounts at the fair.
DEC employee, Donna Dyer,
sold many subscriptions
to the award-winning
Conservationist magazine
Other activities and exhibits inside the Aquarium Building included the ever-popular Conservationist magazine's canoe raffle and tote-bag promotion for new subscribers, plus the New York State winners of the 2004 Junior Duck Stamp Poster Contest, a school-based competition of waterfowl posters created by students. On the Aquarium Building's deck, the divisions of Air Resources, Water, Environmental Remediation, Environmental Permits, and Solid and Hazardous Materials offered free chilled drinking water, button-making and a pollution prevention poster contest for kids, and signups for America Recycles Day. Displays covered acid rain, the new Onboard Diagnostics vehicle testing program and brownfield remediation. The Division of Air Resources noted tremendous audience interest in the gas/electric hybrid Toyota Prius on display, and in the solar/H2 fuel cell cars.
Log Cabin
Fair-goers who found their way to DEC's Log Cabin enjoyed the State Symbols Nature Trail. The award-winning trail was the feature of a Syracuse television news broadcast and sported a new series of signs celebrating the centennial of the Catskill Park. The Finger Lakes Trail Conference again partnered with DEC to provide outdoor recreation information from their base camp in the Adirondack lean-to along the trail.
A young fair goer happily
greets Smokey Bear and
DEC Forest Ranger
Gary Friedrich
A very popular new feature in the Log Cabin was the Bureau of Forest Protection and Fire Management's nostalgic look back at Smokey Bear's "60 years of vigilance." Reproductions of Smokey posters showing the changes in his appearance over six decades graced the outside wall of the cabin. Inside was a fascinating display of Smokey memorabilia assembled from rangers' personal collections. Smokey was featured in the fair parade on Fire and Rescue Day and visited with fair attendees twice daily.
In front of the Log Cabin, staff from Belleayre Mountain Ski Center (owned and operated by DEC) performed skiing demonstrations and gave away thousands of free promotional passes. Kids sat on the "Beast of Belleayre" as they enjoyed a video of year-round activities offered at the ski center.
Back in the cabin, staff from the Bureau of Environmental Education displayed a series of questions and answers with the purpose of reinforcing important messages about a variety of natural resource topics and to encourage more questions from visitors. The mounted five-foot-long Atlantic sturgeon was quite a conversation piece too!
Other DEC Attractions
Many visitors relaxed and enjoyed the relative solitude of DEC's picnic area at the base of the fire tower. From there it was a short walk to the Bureau of Pesticides Management (BPM) trailer, where BPM staff promoted safe control of pests. Visitors marveled at the extensive exotic insect displays provided in collaboration with Cornell University. In the Sportsman Education tent nearby, children and adults learned hunter safety principles and tested their knowledge of hunting safety with a very popular quiz. Those visitors who scored a passing grade received a gun lock.
Also very popular was the tree seedling giveaway sponsored by the Saratoga Tree Nursery. Visitors were asked to take a quiz that included questions about natural resources. (All answers could be found in the displays in the cabin.) Those who "passed" (even if they needed a little help) received a free seedling. The nursery also unveiled its new exhibit promoting the sales programs for school seedlings and tree seedlings. Every year they provide nursery stock to help give DEC's exhibit areas a "woodsy" look. After this year's fair ended, the smaller stock was donated to Special Olympics New York to use in a fund-raising event.
The Division of Lands and Forests presented displays about services to forest landowners and urban communities, and distributed information about activities available on DEC-managed land. The Division of Mineral Resources discussed New York State's underground assets, emphasizing that "if it can't be grown, it has to be mined." The Division of Operations provided information to encourage use of the many campgrounds it manages in the Adirondacks and Catskills.
Behind the Scenes
Not to be forgotten are DEC staff who work behind the scenes to make everything at the fair come together. The Division of Public Affairs and Education's (DPAE) Bureau of Public Outreach acts as overall coordinator, and its Bureau of Publications and Internet works with program units and DPAE photographers to produce all of the eye-catching and informative posters and literature used at the fair. The Division of Operations' Bureau of Maintenance and Technical Services installed attractive and highly efficient light fixtures and bulbs in the Aquarium Building and Log Cabin. The real unsung heroes, however, were the Region 7 Operations crew. Despite abnormally wet weather, they were able to stain the cabin, scrape and paint significant portions of the Aquarium Building, fix the sagging deck, repair damaged railings and generally make everything presentable.
The New York State Fair is DEC's largest outreach effort. More than 330 staff worked at the fair at some point during its 12-day duration. At any one time, about 65 people staffed 20 stations. DEC emphasizes "active" exhibits and the interaction that is possible at an event such as the fair, where nearly one million visitors seek both entertainment and information.
