Environment DEC
From the August 2005 issue
DEC and Nature Conservancy to Research Wildlife
The aggressive damselfly helps reduce the mosquito population
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan announced a partnership with The Nature Conservancy to survey the nearly 200 kinds of dragonflies and damselflies living in New York State. The New York Dragonfly and Damselfly Atlas will map dragonfly and damselfly distribution across the state, highlight regions with exceptional diversity, and further the conservation of this imperiled species.
Aggressive, Attractive and Speedy
"Dragonflies and damselflies not only reduce mosquito numbers, but are a wonderful way to introduce people to nature," Commissioner Sheehan said. "DEC and The Nature Conservancy are partnering together to help study these important, beautiful insects in order to learn more about them and our state's diverse ecosystems."
Among New York's most aggressive hunters, damselflies and dragonflies also have some colorful names: American rubyspot, green darner, cherry-faced meadowhawk, golden-winged skimmer. All of these predators are dragonflies, and with their more fragile cousins-damselflies-are the new frontier for nature watching. Many are easy to identify, they come in all colors of the rainbow, and it's exciting to try to catch them. For example, green darners, which can grow up to three inches long, fly around wetlands at 30 miles per hour.
Although fascination with this wildlife group is growing, scientists still have much to learn about them. The New York Dragonfly and Damselfly Atlas will help to promote protection of this species and their habitat. It also will complement the state's first Breeding Bird Atlas, published in 1988, and the second Breeding Bird Atlas, scheduled for publication in late fall of 2007.
Project Volunteers Sought
The New York Dragonfly and Damselfly Atlas is being coordinated during the next three years by staff from the New York Natural Heritage Program, supported with funding from the State Wildlife Grants Program. The success of this project will depend upon dragonfly and damselfly experts in addition to the participation of interested members of the public.
Anyone who would like to help with this project should e-mail the New York Natural Heritage Program, or call 518-402-8935. Training workshops and materials will be available to project volunteers throughout the three-year survey.
