For Release: Wednesday, July 20, 2005
DEC and the Nature Conservancy to Conduct Wildlife Research
Dragonflies and Damselflies To Be The Focus of A New Statewide Atlas
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today 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 imperiled species.
"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."
Henry Tepper, State Director for The Nature Conservancy, said, "We're still learning about New York's environment, and this atlas will give us a better understanding of it. Plus, the Atlas is a project that everyone can participate in. Look for dragonflies whenever you're near water - what you see will surprise you."
As some of New York's most aggressive hunters, damselflies and dragonflies also have some of the most colorful names: American rubyspot, green darner, cherry-faced meadowhawk, golden-winged skimmer. These predators are all 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 they can be exciting to try to catch. Green darners, for example, grow to be three-inches long and fly around wetlands at 30 miles per hour.
Although there is a growing fascination with this wildlife group, scientists still have much to learn about them. The New York Dragonfly and Damselfly Atlas will map dragonfly and damselfly distribution to promote protection of the species and their habitat. It will complement New York's first Breeding Bird Atlas published in 1988 and the second Breeding Bird Atlas scheduled for publication in late fall of 2007. The Atlas is being coordinated over the next three years by staff from the New York Natural Heritage Program, supported with funding from the State Wildlife Grants Program.
The New York Natural Heritage Program (www.nynhp.org) is a partnership between the DEC and The Nature Conservancy that enables and enhances conservation of rare animals, rare plants, and significant ecosystems. The Program accomplishes this mission by combining thorough field inventories, scientific analyses, expert interpretation, and the most comprehensive database on New York's distinctive biodiversity to deliver the highest quality information for natural resource planning, protection, and management.
The success of the Atlas will depend on dragonfly and damselfly experts in addition to the participation of interested members of the public. Anyone who would like to help with the New York Dragonfly and Damselfly Atlas should contact the New York Natural Heritage Program by emailing nydds@gw.dec.state.ny.us or by calling (518) 402-8935. Training workshops and materials will be available to project volunteers throughout the three-year survey.
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