For Release: Wednesday, August 17, 2005

DEC Announces Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy

Public Invited to Comment on the Strategy to Help Conserve Critical Wildlife Habitat

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today announced the release of the draft Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS), which provides a blueprint for maintaining the rich diversity of wildlife species that live in New York. The public is invited to comment on the plan through September 16, 2005.

"New York's fish and wildlife resources are a treasure we hold in trust for future generations. Conserving these living resources and protecting the ecosystems where they reside is a critical component of successful environmental conservation," Commissioner Sheehan said. "The Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy will assist New York in our efforts to conserve important species and the habitats they live in."

DEC has been developing the CWCS since the fall of 2001 when federal legislation established a new State Wildlife Grants (SWG) program to provide funds to state wildlife agencies for conservation of fish and wildlife species in greatest need of conservation. New York's more than 700-page draft strategy is being created is to provide guidelines to State agencies and lawmakers that will help reduce the potential for fish and wildlife species to be listed as endangered. This information is organized in several different ways to increase its ease of use by land managers and State agency planners.

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Commissioner Bernadette Castro said, "New York's park visitors enjoy seeing the tremendous variety of animals that call our State Parks home. We have had great success in enhancing their habitats. This strategy will help us to continue our efforts now and in the future."

New York State Secretary of State Randy Daniels said, "The development of a Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy for New York State will build on our great State's conservation ethic and allow for the strategic advancement of our conservation goals. Protecting our wildlife and the habitats they depend on is fundamental to all New Yorkers, now and for generations to come. The Department of State is pleased to have been a partner in this important achievement."

The CWCS has identified and focuses on the species of greatest conservation need in New York using long-term research and survey efforts to identify threats and problems facing these species. More than 580 species of greatest conservation need including birds, crustacean, freshwater and marine fish, amphibians, insects, mammals, and mollusks are identified. The CWCS contains a tremendous amount of information on threats to these species and trends in their populations as well information on changes in their habitats and land use. This will allow land managers and interested parties to approach conservation of these species either by habitat preservation and restoration, or by addressing the needs of individual species. A plan for continued monitoring and guidelines for strategy revision, which should be conducted as least once every ten years, are also included in the strategy.

All this information is analyzed and integrated to produce conservation recommendations detailed in the report. These recommendations address both species groups and habitats and specifically address the priority efforts needed to maintain and in many cases grow wildlife populations. The recommendations call for increased public education, continued population surveys, completion of an Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians, mapping of specific habitats, habitat protection and management, documentation of species' life histories, toxicity testing, species restoration and more. These recommendations also include filling in information gaps on many species of special concern that require additional study.

The CWCS was developed with extensive public outreach and input from citizens and interested organizations. DEC established review teams that include experts in wildlife and habitat conservation to provide input and work with DEC professionals to ensure that the best information available was used to create the strategy and develop the most effective conservation recommendations. A partnership group including other government agencies, non-profit conservation groups and other advocacy organizations and citizens was created to discuss the CWCS and the process used to develop it.

David Miller, the Executive Director of Audubon New York, said "We had an important opportunity to participate in this process. We've been working for years to conserve diversity among New York's wildlife species, the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy provides a framework to ensure this legacy will continue."

Willie Janeway, Director of Government Affairs for The Nature Conservancy, said, "This strategy and the resources that accompany it give us a great opportunity to protect the habitats that support New York's many species, some of which are threatened or worse. This information will be invaluable in our work in years to come."

Howard Cushing, President of the New York State Conservation Council, said, "The New York State Conservation Council is pleased to have been a contributor to development of New York's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Our members strongly support conserving all of New York's wildlife and we look forward to working with the Department and other partners to implement the CWCS."

Bob Monacchio, Chairman of the Conservation Fund Advisory Board, said, "New York will continue to receive millions of dollars a year in federal assistance to conserve New York's fish, wildlife and marine resources. These dollars will complement the funds derived from the sale of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses that support New York's Conservation Fund. Sporting license buyers have long been proud to support wildlife conservation and we appreciate these additional resources and the efforts of the many partners in developing and implementing the CWCS."

Many of New York State's most successful resource management programs are organized by watershed boundaries, including the State and national estuary management programs, the fisheries management program, local assistance programs through Department of State, and others. DEC made a decision to increase the usefulness of the strategy and its recommendations to partner agencies and organizations across the State by making recommendations on a watershed basis. Eleven watersheds make up New York State: Allegheny, Atlantic Ocean - New York, Delaware, Lake Erie, Lake Champlain, Lower Hudson - Long Island Bays, Northeast Ontario - St. Lawrence, Southeast Lake Ontario, Susquehanna, Southwest Lake Ontario and Upper Hudson.

Watersheds have been chosen as a geographic basis for an ecosystem approach to coordinate current and anticipated conservation efforts. The watersheds have been mapped by the United States Geologic Survey for every state and provide a seamless map layer across the country that will facilitate regional and national collaboration in implementing all the state CWCSs over the next decade. The CWCS makes recommendations for actions to protect species and habitats throughout each of these watersheds and statewide.

The Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy may be viewed our website. The draft Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy is also available on CD by calling (518) 402-8920. Copies of the draft Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy are available for public review at NYSDEC Regional Offices during normal business hours at the following locations:

Region 1 - SUNY - Building 40 Stony Brook, New York 11790
Region 2 - 1 Hunter's Point Plaza 47-40 21st Street Long Island City, NY 11101-5407
Region 3 - 21 South Putt Corners New Paltz, NY 12561
Region 4 - 1150 N. Westcott Road Schenectady, NY 12306-2014
Region 5 - 1115 NYS Route 86, P.O. Box 296 Ray Brook, NY 12977-0296
Region 6 - 317 Washington St. Watertown, NY 13601
Region 7 - 615 Erie Blvd. West, Syracuse, NY 13204-2400
Region 8 - 6274 E. Avon-Lima Road, Avon, NY 14414-9519
Region 9 - 270 Michigan Avenue, Buffalo, N.Y. 14203-2999

Comments in writing or by e-mail on the draft Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy are welcome and are due by September 16, 2005. Please send written comments to: NYS DEC, Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources, ATTN: Lisa Holst, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4753. E-mail comments should be directed to: swgidea@gw.dec.ny.us

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