Full Calendar

DEC invites the public to comment about a draft plan to investigate contamination related to the Amphion Piano Player Redevelopment Project site #C734156 (Syracuse, Onondaga County) within New York's Brownfield Cleanup Program. Public comments about the draft plan will be accepted through May 7, 2022.

Click the web link above at "Additional Information" to learn about the draft plan and how to comment.

Project documents can be reviewed online at: https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/DecDocs/C734156/

And at:

Syracuse Central Library
447 South Salina St.
Syracuse, NY 13202
(315) 433-1900

NYSDEC Region 7
615 Erie Blvd. West
Syracuse, NY 13204
(315) 426-7400

I Love My Park Day, held the first Saturday in May, attracts thousands of volunteers from across the state to participate in cleanup, improvement, and beautification events at New York State parks, historic sites and public lands.

Join us to celebrate New York's park system and prepare our public lands for spring by cleaning up park lands and beaches, planting trees and gardens, restoring trail and wildlife habitat, removing invasive species, and working on various site improvement projects.

Find events across New York State >>

Essex County

Crown Point State Historic Site, Crown Point
Time: 10 a.m.
Details: Meet outside the museum building located by the main parking. Activities include shoreline cleanup in the morning; campsite cleanup, raking, trash and brush removal, and setting up picnic tables for the camping season in the afternoon; and Leave No TraceTM education and activities. Gloves, garbage bags, rakes, and refreshments will be provided.

Frontier Town Campground and Equestrian Area, North Hudson
Time: 9 a.m.
Details: Meet at the campground entrance booth to build bat and bird houses and plant a pollinator garden.

Meadowbrook Campground, Ray Brook
Time: 9 a.m.
Details: Meet at the campground cabin for debris cleanup, raking, and painting throughout the campground and at the campsites to prepare for the upcoming camping season.

Clinton County

Ausable Point Campground, Peru
Time: 9 a.m.
Details: Meet at the parking lot nearest the beach. Volunteers will be doing general campground maintenance and raking throughout the campground.

Hamilton County

Eighth Lake Campground, Inlet
Time: 10 a.m.
Details: Meet at the campground maintenance garage for campground cleanup and beach cleanup.

Franklin County

Fish Creek Pond Campground, Saranac Lake
Time: 9 a.m.
Details: Meet at the campground entrance booth for debris pickup, raking, and painting throughout the campground.

Warren County

Hearthstone Point Campground, Lake George
Time: 10 a.m.
Details: Meet at the campground entrance booth to help prepare the campground for the season by participating in campsite cleanup, trash and limb pickup, raking, day use area and beach cleanup, and flower bed cleanup.

Lake George Battlefield Park and Day Use Area, Lake George
Time: 10 a.m.
Details: Two projects will be happening at this location.

1. Meet at the parking lot near the entrance booth for a cleanup around statues and grounds of the facility.
2. Enter Lake George Battlefield Park through the gate/kiosk on the east side of Fort George Road. Proceed down the park road to the sheltered pavilion where parking is available. This is the annual cleanup of the Battlefield Park historic areas. After meeting at the pavilion, volunteers will be able to select spots within the park where they will work.

Luzerne Campground, Lake Luzerne
Time: 10 a.m.
Details: Meet at the campground entrance booth for campsite cleanup, raking, tree planting, trash and brush removal, and setting up picnic tables for the camping season.

Fulton County

Northampton Beach Campground, Mayfield
Time: 9 a.m.
Details: Meet at the campground entrance booth for brush and trash cleanup throughout the campground.

Volunteers should sign up ahead of time at Parks & Trails New York I Love My Park Day website. Volunteers should dress for the weather and wear proper footwear/work boots, and long pants. Sunscreen and insect repellant are recommended. A bagged lunch and/or snacks and water are appropriate. Please email info.R5@dec.ny.gov for more information if needed.

Show Five Rivers some love during this
morning of service! Check in at 9:00 AM for some refreshments and conversations with other volunteers, get your t-shirt, and then head out onto the land for trail cleanup, invasive species removal, and gardening projects. We will have projects for a variety of ages.

Register through Parks and Trails New York at https://www.ptny.org/events/i-love-mypark-day.

Call Five Rivers at 518-475-0291 if you have questions.

At this free fishing clinic you and your family can learn how to fish for free! This event held at the Goawanda Fire Hall and Cattaragus Creek in the Town of Gowanda, Erie County is co-sponsored by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Gowanda Volunteer Fire Company. In addition to learning how to fish, participants can learn about fish identification, fishing equipment and techniques, fisheries management, angling ethics, aquatic ecology, and more! No freshwater fishing license or enrollment in the recreational marine fishing registry is required, but all other statewide fishing regulations remain in effect.

Registration for this event is required as space is limited. For more information about the clinic and to complete a registration form, visit the Gowanda Volunteer Fire Company site (link leaves DEC website). For additional questions and information, call Stephen Raiport at 716-698-9947 or send an email to gowandafirerescue@gmail.com.

Location/Directions: Gowanda Fire Hall, 230 Aldrich St., Gowanda, NY 14070

Visit the Free Fishing Clinics page for more information on this and other upcoming events held statewide.

Keep the Earth Day spirit alive by caring for Reinstein Woods’ trails on I Love My Park Day. Small groups will venture out to work on projects throughout the day. Scouts and other organizations are welcome, but please note that large groups will be split into multiple parties that may have different start times. Online registration will open in March; check www.reinsteinwoods.org/events for more details.

We welcome those who have any type of physical challenge to all our programs. If you call ahead to let us know your needs, we will be happy to learn how we can serve you.

PLEASE NOTE

• Registration is required for ALL programs unless otherwise indicated; call 716-683-5959 to register. 
• If you call outside of normal business hours, you will receive a call confirming your registration or waitlist status. PLEASE SPEAK CLEARLY when leaving your name and phone number as our system does not have caller ID. Unless you receive a callback, you are not registered. 
• Registration is limited to two programs/month. If you want to sign up for additional programs, you will be added to the waitlist. No limit for virtual programs.
• Social distancing and mask protocols are subject to change with current COVID guidelines.
• If you or a family member feels ill, is waiting for COVID test results or have COVID symptoms, please stay at home.
• In case of poor weather, programs may be cancelled.
  
• We cannot accommodate organized youth/civic groups at these programs. Please call to make other arrangements.

New York State Climate Action Council Public Hearing Scheduled

April and May Public Hearings at Upstate and Downstate Locations to Provide Public Opportunities to Share Input on Draft Scoping Plan
 
Public Comment Period Extended through June 10, 2022

New York State's 22-member Climate Action Council, established under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), will hold 10 public hearings across the State to receive public input on the Draft Scoping Plan and advance work on a Final Scoping Plan to guide the implementation of the State's nation-leading climate goals under the CLCPA.

The Council released the Draft Scoping Plan on Dec. 30, 2021, and is accepting public comments on the draft through June 10, 2022. The Council extended the comment period beyond 120 days to allow for additional public input.

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Co-Chairs of the Climate Action Council, today announced eight in-person hearings in locations across the State, as well as two virtual hearings. In-person hearings will also be live-streamed to allow for remote viewing of the proceedings. All persons, organizations, corporations, and government agencies are encouraged to attend the public hearings and to submit oral or written comments.

Climate Action Council Public Hearing Scheduled

Saturday, May 7, 2022 10:00 AM Online/Virtual  -- Via WebEx
 Event number: 2599 706 6384

Event password: climate

Call in number: +1-415-655-0003

Call in access code: 2599 706 6384

Individuals attending virtual hearings and providing comments will be given two minutes to speak. To ensure an organized public hearing, the deadline to pre-register is Friday, May 6, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. After this time, registration will be closed. Please visit the Climate Act website for further pre-registration information.

Please note: Pre-registration may close earlier if the maximum number of speakers is reached before 10:00 a.m. on May 6, 2022.

If in-person hearings cannot be held due to changing COVID-19 health and safety guidelines, hearings will shift to virtual at the same date and time. Please note this listing is for an online/virtual event. Each participant will be given two minutes to address the Climate Action Council. Lengthy statements should be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation. PowerPoint presentations are not allowed, but individuals may provide written supporting documents or visuals.

Pre-registration is encouraged but not required for the in-person hearings. Priority in seating and speaking will be given to those who pre-register. Individuals can pre-register at the Climate Act website. The deadline to pre-register is Friday, May 6, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Those who have pre-registered will be contacted via email prior to the hearing indicating their order of speaking. Speakers will be instructed by the hearing facilitator when they will be unmuted to speak.

Members of the public who want to provide oral comment must attend either in-person or join a virtual hearing. Equal weight will be given to oral and written statements.

Written comments can be submitted through June 10, 2022, via the online public comment form, via email to scopingplan@nyserda.ny.gov, or via U.S. Mail to Attention: Draft Scoping Plan Comments, NYSERDA, 17 Columbia Circle, Albany, NY 12203-6399.

For more information about the New York State Climate Action Council, visit the Climate Act website.

Take a guided walk and look for clues left by local wildlife. No registration required.

We welcome those who have any type of physical challenge to all our programs. If you call ahead to let us know your needs, we will be happy to learn how we can serve you.

PLEASE NOTE

• Registration is required for ALL programs unless otherwise indicated; call 716-683-5959 to register. 
• If you call outside of normal business hours, you will receive a call confirming your registration or waitlist status. PLEASE SPEAK CLEARLY when leaving your name and phone number as our system does not have caller ID. Unless you receive a callback, you are not registered. 
• Registration is limited to two programs/month. If you want to sign up for additional programs, you will be added to the waitlist. No limit for virtual programs.
• Social distancing and mask protocols are subject to change with current COVID guidelines.
• If you or a family member feels ill, is waiting for COVID test results or have COVID symptoms, please stay at home.
• In case of poor weather, programs may be cancelled.
  
• We cannot accommodate organized youth/civic groups at these programs. Please call to make other arrangements.