Environment
The ‘I BIRD NY’ challenge begins March 1
The DEC's annual “I BIRD NY Challenge” asks birders of all ages and experience levels to identify 10 wild bird species anywhere in New York State.
Environment
Scott’s Pointe operator accepted solid waste during construction at site, state records show
Island Water Park was charged with unauthorized disposal of waste and the unauthorized operation of a solid waste management facility after it accepted solid waste and used it for fill and site grading during construction, State DEC records show.
Environment
State proposes new freshwater wetlands rules, now open for public comment
The new rules will roughly double the acreage of state-regulated wetlands in New York by 2028, and provide for remote mapping, modernizing maps and procedures in place for decades.
Environment
DEC reports on herbicide treatment in battle against invasive Ludwigia in Peconic River
The state for the first time this summer used the widespread application of herbicides in its ongoing — and previously “consistently ineffective” — effort to eliminate the invasive Ludwigia, which grows and spreads aggressively to form a dense mat on the surface of the water, upending the aquatic ecosystem and interfering with recreational activities.
Environment
Riverhead wins decade-old lawsuit challenging new endangered species regulations adopted by DEC without public hearing
A State Supreme Court judge in Albany County has sided with the Town of Riverhead in a decade-old lawsuit challenging regulations adopted by the State DEC in 2010 to protect endangered species. The court ruled on Feb. 18 the new regulations are null and void because the Department of Environmental Conservation failed to hold a public hearing prior to adopting them.
Environment
Suffolk’s impaired waterbodies: Many downgraded on DEC’s updated list
From the Long Island Sound on the north shore to the bays on the south, from the bays and harbors of western Suffolk to the bays between the Twin Forks, the list of impaired waterbodies across Suffolk County is long and the impairments serious.
