The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced a temporary closure of the fishing platform at Birch Run Fish and Wildlife Management Area in the town of Allegany, Cattaraugus County.  

The platform will be closed during the next several weeks to allow for necessary site maintenance and accessibility improvement efforts to the platform.  Work is expected to take up to three weeks to complete and the platform is anticipated to reopen by the end of October.  During the project, the paved access trail to the ponds will remain open.  

A list of alternative fishing access sites can be found on DEC's website.