DEC Contact: Benning DeLaMater (518) 402-8000 March 20, 2019
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DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officer HighlightsECO Actions for Early March |
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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) enforce the 71 Chapters of NY Environmental Conservation Law (ECL), protecting fish and wildlife and preserving environmental quality across New York. Recent missions carried out by ECOs include: Career Day - Tioga County On March 7, ECOs Brent Wilson and Andy Kostuk delivered presentations at the Spencer-Van Etten Middle School’s Career Day, which introduces 7th and 8th grade students to various career fields. The ECOs spoke for about 20 minutes to four classes of approximately 15 students each. The officers described the day-to-day adventures of being an ECO, an overview on Environmental Conservation Law, and the role ECOs play in the protection and preservation of the state’s natural resources. ECO Wilson speaks to Spencer-Van Etten Middle School students about being an ECO (photo attached) On March 8, ECOs Jacob Jankowski and Michael Wozniak responded to a report that a two-foot-long, 50-pound snapping turtle was being kept illegally in poor conditions in a home in Manhattan. An elderly woman had taken the turtle in as a pet 20 years ago, and was no longer able to care for it. She had planned to have someone help her release the turtle into a nearby city pond. It is illegal to keep native wildlife without a permit from DEC. The officers also found four red-eared sliders, a semiaquatic turtle, living in plastic totes. Red-eared sliders are legal to possess in New York as pets and are commonly found in many pet stores. However, these turtles are an invasive species and should not be released into the wild. The ECOs gave the woman a warning and explained the laws regarding wildlife being kept as pets and releasing invasive species into the ecosystem. The turtles were seized and turned over to the Animal Care Centers of New York City, an adoption agency that takes in homeless and abandoned animals and works with wildlife refuges and rehabilitators to find homes for injured animals and other wildlife. ECO Wozniak with snapping turtle (photo attached) Fake Leopard but Real Crocodilian Pelt - Kings County On March 9, ECOs Ryan Grogan and Josh Harvey set up a meeting with a subject offering leopard and crocodilian pelts for sale on Craigslist. After viewing the leopard pelts, ECO Grogan determined they were fake leopard skins. However, when asked if the crocodilian pelt was still available, the subject replied that it was, for $150. Upon viewing the pelt, the officers confirmed its authenticity and the seller was issued a summons for sale of endangered species without a permit. The pelt was confiscated. Injured Bald Eagles - Delaware and Dutchess Counties On March 10, ECO Nathan Doig received a call from NYC Department of Environmental Protection Officer Brad Sherburne reporting an injured bald eagle in Delaware County, close to the shore of the Cannonsville Reservoir in the town of Deposit. Working together, the officers captured the juvenile eagle, which was suffering from a broken wing. ECO Doig transported it to Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center for rehabilitation. ECOs Doig and Crain with injured bald eagles (two photos attached) |
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