The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Division of Law Enforcement enforces the 71 chapters of New York State’s Environmental Conservation Law (ECL), protecting fish and wildlife and preserving environmental quality across New York. In 1880, the first eight Game Protectors proudly began serving to protect the natural resources and people of New York State. In 2023, the Division of Law Enforcement fielded more than 101,500 calls, resulting in Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) and Investigators across the state responding to more than 30,932 complaints and working on cases that resulted in nearly 16,900 tickets or arrests for violations ranging from deer poaching to solid waste dumping, illegal mining, the illegal pet trade, and excessive emissions violations.

 

“Environmental Conservation Police Officers and Investigators serving in DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement are working tirelessly across the state to protect natural resources and public safety while holding poachers and polluters accountable,” DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said. “DEC looks forward to continuing to work with our local, State, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure compliance with New York’s stringent environmental conservation laws and promote the safe and responsible enjoyment of the outdoors.”

 

Illegal Take of Great Blue Heron – Orange County

 

On May 30, ECOs Boyes and Lovgren responded to the town of Montgomery for reports of a deceased great blue heron. The complainant reported hearing a gunshot before observing the bird on the ground near a pond. The Officers arrived at the location and discovered the deceased heron with injuries consistent with a gunshot and noticed only one house with a clear line of sight to the adjoining pond. The Officers interviewed the resident of the house who eventually admitted to shooting the heron that morning. ECOs ticketed the defendant for illegally taking protected wildlife and sent the blue heron to the DEC Wildlife Unit for a necropsy. On June 25, a DEC pathologist confirmed the cause of death. 

 

Deceased great blue heron taken illegally in Orange County (photo attached)

 

SailGP Races – New York Harbor

 

During the weekend of June 21 to 23, Lieutenant Auguscinski and ECOs Farner, Keegan, Kortz, and Rappold assisted marine law enforcement partners with security patrols during the SailGP boat races near the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. SailGP is an international race league that holds competitions at a variety of venues worldwide. New York hosted the racers for this leg of the 2024 season and DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement helped to ensure boaters and spectators remained safe. 

 

ECOs provide security for SailGP boat races in New York Harbor (photo attached)

 

Rooftop Falcon – New York County

 

On June 29, ECO Keegan responded to an address on Manhattan’s East Side for an injured peregrine falcon. Officer Keegan made his way to the 50^th floor rooftop area of the building and discovered the bird unable to fly. He safely captured the falcon and transported it to the Wild Bird Fund in New York City for further examination. This is the second injured falcon ECO Keegan rescued in two months.  

 

ECO Keegan rescues injured falcon from rooftop in New York County (photo attached)

 

Fawn in Distress – Sullivan County

 

On July 11, ECOs Boyes and Parker responded to the village of Monticello for reports of a fawn stuck in the foundation of an abandoned building. The Officers arrived and discovered the foundation partially filled with water, making the fawn’s escape more difficult. ECO Parker entered the water wearing waders, retrieved the fawn, and handed the animal to ECO Boyes. After a brief visual inspection, Officer Boyes determined the fawn was in good health and released it into the woods where it quickly reunited with an adult deer waiting nearby. ECOs also notified local code enforcement of the abandoned foundation and its condition to help prevent similar incidents.

 

Fawn discovered trapped in the foundation of a building in Sullivan County (photo attached)

 

Duckling Rescue – Suffolk County

 

On July 12, ECO Day responded to a report of ducklings stuck in a storm drain at an apartment complex in Ronkonkoma. Officer Day arrived at the complex and observed a hen mallard with one duckling wandering around the parking lot near the storm drain and could hear the other ducklings chirping inside the drain. With assistance from two employees of the apartment complex, ECO Day managed to get the drain cover moved just enough to retrieve the ducklings using a net. The Officer removed all the ducklings safely from the storm drain and reunited them with the hen mallard waiting at a nearby pond. Watch VIDEO of the duckling pond reunion here: https://youtube.com/shorts/6xwMM5wkD_g?feature=share 

 

Ducklings rescued from a storm drain in Suffolk County (photo attached)

 

Building Bridges and Catching Fishes – Niagara County

 

On July 17, ECOs Powers, Wozniak, Holzle, Bureau of Fisheries Biologist Todd, and Fish and Wildlife Technician Wester conducted a youth fishing outreach event in support of the Niagara County Building Bridges Program. The program, forged by a partnership between the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and Niagara Police Department, was designed to help foster healthier relationships between children of color and the police.   

 

Fifteen youth from the city of Niagara Falls attended the fishing event at Bonds Lake Park in the town of Lewiston. The youth, ranging in age from eight to 15 years old, received lessons from the ECOs and DEC fish and wildlife employees about fish identification and handling, casting techniques, and knot tying, before heading to the water to cast their nets.  

 

At the end of the event, each youth participant received a new fishing pole and informational items to guide future fishing trips. The New York Conservation Officers Association and I FISH NY program donated the items. The New York Conservation Officers Association also generously donated bait for the event.

 

ECO Wozniak assists a young angler during a youth fishing outreach event in Niagara County (photo attached)

 

Young anglers participate in youth fishing event in Niagara County (photo attached)

 

Rattlesnake Rescue – Wyoming County

 

On July 20, ECOs Powers and Scheer received a call from a New York State Park Ranger about an injured timber rattlesnake near a walking trail at Letchworth State Park in the town of Castile. ECO Powers confirmed the identity of the snake through pictures and quickly coordinated with the Ranger to keep curious visitors away from the snake. The ECOs responded to Letchworth, secured the snake, and transported it to Cornell University’s veterinary hospital for treatment. Experts believe the snake was run over by a motor vehicle. 

 

Timber rattlesnakes are venomous pit vipers, native to New York State. They are considered a threatened species and are protected by State law. Timber rattlesnakes seldom display aggression unless defending themselves. The public is reminded to leave the snakes alone and observe from a safe distance.

 

Injured timber rattlesnake discovered at Letchworth State Park in Wyoming County (photo attached)

 

Iron Man Event – Essex County

 

On July 21, ECOs Fadden and Hovey assisted with public safety at the 25^th Annual Lake Placid Iron Man Triathlon in the town of North Elba. The event attracts athletes and spectators from across the world. The ECOs patrolled Mirror Lake, utilizing personal watercraft during the swim portion of the event. The Officers rescued two swimmers using a rescue sled attached to their patrol boat, assisted two other swimmers in distress, and transported another competitor to shore who was unable to finish the swimming portion of the event. 

 

Keeping the Sound Clean – Suffolk County

 

On July 22, ECO Zullo received a complaint while on boat patrol in the Peconic Bay, town of Southold, that a vessel did not request a pump-out boat since arriving to Southold days earlier. ECOs Zullo and Vandenbos responded to the location and observed a large yacht matching the description provided by the complainant. The Officers’ investigation determined that the vessel had not called for a pump-out boat because it dumped approximately 1,000 gallons of treated sewage into a section of the Long Island Sound designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a “No Discharge Zone.” ECO Zullo ticketed the vessel’s head engineer for the Navigation Law offense of discharging sewage in a no discharge zone, returnable to Southold Town Justice Court.  

 

Rescue and Recovery Training – Erie County

 

On July 24, ECOs Scheer, Powers, Wozniak, Bobseine, Laczi, and Investigator Holzle conducted training exercises in Buffalo Harbor focused on rescue and recovery techniques from vessels. Employees from DEC’s Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquatic Invasive Species units participated in the lessons about best practices for responding to an individual who goes overboard and the appropriate procedures needed in a recovery effort. The course also included practical exercises where participants entered the water and used both crew-assisted and self-recovery techniques discussed in the lecture.  

ECOs conduct rescue and recovery training exercises in Erie County (photo attached)

 

Student participates in crew-assisted rescue from water during rescue and recovery training exercise in Erie County (photo attached)

 

Injured Eagle in a Tree – Erie County

 

On July 25, Lieutenant Mathis responded to reports of an adult bald eagle in distress 50 feet up a tree at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff in the hamlet of Derby. Lieutenant Mathis arrived and discovered an eagle barely able to lift its head and with wings spread and drooping over branches. North Evans, Highland, and Angola firefighters also responded to the location and assisted removing the eagle from the tree. Lieutenant Mathis and an Angola firefighter used Angola’s ladder truck to secure the eagle and safely bring it down. A wildlife rehabilitator from Messenger Woods immediately took possession of the eagle for further treatment.

 

Lieutenant Mathis holds an injured eagle rescued from a tree in Erie County (photo attached)

 

Fishing Compliance Check Roundup – Richmond/Suffolk/Kings Counties

 

From finding undersized fluke to a Canarsie clam heist, it was an active few weeks for ECOs downstate conducting fish compliance checks:  

 

• On July 15, ECO Rappold received a report from a concerned citizen about a small group of people harvesting clams from Canarsie Beach in Brooklyn. The caller claimed the same group frequented the beach in recent weeks and took buckets of clams. Officers Milliron and Rappold responded to the location and watched as the group dug around in the murky bottom of Jamaica Bay in search of clams. The ECOs approached the clammers as they headed back to their vehicles with full bags and seized a total of 1,483 hard clams, one mussel, and one razor clam before issuing multiple tickets for the illegal takes. They also returned the clams safely to the water. Harvesting shellfish from Jamaica Bay and almost all waters in New York City is prohibited due to water quality and contamination concerns creating potential hazards to human health if consumed. For more information about areas closed to shellfish harvesting in New York State, visit:  https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/shellfishing/closures
  

• On July 19, ECOs DeVito, Simmons, Vandenbos, and Agent Lepre from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) boarded several commercial and recreational vessels in Montauk to check for compliance with New York’s stringent fishing regulations. The Officers encountered the captain of one commercial vessel in possession of black sea bass and black fish that were not properly labeled. The captain also failed to tag the black fish with the designated commercial tags. The ECOs documented the violations and issued multiple tickets returnable to East Hampton Town Court. 

• On July 20, ECO Farner responded to reports of anglers keeping undersized fluke at Great Kills Park in Staten Islan The ECO found a garbage bag hidden behind a log on the beach that was filled with a total of 14 fluke ranging in size from 12 to 17 inches. The legal size for fluke is 19 inches with a bag limit of three per day. One angler eventually admitted to keeping the fish and received two tickets for possession of undersized fluke and taking more fish than legally allowed. 

• On July 20, ECO Day conducted fishing compliance checks at Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai where he discovered 36 porgy and one black sea bass all hidden inside a tackle box and small cooler. Thirty-two of the 36 porgy were undersized and the black sea bass measured just over five inches, well below the legal-size limit. Officer Day ticketed a subject for possession of undersized porgy and black sea bass, possession of porgy over New York’s daily limit, and failure to possess a New York marine registry. 

• On July 21, ECOs Pabes and Paschke responded to a report from a commercial crabber regarding the theft of several crab traps he placed in the Great South Bay. The commercial crabber believed he saw the traps belonging to him in a backyard in Amityville and called ECOs for assistance. Themet with the homeowner who claimed the traps washed up into his backyard, so he used them. The ECOs seized the traps, ticketed the subject for unlawful possession of another person’s traps, and returned the traps to the rightful owner.  

• On July 22, ECOs Vandenbos and Zullo conducted a dockside compliance check of a group of anglers offloading fish from their boat to their vehicle in Southampton. The group possessed 53 fluke and 49 black sea bass, well over the maximum daily limit for both fish. The Officers seized the fish and issued tickets to each group member for possession of over-the-limit fish, returnable to Southampton Town Justice Court. 

 

ECO Milliron with nearly 1,500 clams illegally harvested in Brooklyn (photo attached)

 

Untagged black fish discovered in Montauk (photo attached)

 

Undersized fluke caught illegally at Great Kills Park (photo attached)

 

Tackle box full of porgy caught illegally at Cedar Beach in Mt. Sinai (photo attached)

 

Stolen crab traps seized by ECOs and returned to rightful owner in Suffolk County (photo attached)

 

Fluke and black sea bass seized by ECOs during fishing compliance check in Southampton Township (photo attached)

 

To contact an ECO to report an environmental crime or to report an incident, call 1-844-DEC-ECOS for 24-hour dispatch or email (for non-urgent violations).