12/8/2016 IJC Announces Approval for Implementing Plan 2014 - A Win for the Environment: After years of debating the outdated water level regulation plan, the International Joint Commission (IJC) has approved the new Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Water Level Regulation Plan. Under this plan, water levels will vary more naturally and be allowed to go slightly lower and higher than the current plan, 1958DD. Plan 1958DD is outdated and resulted in thousands of acres of wetlands becoming monotypic cattail stands. Approximately 64,000 acres of wetlands will substantially benefit from the new regulation plan, along with their respective fish and wildlife. At the same time, hydropower production will increase and recreational boaters will benefit. The Service has been involved in the development of this plan since 2000.
Read the full news release here: http://www.ijc.org/en_/news?news_id=581
11/2/2016 Northeast bulrush propagation: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New York Field Office (NYFO) has been partnering with the Upper Susquehanna Coalition to propagate northeast bulrush (Scirpus ancistrochaetus) – a federally listed species – within restored vernal pools. Approximately 1700 individual plants were planted in September 2015. After a year, there has been good survival, some seed production, and some recruitment of new plants. With remaining funding from the Upper Susquehanna Conservation Alliance of the New York Field Office, follow-up data will be collected for the New York Natural Heritage Program.
More info about USCA can be found here: https://www.fws.gov/northeast/nyfo/USCA/usca.htm
 Photo courtesy of Upper Susquehanna Coalition
10/21/2016 Avian Radar Case Study Report: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, initiated a study to document migration patterns along the shoreline of Lake Ontario using four Avian Radar units. This report provides insight on areas with avian migration that could be at high risk from wind energy development. For more information on this project, see here.
9/29/2016 Eastern Massasauga Listed as Threatened: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is protecting the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. We also determined that designating critical habitat for the eastern massasauga is not prudent due to an increased risk of collection and persecution. The final rule will publish in the Federal Register on September 30, 2016, with an effective date of October 31, 2016. The public inspection version is available September 29, 2016 at https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2016-23538.pdf
8/31/2016 White-Nose Syndrome Request for Proposals:
USFWS is pleased to announce that the White-Nose Syndrome Small Grants Program for 2016 is now accepting proposals. As in 2015, we are partnering with Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) to offer this opportunity for funding. This year we are accepting proposals of up to $40,000 to fund identified priorities. The deadline for proposals is October 12. More info at the WMI website.
7/27/2016: USFWS announces availability of incidental take permit Environmental Action Statement (136 KB pdf) and draft Habitat Conservation Plan (7.9 MB pdf) for Karner blue butterflies from the Slack Chemical Company. More information:
Karner blue butterfly page
Federal Register Notice
7/19/2016: Notice of Availability for Public Comment, Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for Genesee River Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
The Draft Plan can be found at: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/nyfo/ec/files/ Genesee_River_DRAFT_Restoration_Plan.pdf (10 MB pdf)
More information about the Settlement can be found at: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/nyfo/ec/GeneseeRiver.htm
6/16/2016: Directory Dan Ashe signs Biological Opinion on Transportation Safety Solutions for bats!
Programmatic Biological Opinion Signing
5/21/2016: World Fish Migration Day:
We are celebrating "WFMD" with a new website including graphics from our beloved former Deputy Supervisor Laury Zicari and some new posters as well as a video below. Please check out the "Migration Station" website:
http://www.fws.gov/fisheries/fishmigration/station.html#fishhandouts
3/15/2016 Comment period for the Great Thicket Land Protection Plan has been extended until April 3, 2016 Read the full press release here.
3/7/2016 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Revises its Policy on Mitigating Impacts of Development to Further Conservation of the Nation’s Wildlife and their Habitats Read the official press release for more information.
3/1/2016 AmeriCorps Position Announcement! The New York Field Office is seeking a recent graduate to join our outreach team as a full-time communications specialist. Applications are due March 15th. See this position description (245 KB pdf) for more details.
1/21/2016 Seeking public comment on proposed Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge The USFWS has proposed a brand new National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in the Northeast! The proposed Great Thicket NWR would focus on providing shrubland and young forest for species like the New England cottontail, American woodcock, and many others that rely on this habitat type.
We’re looking for comments from YOU on the draft land protection plan for Great Thicket. To see the full draft plan and learn more about the proposed refuge or how to submit comments, visit http://www.fws.gov/northeast/refuges/planning/lpp/greatthicketLPP.html
1/12/2016 Listing Salamanders as Injurious Due to Risk of Salamander Chytrid Fungus To help prevent a deadly fungus from killing native salamanders, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published an interim rule list 201 salamander species as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act. The fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, also known as Bsal or salamander chytrid, is carried on the skin of various salamander species. Bsal has caused major die-offs of salamanders in Europe and poses an imminent threat to U.S. native salamander populations. The fungus is not yet known to be found in the United States, and to help ensure it remains that way, the Service is publishing an interim rule that will take effect on January 28, 2016. At that time, the importation and interstate transportation of the listed species will be prohibited. The rule also opens a 60-day public comment period (please see the rule in the Federal Register for instructions on how to submit a public comment).
News Release (pdf): “Service Lists 201 Salamander Species as Injurious to Help Keep Lethal Fungus Out of U.S." January 12, 2016
Interim Rule (pdf): in Federal Register on January 13, 2016
Please see the first page of the Interim Rule for instructions on how to submit public comments. The comment period ends on March 14, 2016.
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11/21/2016 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Issues Final Policy on Mitigating Impacts of Development to Further Conservation of Nation’s Wildlife and their Habitats This final policy provides a framework for more efficient and effective mitigation measures while facilitating review and approval of development projects.
More information can be found at this link: https://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=u.s.-fish-and-wildlife-service-issues-final-policy-on-mitigating-impacts-&_ID=35893
10/31/2016 Eastern Massasauga (rattlesnake) Final Listing Rule (NY, PA): The rule to list the eastern massasauga as a threatened species became effective October 31, 2016. The Service had previously determined at the time of the 2015 proposed rule that designating critical habitat for the species was not prudent. The final rule and supporting documents can be found at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/reptiles/eama/index.html
10/26/2016 Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge Approved: After an extensive public process, plans for the nation's newest wildlife refuge have been finalized and approved! With the cooperation of landowners and other partners, the Service can now acquire up to 15,000 acres of land dedicated to conserving and maintaining young forest habitat across New England and eastern New York. The goal is to return balance to northeast woodlands and to benefit shrubland-dependent wildlife.
Read more about the refuge and the species it will benefit here: https://www.fws.gov/northeast/refuges/planning/lpp/greatthicketLPP.html
10/25/2016 Invasive Aquatic Plant Confirmed in Tioga County:
The highly invasive aquatic plant, Hydrilla verticillata, has recently been confirmed in Tioga County. The plant's ability to dominate a waterbody in thick mats, which block sunlight, is a concern for the displacement of native vegetation and the alteration of water chemistry (http://nyis.info). To learn more about this organism and how to help prevent the spread of invasives, visit http://fingerlakesinvasives.org/
 Photo courtesy of fingerlakesinvasives.org
9/21/2016: Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Proposed Endangered:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. Publication of the proposed rule opens a 60-day public comment period that will close on November 21, 2016. More information can be found at
https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/rpbb/index.html
6/20/2016: It's pollinator week!
Check out our National Blog.
4/25/2016 Bird's Eye View of Conservation! The New York Field Office has been working to assess and restore habitat in the Rochester Embayment Area of Concern since 2010. See some of the habitat restoration work our staff has done in this great flyover video. More video and information is available on the USFWS Northeast Regional Blog.
Photo by T.B. Ryder, USFWS
4/4/2016 USFWS Seeks Information Concerning Bicknell’s Thrush This migratory songbird with summer breeding grounds in the high-elevation forests of New York and New England is currently being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act. We are seeking the best available scientific and commercial information concerning the species’ biology, range, population trends, stressors/threats, as well as conservation needs for it and its habitat.
We would appreciate receiving any relevant information by May 1, 2016 submitted to the following address:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New England Field Office, Attn: Bicknell’s Thrush, 70 Commercial Street, Suite 300, Concord, New Hampshire 03301
Questions can be directed to Tim Sullivan at our office: tim_sullivan@fws.gov or 607-753-9334.
1/14/2016 Northern Long-eared Bat Final 4(d) Rule The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a final rule today that uses flexibilities under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to tailor protections to areas affected by white-nose syndrome during the bat’s most sensitive life stages. The rule is designed to protect the bat while minimizing regulatory requirements for landowners, land managers, government agencies, and others within the species’ range.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/nleb/
1/4/2016 Service Releases 2015 List of Candidates for Endangered Species Act Protection The Service today released the Candidate Notice of Review, a yearly status appraisal of plants and animals that are candidates for Endangered Species Act protection. Two species were removed from the list, and two changed in priority from the last review, conducted in December 2014, including the whitebark pine and Hirst Brothers' panic grass. There are now 60 species recognized by the Service as candidates for ESA protection.
http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=u.s.-fish-and-wildlife-service-releases-2015-list-of--candidates-for-&_ID=35406
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