New York Mixed Bag: DEC summer camps registration begins March 22

Caneadea, N.Y. — Online registration for The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 2026 Summer Camps program will open Sunday, March 22 at 1 p.m. The seven weeks of environmental education-focused outdoor fun is suitable for children aged 11-17 and is offered at four camps located across the State:

• Camp Rushford (Caneadea, Allegany County);

• Camp Colby (Saranac Lake, Franklin County);

• Camp DeBruce (Livingston Manor, Sullivan County); and

• Camp Pack Forest (Warrensburg, Warren County).

The cost is $350 per week. At camp, kids will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of outdoor adventures and activities including fishing, birding, fly-tying, archery, canoeing, hiking, camping, orienteering, and hunter safety education.

Parents and guardians can register youth for a week of camp, manage their account, and complete required forms and waivers through a link from the DEC Summer Camps webpage.

Many campers are sponsored by local conservation organizations, hunting and fishing clubs, garden clubs, and community groups. Sponsored campers must work with their sponsoring organization to receive sponsorship ahead of the registration opening for camps.

To learn more about sponsorships, including groups wishing to sponsor campers, visit here.

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Annual NYS Burn Ban Begins March 16

Albany — DEC reminds all New Yorkers that the state’s annual burn ban that prohibits residents from burning vegetation and brush runs from March 16 through May 14. Due to early-spring warming temperatures, lower humidity, and dead vegetation revealed by melted snow, there is often an increased risk of wildfires during this time period. Open burning is the single greatest cause of wildfires in New York.

Ban exceptions include small cooking fires using charcoal or untreated wood, or any other outdoor fire less than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in length, width, or diameter. Local regulations may carry additional prohibitions on open burning. In 2024, DEC Forest Rangers extinguished 122 wildfires that spanned nearly 6,500 acres.

For more information, visit here.

Trail Improvements Slated For Braddock Bay WMA

Greece, N.Y. — DEC and volunteers from Team Rubicon have announced plans to remove hazardous trees at Braddock Bay Wildlife Management Area, in Monroe County, and open narrow trail sections to improve public access and safety. Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization that has nearly 6,500 volunteers and partners with DEC on trail and habitat improvement projects throughout the state.

On March 21 and 28, the Cranberry Pond Trail and the Owl Woods/Rose Marsh trail at Manitou Beach Road in the Town of Greece, will be closed to allow for completion of the project.

Braddock Bay WMA is a 2,125-acre mosaic in DEC’s Region 8, and is a shallow water bay-marsh complex existing in five units along the Lake Ontario shoreline. Although restricted, hunting for deer (shotgun only) and waterfowl are common in parts of the unit, as is archery hunting in the entire complex.

Youth Conservation Program Returns to Long Island For Hunter Education Course

Manorville, N.Y. — DEC’s annual two-day, hands-on youth hunting safety course to be offered in April by DEC’s Hunter Education Program will take place on April 11 and 12 at the Peconic River Sportsman’s Club in Manorville and is open to youth who have not yet taken their Hunter Education Course.

The event is part of the State’s Youth Conservation Program and designed to introduce youth between the ages of 12 and 16 to the basic principles of conservation and hunter education. The program is part of the HuntFishNY initiative encouraging increased participation in outdoor sports. Since 1994, this regional hunter safety event has been sponsored by the DEC’s Hunter Education Program, the New York State Conservation Officers Association, and the Peconic River Sportsman’s Club.

This class is limited to 30 participants. Applications must be returned by March 27, 2026. For more information or to register contact the DEC Hunter Education Office by phone at 631-444-0255 or email R1SportsmanEducation@dec.ny.gov.

New York Call Maker Earns NWTF Honors

Nashville, Tenn. — Noted turkey call maker Scott Witter of Lockport (Niagara County) picked up several awards in the National Wild Turkey Federation’s annual Grand National Call making competition.

Witter’s top award was a first place in the Long Box category; he also finished fourth with another entry in that judging. Witter’s other honors were third and fourth place in the Box Call Sets division; fourth place in the Short Box category; and third place in the Grand National Champion of Champions Box Call category, which is reserved for past winners of the Grand Nationals.

The awards were presented at the NWTF’s annual Convention and Sport Show in Nashville last month. Learn more about the convention at: https://www.nwtf.org/get-involved/nwtf-convention.