New York Cuffs & Collars: Turkey rescued and released in Saratoga County

Turkey Rescue (Saratoga County)

While patrolling on Route 29 in the Town of Milton, ECO Doroski observed a turkey on the side of the road that appeared to have been struck by a vehicle. The ECO activated the vehicle’s emergency lights and blocked the turkey from reentering the roadway before carefully capturing the bird and securing it in a crate.

The ECO then transported the bird to a local rehabilitation facility for treatment. The x-rays determined the turkey suffered minor injuries. On April 11, ECO Doroski assisted the local rehabilitator with releasing the wild turkey near the area it was found.

Pesticide Detail (Westchester County)

On April 22, Lieutenant Dainack and ECOs Franz, Schuck, Swansen, and Tompkins assisted employees from DEC’s Bureau of Pesticides for an Earth Day detail focused on pesticide enforcement. Bureau of Pesticides employees checked several locations throughout Westchester County with ECO support. Officers issued a total of 31 tickets for offenses including operating an unregistered pesticide business, unlabeled pesticide service containers, unlicensed pesticide applicators, failure to place pesticide markers prior to application, and contaminating non-target areas. Officers conducted more than 40 miles of those patrols on E-bikes to cut down on emissions, improve community policing, and increase mobility and visibility while traveling through neighborhoods.

Striped Bass Citations (Nassau County)

ECOs Franz and Pabes recently responded to reports of anglers taking over their legal limit of striped bass at a popular fishing location in the Town of North Hempstead. The Officers removed 19 illegally taken fish and issued 13 tickets to six anglers. Offenses included exceeding the daily bag limit, taking fish out of slot size, using j-hooks while targeting striped bass with bait, and failure to carry a Recreational Marine Fishing Registry. The legal recreational limit for striped bass in Nassau County marine waters is one fish per person per day, with a slot size of 28 to 31 inches in length. This regulation is intended to protect breeding stocks and applies to all marine waters south of George Washington Bridge.

Walleye Poachers Caught (Erie County)

ECO Bobseine responded to a complaint regarding a group of individuals keeping walleye out of season in Freedom Park in Buffalo. The subjects left the area before Officer Bobseine arrived, but the complainant provided the license plate information of the suspect vehicle. As ECO Bobseine pulled into the vehicle owner’s driveway, he observed an individual placing a bag of what appeared to be fish into a freezer. Officer Bobseine inspected the bag and discovered two walleye caught out of season from the Niagara River. Additionally, the individual failed to possess a valid fishing license. Further investigation revealed a second subject took 11 out-of-season walleye the same evening. ECO Bobseine confiscated the fish and ticketed the subjects for taking walleye out of season and fishing without a freshwater fishing license.

Finding Fiddleheads (Jefferson County)

On April 26, Lieutenant Bartoszewski responded to a report of illegal fishing on South Sandy Creek in the Town of Ellisburg. The complainant stated he observed three individuals carrying black garbage bags that were dripping with water to their vehicle, placing the bags in the trunk of the vehicle, and then returning to the creek. ECO Maxwell joined Lieutenant Bartoszewski for the investigation and located the vehicle nearby at a DEC fishing access parking lot. Using binoculars, the Officers later spotted three individuals further up the creek appearing to harvest something from the ground along its banks. Through further investigation, ECOs determined the individuals were harvesting fiddleheads from the Ostrich fern, a vulnerable and protected plant in New York State. The trio did not have permission to harvest the fiddleheads on private property as required. Once back at the parking area, ECO Maxwell ticketed the subjects for unlawfully removing protected plants and using a fishing access site for an activity other than fishing since the trio parked at the fishing access to commit the unlawful acts. A quick count of the harvested fiddleheads determined approximately 10,000 ferns were illegally harvested.

Orphaned Goose (Dutchess County)

On May 8, ECO Zullo responded to a call from an East Fishkill Police Officer who serves as the School Resource Officer at Fishkill Plains Elementary School about a Canada Goose gosling that was observed by students during recess. Officer Zullo arrived at the location and attempted to locate the gosling’s family but was unsuccessful. The Officer then transported the baby goose to Vassar College and observed a group of goslings and two parent geese. ECO Zullo presented the lost gosling to the gaggle of geese, and it was welcomed into the brood. Video of the goose interaction can be viewed on DEC’s YouTube channel.

Canoe Trouble (Warren County)

On May 28 at 4:47 p.m., Warren County 911 requested Forest Ranger assistance with a canoer stranded on shore after their canoe sank on Thirteenth Lake. Ranger Savarie reached the 63-year-old from Delmar and helped repair the canoe before assisting them to their vehicle.