Albany, New York – The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Division of Law Enforcement is actively enforcing the state’s Environmental Conservation Law to safeguard fish, wildlife, and natural resources statewide. Established in 1880 with the first Game Protectors, the division’s Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) and investigators continue their vital role in protecting public safety and outdoor spaces.[1]
In 2025, the division handled an estimated 101,169 calls for service, responding to more than 35,575 complaints. These efforts led to 15,673 tickets or arrests for violations including deer poaching, solid waste dumping, illegal mining, the pet trade, and emissions infractions.
“DEC Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) and Investigators enforce New York’s Environmental Conservation Law to ensure the protection of public safety and our vast natural resources including air, water, wildlife, and New York’s one-of-a-kind outdoor spaces,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton stated. “This highly specialized and rewarding work is instrumental to upholding our stringent laws and making the great outdoors safe and enjoyable for everyone.”
One standout achievement was ECO Fuerch receiving the 2025 National Wild Turkey Federation Wildlife Officer of the Year award from the New York State Chapter. Her 18-month investigation resulted in the conviction of a serial deer poacher, inspiring colleagues and the hunting community. She will represent New York at the national ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee.
In wildlife rescue efforts, ECOs Bohling and Burgess responded on November 12, 2025, to a trapper in Schoharie County’s Middleburgh who accidentally caught a bear cub in a foothold trap set for coyotes or foxes. The officers shielded the trapper with a board while he released the cub, which then ran off unharmed. Intentionally trapping bears is illegal.
Addressing fisheries violations, ECOs Berketis and Smith investigated a report on November 15, 2025, of oversized striped bass being transferred in Freeport, Nassau County. At a deli, they found 18 fish measuring 28 to 41 inches. Employees admitted planning to buy about 150 pounds for $375. Later, on November 23, the officers apprehended the angler with seven more striped bass, exceeding the one-fish-per-person daily limit. Nineteen tickets were issued to four individuals for possession of oversized and over-limit striped bass, unlawful sale, and lack of permit. Misdemeanor charges followed for sales exceeding $250 in value. These actions protect the regulated striped bass population managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
In Greene County, ECOs Milliron and Palmateer handled two illegal deer incidents. On November 15, 2025, they responded to gunfire near residences in Athens, finding an untagged six-point buck and doe. The hunters were ticketed for discharging firearms within 500 feet of dwellings, illegal take, and failure to tag. Fines totaled $1,200, and the deer were donated after processing.
On November 30, 2025, the same officers pursued a report of a doe shot from the road without permission. They located the vehicle with the carcass and evidence of shots from the highway. Tickets for taking deer from a public highway and discharging firearms therefrom were issued; the deer was confiscated and donated.
Training enhanced capabilities with a December 2025 Defensive Tactics Instructor Course at the Pulaski Training Academy. ECO LaPoint and others trained colleagues, yielding five new instructors: ECOs Barrett, Bieber, Nolan, Rappold, and Swart.
Community support included ECOs Garrand and Hovey assisting the Joint Council for Economic Opportunity on December 17, 2025, transporting holiday gifts in Franklin County for families in Saranac Lake.
ATV enforcement occurred on December 27, 2025, in Suffolk County with Parks Police. ECOs Anderson and Della Rocco pursued riders fleeing on an overloaded quad on a highway. The abandoned ATV led to tickets for no helmet, excess passenger, and fleeing.
Waterfowl compliance checks on January 2, 2026, in Hempstead revealed two hunters exceeding the one-brant-per-day limit, killing four Atlantic brant. Another hunter lacked a Harvest Information Program (HIP) number, essential for migratory bird management amid declining populations.
Rescues continued: On January 3, ECO Walraven freed a live buck entangled with a dead one in rope in Ulster County’s Marbletown using an extendable saw.
On January 4, opening day of Suffolk County’s special firearms deer season, ECOs Cacciola, DeRose, Layton, Perkins, and K9 Finn investigated a gunshot at a closed Brookhaven camp. Evidence including blood, a gun case, gut pile, shell casing, and bait pile confirmed a shotgun discharge within 500 feet of a dwelling.
These incidents underscore the DEC’s ongoing commitment to conservation, hunting regulation, and public safety in New York’s outdoor environments.
For more information, visit New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.