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Giant Hogweed is an invasive plant which blooms across many parts of New York State, and summer is the ideal time to spot this harmful invasive. Giant Hogweed is a large flowering plant from Eurasia with sap that can cause painful burns and scarring. Adult Giant Hogweed plants are 7 to 14 feet tall with umbrella shaped clusters of white flowers up to 2.5 feet wide. Its stem is green with purple splotches, and coarse white hairs. Its leaves are large and can be up to 5 feet across. They are incised and deeply lobed. Visit the DEC’s site for more identification tips, including a table of lookalikes by clicking here.
If you suspect that you have found a Giant Hogweed plant, be sure not to touch it. From a safe distance take photos of the plant’s stem, leaves, flowers, seeds, and then the whole plant. Report your siting to the DEC by emailing photos (or calling DEC staff at (845) 256-3111) and reporting location information here: ghogweed@dec.ny.gov. DEC staff will help you confirm if you have found Giant Hogweed, and work with the landowners of confirmed sites to provide information on the plant, and how to control its spread.Ss
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced that the Licensed Guides exam for anyone currently registered is now scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 1. This exam will be offered to all applicants that previously signed up to take the exam. Out of an abundance of caution and to limit the community spread of COVID-19, DEC previously postponed examinations scheduled in March, April, May, and June. 
Several campsites and lean-tos were temporarily closed in the High Peaks Wilderness on July 5 due to an aggressive black bear that had been roaming the area looking for human food.
Sunday, July 5, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) temporarily closed campsites and lean-tos in the Lake Colden area in the Adirondack High Peaks, Essex County, after a recent increase in bear activity. The sites are now reopen. Campers in other areas of the Eastern High Peaks are encouraged to follow DEC guidance for dealing with nuisance bears. Minimizing human-bear interactions can be accomplished through a few simple steps. Adirondack Explorer editor Brandon Loomis was backpacking over the weekend and experienced the increased bear activity firsthand. Read about it here (and watch a video): 
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced their new DEC Automated Licensing System (DECALS).
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in cooperation with seven Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces, have teamed up on the second annual Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Landing Blitz, a regional campaign to inform boaters and others about the risks of introducing and spreading these invasive pests.
In order to get your hunting license, all aspiring hunters must complete a mandatory DEC hunter education course.
The 2020 season for Largemouth and Smallmouth bass opens this Saturday, June 20 and runs through Nov.30. Most waters also allow a catch and release season which starts Dec. 1 and continues until regular fishing season opens.
The Coronavirus pandemic is asserting its influence on Adirondack summer recreation, amplifying worries about public safety and the increased number of visitors, especially in the High Peaks. There are many questions: will there be more hikers this season? Fewer? Will choked trail heads be COVID vectors? Will novice visitors seeking to escape both the coronavirus and social isolation mean an increase in unprepared hikers and rescues? Will a decrease in the usual resources such as open facilities, trail stewards and shuttles cause our visitor management challenges to be overwhelming? No one knows. Understandably, concern is high. 
The DEC’s Hudson River estuary education staff has created 
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