Syracuse.com - City of Syracuse planning 'No hunting' signs along Onondaga Lake shoreline

[HuntingNY-News]

"No hunting signs" to be posted along Onondaga Lake shoreline spots that attract both ducks and bald eagles.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A city of Syracuse spokesman announced Friday that the city would be posting "No hunting signs" along the southeastern shoreline of Onondaga Lake prior to next year's duck hunting season.

The city's announcement comes in the wake of complaints about hunters frequenting an area near the Metropolitan Sewage Treatment Plant discharge pipe where bald eagles congregate this time of year.

An adult bald eagle lands on ice near water fowl at Onondaga Lake. Mike Greenlar | [email protected] 

"Our officers will be ready to answer any calls about people hunting in the area," said city spokesman Alexander Marion. "We can't regularly have a patrol there, but we will answer any calls that come in."

Critics of the duck hunters, specifically birders and wildlife photographers, want to make the area off limits to hunters because it draws appreciable numbers of bald eagles - as many as 18 at a time. They also point out the city has an ordinance banning the discharge of firearms within the city, which essentially bans hunting.

Duck hunters, however, have been on the lake for years with the state Department of Environmental Conservation's blessing -- many hunting from boats tied up or anchored along the shoreline. The hunters have been allowed to use an unofficial boat launch near the Solvay exit of Route 690, which is on state Department of Transportation property.

Former Rep. Bill Walsh and Bob Gerace, the former Onondaga County parks commissioner, have been among those who have hunted ducks on the lake.

In this 2011 photo, Jack Waldron, in the foreground, and Ron Falkowski, wait for ducks on Onondaga Lake.Dick Blume | [email protected] 

The city's announcement leaves many questions. For example, much of the area at that end of the lake is private property. Can the city erect its signs on that land?

Marion said city police would respond to complaints about hunters hunting ducks on the land -- but what about from boats?

"That's the DEC's responsibility to do something about it," Marion said.

DEC regional director Ken Lynch said DEC environmental conservation officers would continue to enforce the DEC's hunting regulations concerning waterfowl hunting on Onondaga Lake. His comments reflected no indication of any change of policy concerning the hunters on the southeast section of the lake.

DEC waterfowl hunting regulations allow hunters to hunt from shore from a body of water's "high water mark" to the water's edge as long as they're shooting over an open body of water.

"We will probably before next season be touching base with the city to discuss this further," Lynch said.

Debate on the issue was initiated several weeks ago by Greg Craybas, who was on the lake's shore photographing eagles at the spot where the county's Metropolitan Sewage Treatment Plant's pipe discharges water into the lake. The water coming off pipe is warmer than the lake water and keeps the area free of ice.

Migrating ducks and geese congregate there. As do eagles. And hunters - particularly when the rest of the lake is frozen.

Craybas complained hunters were scaring the eagles away. He also noted a large amount of empty shotgun shells on the lake's shore in the area. He conceded there's been no reports or evidence of eagles being shot. He wondered, though, why the city was allowing hunting within its boundaries.

Ron Falkowski, president of the CNY Wildfowlers, noted "this all relates to that guy crossing over the railroad tracks to shoot pictures of eagles. He can trespass (on railroad property), but we can't hunt in boats?"

This isn't the first time that duck hunting has been an issue on Onondaga Lake. In 2009, several residents complained about duck hunting on the north end of the lake along Onondaga Lake Park and near populated areas within the boundaries of Geddes and Salina.

At that time, the DEC announced that duck hunting on Onondaga Lake was legal, citing past opinions by the state attorney general on the issue. Afterward, hunters decided among themselves to stay clear of the populated areas along the lake.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

[mike rossi]

If this is a conservation issue, it should be addressed with structuring the hunting season for that section of the lake to avoid harassing the wintering eagles.

 

Banning hunting entirely, while citing slobs not picking up empties and other complains about hunters leads one to believe this is not about conservation or even distributing  recreation or wildlife resources fairly, but just anti hunting or fear of guns.

 

The president of CNY Wildfowlers needs to temper his swagger however. As a waterfowl hunter and president of a waterfowl hunters organization he should be better informed and/or communicate better. Bird watchers and photographers have as much right to wildlife resources as hunters and hunting is not to be regulated in a manner which impacts any species, eagles or what have you. It is the DEC's statutory mandate to protect wildlife AND distribute wildlife resources equally and fairly. If this guy mouths off like that he is going to make all of us look foolish ...

Edited January 19, 2014 by mike rossi