Syracuse.com - DEC invites hunter input on Fall 2012 waterfowl seasons

[HuntingNY-News]

New York is divided into five waterfowl hunting zones: Western, Southeastern, Northeastern, Lake Champlain and Long Island. DEC recently appointed task forces for each zone to solicit recommendations on opening and closing dates, split seasons and a special hunting weekend for youths

The following is a DEC press release:

Task Forces to Help Set Season Dates for Waterfowl Hunting in New York

Hunters are invited to submit recommendations for the dates of the Fall 2012 duck hunting seasons to regional Waterfowl Hunter Task Forces, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced today. DEC will evaluate the task force recommendations in setting waterfowl seasons, which must comply with federal rules.

New York is divided into five waterfowl hunting zones: Western, Southeastern, Northeastern, Lake Champlain and Long Island. DEC recently appointed task forces for each zone (except Lake Champlain, see link below) to solicit recommendations for the Fall 2012 hunting seasons, including opening and closing dates, split seasons and a special hunting weekend for youths. Each task force includes representatives from the New York State Conservation Council, established waterfowl hunting organizations and individual waterfowl hunters who were chosen to provide input from diverse points of view.

The recommended dates must be within federal guidelines established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). For Fall 2012, DEC expects the USFWS to allow a 60-day duck season, split into no more than two segments per zone, opening no earlier than Sep. 22, 2012, and closing no later than Jan. 27, 2013.

Waterfowl hunters can participate by providing duck season suggestions to any task force member on, or before March 30, 2012. Names and contact information for all task force members are listed in alphabetical order in the attached table and on the DEC website .

Comments can be provided by mail, telephone or e-mail. The task forces will meet in late March and April, and DEC plans to announce tentative duck hunting season dates in June.

Input on hunting seasons for other migratory game birds, including Canada geese, snow geese, brant and woodcock, may be submitted also to any member of DEC’s season-setting team. However, due to greater uncertainty about federal regulations for those species, decisions and tentative dates will probably not be known until later in the summer.

Waterfowl seasons in the Lake Champlain Zone will continue to be set by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Management Board, with input from DEC and waterfowl hunters in New York and Vermont. Although there is no formal task force for this zone, hunters can send their suggestions to any DEC season-setting team member on the list below.

Descriptions of New York State’s waterfowl hunting zones can be found on the DEC website and are listed in DEC’s Waterfowl Hunting Seasons and Regulations brochure. The tentative waterfowl hunting season dates will be posted on the DEC website and announced in June.

2012/13 WATERFOWL SEASON TASK FORCES(in alphabetical order, contact anyone on the list)

2012/13 WESTERN ZONE TASK FORCE NAME ADDRESS TELEPHONE & E-MAILJIM ADRIANCE

(Southeastern Area)

1930 Cole Place

Vestal, NY 13850

607-768-1528 (H)

607-779-5298 (W)

adriance@unovis-solutions.com

KEN ALFES(NYSCC – R8)

10604 Townline Road

Darien Center, NY 14040

585-547-3579

kalfes1038@yahoo.com

JIM ECKLER

(NYS DEC)

1385 Morgan Road

Savannah, NY 13146

315-365-2134

jteckler@gw.dec.state.ny.us

RON FALKOWSKI

(Central NY Wildfowlers)

767 Nichols Point Road

Bridgeport, NY 13030

315-633-9567

ronfalkowski@netscape.net

GEORGE GIBBS

(NYSCC – R7)

159 Center St, PO Box 264

Cleveland, NY 13042

315-675-6072

biggeo555@twcny.rr.com

RANDY HOLDEN

(South Central Area)

219 Breesport Road

Horseheads, NY 14845

607-739-6735 (H)

607-742-9886 ©

rholdenIII@gmail.com

BILL HOWELL

(Niagara Frontier Area)

5859 Stinson Road

Arcade, NY 14009

585-496-5162

blhowell1@gmail.com

BILL KALWAS

(Finger Lakes & Western NY Waterfowl Assoc)

39 Caledonia Ave

Scottsville, NY 14546

585-749-4948

wkalwas@yahoo.com

DARIN J. KATTA

(Southwestern Area)

15 Seel Street

Dunkirk, NY 14048

716-785-0713

dk007w@hotmail.com

CHUCK OLIN

(Canandaigua Lake Duck Hunters)

690 Old Dutch Road

Victor, NY 14564

585-742-3871

585-455-5722 ©

chuck@kbgraphics.com

NICK WANSHA

(Lake Plains Waterfowl Assoc)

90 Kearney Drive

Rochester, NY 14617

585-482-4594

nwansha@gmail.com

KEN ZOLNOWSKI

(NYSCC – R9)

30 Danbury Drive

Cheektowaga, NY 14225

716-836-2239

krz@pce.net

2012/13 SOUTHEASTERN ZONE TASK FORCE NAME ADDRESS TELEPHONE & E-MAIL

BILL ALEXANDER

(NYSCC – R3)

170 Clinton Corners Road

Salt Point, NY 12578

845-266-5747

RAYMOND GAWLAS

(NYSCC – R4)

23 Concord Street

Scotia, NY 12302

518-372-2357

ray@gawlas.com

JOHN O’CONNOR

(NYS DEC)

1115 Route 86

Ray Brook, NY 12977

518-897-1296

jroconno@gw.dec.state.ny.us

VINCE OLECHNOWICZ

(Catskill Area)

258 Braymer Lane

Delhi, NY 13753

607-746-6180

gwpoley@delhi.net

JON PANINSKI

(Central NY Wildfowlers)

120 Campbell Road

Mattydale, NY 13211

315-427-0926

jonpaninski@gmail.com

NATHAN PIERUZZI

(Hudson River Waterfowlers)

58 Salvino Drive

Athens, NY 12015

518-469-3822

npieruzzi@hotmail.com

MIKE PODGORSKI

(NYSCC – R7)

2287 Ferndell Road

Cazenovia, NY 13035

315-655-8067

goosedr@windstream.net

DAN SPIGNER

(Waterfowl Improvement Assoc)

9 Academy Street

Greenwich, NY 12834

518-692-0017

spigs13@yahoo.com

GARY WILL

(Chenango Valley Area)

225 River Road

Hamilton, NY 13346

315-691-3168

gwill@twcny.rr.com

2012/13 NORTHEASTERN ZONE TASK FORCE NAME ADDRESS TELEPHONE & E-MAIL

STEVE ANDRUCKIEWICZ

(Saratoga-Lake George)

157 Cramer Road

Ballston Spa, NY 12020

518-587-9942

PETE BARNEY

(Northern NY Area)

64 Old State Road

Potsdam, NY 13676

pmb10@cornell.edu

KEVIN BODMER

(Central Adirondacks)

236 Keese Mills Road

Paul Smiths, NY 12970

518-327-3022

kebodmer@roadrunner.com

DOUG CARR

(Central NY Wildfowlers)

109 Roosevelt Ave

Canastota, NY 13032

315-952-3160

dpcarr0306@yahoo.com

GEORGE GEDNEY

(Waterfowl Improvement Assoc)

15 Stonehurst Drive

Queensbury, NY 12804

518-361-9918

gedney@roadrunner.net

TOM HUMBERSTONE

(North Central Area)

2081 Coon Hill Road

Skaneateles, NY 13152

315-685-6819

ANDREW MACDUFF

(NYS DEC)

317 Washington Street

Watertown, NY 13601

315-785-2534

ajmacduf@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NICK MCNAMARA

(Northern WMAs)

1125 County Route 14

Rensselaer Falls, NY 13680

315-344-6580

mcnamara624@yahoo.com

BILL SAIFF III

(Ontario - St Lawrence)

PO Box 111

Brownville, NY 13615

315-771-3514

saiff@gisco.net

KURT SNYDER

(Oneida Lake Assoc)

6429 Long Point Road

Brewerton, NY 13029

315-668-9156

lakerat2@twcny.rr.com

JAMES TRACY

(Upper Mohawk)

5525 Marsh Road

Lee Center, NY 13363

315-337-6829

2012/13 LONG ISLAND ZONE TASK FORCE NAME ADDRESS TELEPHONE & E-MAIL

JOHN ADAMS

(South Shore Waterfowlers Assoc)

30 Diane Drive

Manorville, NY 11949

631-618-5728

michjon@msn.com

KELLY HAMILTON

(NYS DEC)

50 Circle Road- SUNY

Stony Brook, NY 11790

631-444-0255

kahamilt@gw.dec.state.ny.us

JAMES IANNACONE

(Peconic River Sportmans club)

275 Islip Boulevard

Islip Terrace, NY 11752

631-581-2977

blkdukdwn@optonline.net

RON KEE

(Smith Point Fish & Hunt Club)

11 Skyhaven Drive

Patchogue, NY 11772

917-753-4054

dipmaster10@aol.com

STEVE LAURINO

(Manhasset Bay Sportsman Club)

9 Corchaug Avenue

Port Washington, NY 11050

516-729-9189

stevelaurino@gmail.com

RICH OTTERSTEDT

(Suffolk Co Alliance of Sportsman)

18 Ashford Drive

Lake Grove, NY 11755

631-789-2480

rrcn98@aol.com

RON SINEO

(NYSCC – R1)

10 Rutherford Street

St. James, NY 11780

631-862-8518

duckboater@gmail.com

ERIK TALLBE

(Nassau Co Fish & Game Assoc)

10 Skylark Road, Ste. 101

Massapequa Park, NY 11762

631-427-0200

estallbe@aol.com

DEC WATERFOWL SEASON SETTING TEAM

KELLY HAMILTON

kahamilt@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NYS DEC Region 1

50 Circle Road- SUNY

Stony Brook, NY 11790

631-444-0255

PATRICIA VISSERING

plvisser@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NYS DEC Region 3

21 South Putt Corners Road

New Paltz, NY 12561

845-256-3088

KARL PARKER

keparker@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NYS DEC Region 4

1130 North Westcott Road

Schenectady, NY 12306

518-357-2154

JOHN O’CONNOR

jroconno@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NYS DEC Region 5

1115 Route 86

Ray Brook, NY 12977

518-897-1296

ANDY MACDUFF

ajmacduf@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NYS DEC Region 6

317 Washington Street

Watertown, NY 13601

315-785-2534

TOM BELL

tjbell@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NYS DEC Region 7

1285 Fisher Avenue

Cortland, NY 13045

607-753-3095

JIM ECKLER

jteckler@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NYS DEC Region 8

1385 Morgan Road

Savannah, NY 13146

315-365-2134

CONNIE ADAMS

cmadams@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NYS DEC Region 9

270 Michigan Avenue

Buffalo, NY 14203

315-365-2134

BRYAN SWIFTblswift@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NYS DEC Central Office

625 Broadway

Albany, NY 12233

518-402-8922

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog