RJ
04-04-2003, 10:47 AM
I just received this press release about the fire that totally wiped out the DEC freshwater units materials and resources. I will be posting later today a list of needs that if anyone has extra of or wants to donate you can help them out big time! If you want to post on this topic I have repeated it in the Freshwater Forums.
Conservation Officer arrived at the scene at 5:30 a.m. The fire was initially reported to the DEC by the Suffolk County Police Department. Seven local volunteer fire companies battled the blaze before it was finally extinguished. The cause of the blaze is currently still under investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department's Arson Squad.
No DEC personnel were injured as a result of the blaze.
DEC program areas that suffered the biggest loss of equipment due to the blaze were its freshwater fisheries, marine resources, operations, law enforcement and forest ranger units.
The Fisheries Barn was the primary storage area for freshwater fisheries unit, which lost nearly all of the unit's field sampling equipment. The equipment was used by regional fisheries staff to survey local waters to assess fishing quality, monitor effectiveness of fishing regulations, assess stocking programs, monitor endangered species, collect fish for contaminant analysis and monitor water chemistry.
Fisheries sampling equipment lost included: five electrofishing units (two electrofishing boats with trailers, a stream shocker and two backpack shockers), all sampling nets (hoop nets, gill nets, seines and dip nets), safety equipment (waders, gloves, life jackets etc.), fish processing equipment (measuring boards, electronic scales, lights for night work, coolers and fish holding tanks), water chemistry equipment (dissolved oxygen and conductivity meters, sampling bottles and secchi disks) and other equipment that allowed us to conduct work outdoors and on the water (outboard motors, electric trolling motors, oars, generators, marine batteries, battery chargers, anchors, etc.).
In addition nearly all of the fishing rods used by the unit to run its highly popular fishing festivals and clinics were also lost in the fire. The fisheries unit has already made arrangements with New York Fishing Tackle Trade Association (NYFTTA), Shakespeare Fishing Tackle, and the DEC's Region 2 office in Long Island City to obtain more than 200 rods for the April 5th Spring Fishing Festival at Belmont Lake State Park, which is scheduled to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park.
"If there can by any silver lining to this fire, it has to be the tremendous support we have received from our long-time supporters such as NYFTTA and Shakespeare Fishing Tackle," Regional Fisheries Manager Charles Guthrie said. "Without the support we received from them right now, we might not have been able to continue with Spring Fishing Festival and some of the other events we have scheduled for the public this year."
Approximately 3500 anglers attend the unit's freshwater fishing festivals, clinics and free fishing weekend events each year.
In addition to the losses suffered by the freshwater fisheries unit the DEC's forest rangers also suffered large amount of equipment losses. Forest rangers are responsible for wildland fire management activities in Nassau and Suffolk counties and for the care, control and custody of state lands. There are now approximately 18,000 acres of state land, including about 3,000 acres of tidal wetlands, managed for the public by DEC in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Equipment lost by the forest rangers included three all terrain vehicles, chainsaws and various firefighting equipment. Also lost in the blaze were approximately 400 lobster pots used by DEC personnel to study Long Island's lobster population.
The property the 5,910-square foot barn was located on was acquired by the New York Conservation Department, the predecessor of the DEC, in 1914. The 184-acre parcel was initially used by the Conservation Department for raising bobwhite quail and ring-necked pheasants for release on the property until 1969.
The 12-acre portion of the property where the barn sat is currently the primary regional field headquarters for the DEC's offices of Natural Resources and Public Protection.
Preliminary estimates place the cost of cleanup and rebuilding costs at over $90,000. A complete estimate on the total cost of the equipment lost in the blaze is still being tabulated.
Conservation Officer arrived at the scene at 5:30 a.m. The fire was initially reported to the DEC by the Suffolk County Police Department. Seven local volunteer fire companies battled the blaze before it was finally extinguished. The cause of the blaze is currently still under investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department's Arson Squad.
No DEC personnel were injured as a result of the blaze.
DEC program areas that suffered the biggest loss of equipment due to the blaze were its freshwater fisheries, marine resources, operations, law enforcement and forest ranger units.
The Fisheries Barn was the primary storage area for freshwater fisheries unit, which lost nearly all of the unit's field sampling equipment. The equipment was used by regional fisheries staff to survey local waters to assess fishing quality, monitor effectiveness of fishing regulations, assess stocking programs, monitor endangered species, collect fish for contaminant analysis and monitor water chemistry.
Fisheries sampling equipment lost included: five electrofishing units (two electrofishing boats with trailers, a stream shocker and two backpack shockers), all sampling nets (hoop nets, gill nets, seines and dip nets), safety equipment (waders, gloves, life jackets etc.), fish processing equipment (measuring boards, electronic scales, lights for night work, coolers and fish holding tanks), water chemistry equipment (dissolved oxygen and conductivity meters, sampling bottles and secchi disks) and other equipment that allowed us to conduct work outdoors and on the water (outboard motors, electric trolling motors, oars, generators, marine batteries, battery chargers, anchors, etc.).
In addition nearly all of the fishing rods used by the unit to run its highly popular fishing festivals and clinics were also lost in the fire. The fisheries unit has already made arrangements with New York Fishing Tackle Trade Association (NYFTTA), Shakespeare Fishing Tackle, and the DEC's Region 2 office in Long Island City to obtain more than 200 rods for the April 5th Spring Fishing Festival at Belmont Lake State Park, which is scheduled to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the park.
"If there can by any silver lining to this fire, it has to be the tremendous support we have received from our long-time supporters such as NYFTTA and Shakespeare Fishing Tackle," Regional Fisheries Manager Charles Guthrie said. "Without the support we received from them right now, we might not have been able to continue with Spring Fishing Festival and some of the other events we have scheduled for the public this year."
Approximately 3500 anglers attend the unit's freshwater fishing festivals, clinics and free fishing weekend events each year.
In addition to the losses suffered by the freshwater fisheries unit the DEC's forest rangers also suffered large amount of equipment losses. Forest rangers are responsible for wildland fire management activities in Nassau and Suffolk counties and for the care, control and custody of state lands. There are now approximately 18,000 acres of state land, including about 3,000 acres of tidal wetlands, managed for the public by DEC in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Equipment lost by the forest rangers included three all terrain vehicles, chainsaws and various firefighting equipment. Also lost in the blaze were approximately 400 lobster pots used by DEC personnel to study Long Island's lobster population.
The property the 5,910-square foot barn was located on was acquired by the New York Conservation Department, the predecessor of the DEC, in 1914. The 184-acre parcel was initially used by the Conservation Department for raising bobwhite quail and ring-necked pheasants for release on the property until 1969.
The 12-acre portion of the property where the barn sat is currently the primary regional field headquarters for the DEC's offices of Natural Resources and Public Protection.
Preliminary estimates place the cost of cleanup and rebuilding costs at over $90,000. A complete estimate on the total cost of the equipment lost in the blaze is still being tabulated.