State to update trout management plan

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is working on a new plan for inland trout stream management.

The plan will be largely informed by a series of 16 public meetings that were held across New York State in 2017, in which trout anglers discussed stream management policy with DEC representatives. It will also reflect updated science, according to a DEC press release.

The current plan is more than 30 years old.

“Like many of DEC’s science-based management approaches, we are including the public in these decisions,” the department said in its notice.

The department is hosting a series of meetings through Nov. 12. It has posted the full schedule on its website.

The meetings will include a presentation on parts of the plan including stocking, wild trout management, regulations and access. A discussion peiord will follow.

While none of these meetings will take place in the Adirondack Park, there will be meetings in places surrounding the park: Glenfield, De Kalb Junction and Plattsburgh.

“Any changes to New York’s trout stream management will be based on a combination of ecological and recreational potential while recognizing a distinction between wild trout and stocked trout management,” the DEC said in a statement.

— Ben Westcott