OUTDOORS 29
CHAUTAUQUA STAR
FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2014
DEC To Hold CleanSweepNY Program In WNY
collect empty, triple-rinsed
HDPE (#2) plastic pesticide
containers for recycling.
"Every container of unwanted
The New York State Deor outdated pesticides turned
partment of Environmental in during our collection event
Conservation (DEC) will
helps keep these materials out
hold its 16th CleanSweepNY of conventional waste streams
program the week of April
and municipal landfi lls,"
28 in Western New York,
Commissioner Martens said.
DEC Commissioner Joe
"Through our collaboration
Martens announced today.
with state Department of
CleanSweepNY is a proTransportation (DOT), we
gram that helps promote
want to build on the success
a healthy and sustainable
of our fall event where we
New York by providing opachieved a 150 percent inportunities for businesses,
crease in chemicals collected.
farms and schools to propI encourage businesses to take
erly dispose of unwanted or advantage of this opportunity
obsolete pesticides and other to reduce potential environchemicals. DEC will also
mental impacts in our comContributed Article
NYS Dept. of Environmental
Conservation
munities and help us build a
toxic-free New York."
DEC is targeting Allegany,
Cattaraugus, Chautauqua,
Erie, Niagara and Wyoming
counties for this spring's
CleanSweepNY efforts.
The program is designed for
entities such as agricultural
and non-agricultural professional pesticide applicators,
schools, golf courses, cemeteries and marinas. CleanSweepNY services are not
available to homeowners.
DEC rotates CleanSweepNY
locations throughout the
state. Last fall, DEC collected
a record-breaking 138,000
pounds of chemicals from 11
counties in the Western Fin-
ger Lakes region. Since the
program's inception in 2002,
DEC collected and disposed
of over 1.2 million pounds
of chemical wastes, including more than 809 pounds
of elemental mercury, and
collected over 4,000 plastic
pesticide containers for recycling that would otherwise
have been disposed.
CleanSweepNY is an Environmental Benefit Project
administered in partnership with the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) and was
initially established with
approximately $2.2 million
from several enforcement
settlements in DEC's pest
management program. The
collections are organized by
DEC in collaboration with
state DOT, which provides
collection sites. The program is supported by Cornell Cooperative Extension,
the Agricultural Container
Recycling Council, Soil and
Water Conservation Districts,
New York Farm Bureau and
related grower associations.
Participants will receive
drop-off locations once they
pre-register. Preregistration is
required by April 25. For more
information on CleanSweepNY, visit their website page
(which is located in the right
hand column of this page) or
call toll free: 1-877-SWEEPNY (877-793-3769).
Lake Erie Fishing Hotline
Contributed Article and determine future
NYS Dept. of
Environmental
Conservation
management actions.
Lake Erie Tributaries
Last night's rain bumped
stream levels up, but not
The New York State
too high. Creeks levels
DEC Region 9 Fisheries Office will be run- have peaked and are now
falling. Most of the smallning an angler diary
program on the Gene- er streams and some
medium sized streams
see River in Allegany
should be in good fishing
and Wyoming Counties. The program will shape tomorrow. Cattaraugus Creek is running
run from March 1st
high at 2,100 cubic feet
through October 31st,
per second, and won't be
2014. This program
an option this weekend.
will cover the portion
This looks like a great
of the river from the
weekend to fish, with
PA line, downstream
steelhead moving in on
through Letchworth
State Park, and will re- warming water temcord data for both trout peratures. Spring run
steelhead hit a variety of
and bass fishing trips.
baits including egg sacs,
If you fish the Genesee egg pattern flies, trout
River (even once) and
beads, jigs with grubs
would like to keep a di- (fished under a float),
ary for DEC please call minnows, nightcrawlers,
the Region 9 Fisheries
streamer patterns and
Office at (716) 372-0645 bugger patterns. When
or e-mail fwfish9@
fishing murky conditions,
gw.dec.state.ny.us. This brightly colored baits and
diary program will be
flies are good bets.
used to evaluate the
For those new to steelquality of the fishery
head fishing, see the
Steelhead Fishing in
Lake Erie Tributaries
page for information on
steelhead fishing equipment, locations and
links to stream maps.
Lake Erie Harbors
Anglers are still doing
well off the Dunkirk
City Pier, catching
steelhead and brown
trout on minnows
fished under a slip bobber. Spoons, spinners,
stickbaits or jigs with
grubs under a float will
also catch trout. Trout
often show in early
spring at Barcelona
levels. The smaller
streams are the best bet
Upper Niagara River Chautauqua Lake
for fishable conditions
Harbor, bay and inlet
The entire south basin
this weekend. With the
areas are opening up in is now open, and the
co