Research


Administrative History

The Wildlife Health Unit, also referred to as the Wildlife Pathology Unit, is one of the Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) program areas at the Wildlife Research Center in Delmar, NY. It is responsible for handling and examining deceased animals, as well as diagnosing, monitoring and (when needed) controlling the causes of sickness and death in New York State's amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The unit also provides forensic wildlife pathology services to DEC's law enforcement and other agencies; performs field investigations related to the impact of environmental contamination (e.g., oil spills, industrial discharges, pesticide use and misuse, hazardous waste sites and landfills) on wildlife; and conducts original research in the fields of wildlife pathology, physiology, and toxicology.

Ward Stone supervised the DEC Wildlife Pathology Unit for forty years. He joined the DEC in 1969 as a Senior Wildlife Pathologist and became an Associate Wildlife Pathologist in 1970. He was at the forefront of numerous environmental issues and was often interviewed for local newspaper articles and radio programs. He retired from DEC in 2010.