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Administrative History

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Division of Fish and Wildlife expanded its scope to include the protection and management of endangered species in accordance with the federal Endangered Species Act of 1966. In 1970, the New York State Legislature passed an endangered species law (Chapter 140) that prohibited the "...taking, importation, possession or sale of any endangered species...except under license or permit from the Department." This law also enumerated more than a dozen species to be protected, a list which was expanded in 1971. The Division of Fish and Wildlife also focused on protecting the habitats of endangered species, specifically wetlands. The Tidal Wetlands Act of 1973 (Chapter 790) and the Freshwater Wetlands Act of 1975 (article 24 of the Environmental Conservation Law) called for an inventory of all wetlands in the state.

Starting in 1976, the DEC began to allocate additional resources to protecting and conserving endangered species. The Endangered Species Unit was part of this increased effort to protect endangered species. The unit had no predecessors, and its work documents the DEC's central role in the state's efforts to protect and revive endangered species. During this year the DEC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service entered into an agreement rendering the state eligible for matching grants in support of development and implementation of programs aimed at protecting endangered species.