BILL NUMBER: S9828A
SPONSOR: MARTINS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
establishing a county of Nassau deer management pilot program; to repeal
subdivision 10 of section 11-0505 of the environmental conservation law
relating thereto; and providing for the repeal of certain provisions
upon expiration thereof
 
PURPOSE:
To establish a Nassau County deer management pilot program.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new
section 11-0522-a to establish a Nassau County deer management pilot
program. A certified nuisance wildlife specialist, who has been certi-
fied by the department and at minimum requires a minimum level of marks-
manship certification appropriate to the firearm or hunting implement to
be used, liability insurance coverage or other financial arrangements
approved by the department and reporting requirements.
The department may, after reviewing the County's site specific deer
management plan, issue a certified nuisance wildlife specialist a deer
cull permit for use within boundaries of the County of Nassau.
Each cull-permit application shall at a minimum include requirements
for: a timeframe of use, a site-specific deer management plan, a
geographic description of the area for which the permit is being
requested, a written contract with the County of Nassau, and requests
for any authorization pursuant to subdivisions of sections. Nothing in
this section shall be construed as requiring or obligating the depart-
ment to issue a permit to take deer when in its opinion the nuisance
will not be effectively abated.
Section 2: A certified nuisance. wildlife specialist may provide activ-
ities which are in furtherance of the site-specific deer management
plan. The specialist may entice deer in the manner prohibited in subdi-
vision eight of this section provided that such activities are in furth-
erance of the site-specific deer management plan.
Section 6: A certified nuisance wildlife specialist may discharge a
firearm within five hundred feet of any dwelling houses, structures,
schools or playgrounds, provided the owners or lessees thereof have been
notified. by certified mail of the date and time of the expected activ-
ity, and discharge a firearm within two hundred and fifty feet of any
dwelling houses, structures, schools or playgrounds, provided the owners
or lessees thereof have provided written consent.
Section 9: Identifies effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
As stated on the Department of Environmental Conservation's website,
deer Play vital roles in the natural and cultural environment of New
York State and are highly valued for their beauty and grace as well as
the utilitarian benefits they provide. However, the abundance of deer in
many parts of the state is causing. an increased number of problems,
particularly in suburban and urban areas. In a paper on Deer Management
from Binghampton University, it was noted that there were dramatic
increases in deer numbers leading to overpopulation. In New York alone,
deer numbers rose from around 20,000 in the early 19005 to a current
population of over 1 million. The World Population Review currently has
the numbers in New York for 2024 listed at 1.2 million.
In several towns in the County of Nassau, the over-abundance of deer is
causing adverse effects including property damage, tick-borne illnesses
and deer-vehicle collisions.
This bill will help to mitigate these rising problems by reducing the
number of deer through the establishment of a deer management pilot
program and implemented by the NYSDEC. By using a certified nuisance
wildlife specialist with a cull permit the reduction in the number of
deer in the area will be done in a safe and professional manner.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law and shall expire and be deemed
repealed three years after such date; provided that the amendments to
subdivision 3 of section 11-505, subdivision 2 of section 11-0931 of the
environmental conservation law made by sections two, four, and six of
this act shall be subject to the expiration and reversion of such
provisions pursuant to section six of chapter 683 of the laws of 2023
and section six of chapter 704 of the laws of 2023, when upon such date
the provisions of sections, three, five, and seven of this act shall
take effect.