Conservation Officer News - 29 July 2024

Great Horned Owl Set Free – Greene County

On June 26, ECO Palmateer responded to a complaint about a great horned owl stuck in a soccer net at the Ararat Youth and Conference Center in the town of Greenville. Officer Palmateer arrived at the location and discovered the owl entangled in the net and struggling to free itself. Utilizing a pair of scissors, he cut the net from around the bird, removed it safely, and transported it to Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center in the town of Hunter for a health evaluation. After about a week, the wildlife center informed ECO Palmateer that the owl was in good health and ready to be released. ECOs Palmateer and Smith brought the owl back to where it was originally rescued and released it back into its natural habitat. Video of the owl’s release can be seen on DEC's YouTube Channel.

Bicycle Crash – Greene County

On June 27, ECO Smith responded to a Greene County 911 call for an unconscious bicyclist with a serious head injury after a crash on North Lake Road in the town of Hunter. Officer Smith arrived at the location and observed two off-duty DEC employees of the North-South Lake Campground tending to the injured cyclist. The patient sustained several abrasions and a large laceration to the head. ECO Smith assisted the DEC employees in caring for the head wound. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived on scene, evaluated the patient, and transported him to an area hospital for further treatment. New York State Police, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, and Town of Hunter Police Department also responded.  

Attempted Rideshare Getaway – Greene County

A routine fishing compliance check in Greene County ended with a man facing several charges. On July 2, ECOs Smith and Palmateer observed a man and woman fishing along Catskill Creek in the town of Durham. The Officers ticketed the woman for failing to possess a valid New York State fishing license. The man did not have identification but provided a name and date of birth that came back to an active fishing license. ECOs attempting to confirm the male angler’s identity ran the license plate on a motorcycle in the parking lot and learned the plate was reported stolen to the Schodack Police Department and did not match the type of motorcycle at the location.  

ECOs contacted Schodack Police who reported a male subject matching the description of the fisherman recently fled from police during a pursuit. They also informed ECOs that the same individual violated the terms of his probation and had active bench warrants out of the towns of Schodack and East Greenbush. 

ECOs Smith and Palmateer returned to the creek to investigate further and discovered the subject fled on foot. They requested assistance from a Greene County Sheriff’s K-9 unit which responded immediately and helped the ECOs track the man through the woods to a waiting vehicle. The subject apparently ordered a rideshare for transportation out of the area.  

ECOs took the subject into custody, transported him to the New York State Police barracks in Greenville, and charged him with two counts of bail jumping, one count of criminal impersonation, one count of obstructing governmental administration, and fishing without a freshwater fishing license.  

Officers seized the motorcycle as evidence and turned the subject over to Schodack Police pursuant to his outstanding warrants. ECOs were assisted by the New York State Police, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, and the town of Durham Police Department.   

ECO Palmateer with a great horned owl rescued from a soccer net in Greene County