S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1855
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 16, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
 
 AN ACT to amend the  environmental  conservation  law,  in  relation  to
   management of wildlife resources
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 3  of  section  11-0507  of  the  environmental
 conservation law is amended to read as follows:
   3.  No  person  shall willfully liberate within the state any wildlife
 except under permit from the department. The department may  issue  such
 permit  in its discretion, fix the terms thereof and revoke it at pleas-
 ure. These provisions do not apply to migratory game birds,  importation
 of  which  is governed by regulation of the department OR TO THE RELEASE
 OF RING-NECKED PHEASANT OR QUAIL DURING THE PERIOD AUGUST  SIXTEENTH  TO
 APRIL FIFTEENTH.
   §  2.  Paragraph b of subdivision 1 of section 11-0925 of the environ-
 mental conservation law, as added by chapter 432 of the laws of 1997, is
 amended to read as follows:
   b. The operator of a special dog training area may at any time  during
 the  year  train the operator's own dogs or the dogs of other persons on
 such area, and permit others to train dogs. The operator may hold  field
 trials  on wild game, or on liberated game, or on liberated artificially
 propagated game, or on led or confined game, or may  in  writing  permit
 others  to  hold  such  trials, under such conditions as shall be agreed
 upon by the operator and such other person; but no game shall  be  taken
 by  shooting  at  such  field  trial. No persons shall, on a special dog
 training area, train a dog, hold a field trial, enter accompanied  by  a
 dog,  or  permit  a  dog  of  which he is the owner or trainer to enter,
 except as provided in this section or in rules adopted pursuant  hereto.
 A  permit  from the department must be obtained before liberation of any
 wildlife, EXCEPT FOR THE RELEASE OF RING-NECKED PHEASANT OR QUAIL DURING
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD02475-01-1

 S. 1855                             2
 
 THE PERIOD AUGUST SIXTEENTH TO APRIL FIFTEENTH and such a permit may  be
 withheld  if, in the opinion of the department, granting it would endan-
 ger the health of native wildlife species.
   §  3.  Paragraph b of subdivision 2 of section 11-0927 of the environ-
 mental conservation law is amended to read as follows:
   b. A permit from the department is  required  for  liberation  of  any
 wildlife. THIS PROVISION DOES NOT APPLY TO RELEASE OF RING-NECKED PHEAS-
 ANT OR QUAIL DURING THE PERIOD AUGUST SIXTEENTH TO APRIL FIFTEENTH.
   §  4.  Paragraphs c and c-1 and the closing paragraph of subdivision 2
 of section 11-0903 of the environmental conservation law, paragraph c as
 amended and paragraph c-1 as added by chapter 366 of the  laws  of  2011
 and  the closing paragraph of subdivision 2 as amended by chapter 911 of
 the laws of 1990, are amended to read as follows:
   c. pheasants [anywhere in the state other than Long Island];
   [c-1. pheasants on Long Island, but only  for  those  individuals  who
 hold  a  junior  license,  and provided that such youth pheasant hunting
 days are held prior to the start of the  open  season  as  indicated  in
 paragraph d of subdivision two of section 11-0905 of this title;]
   Such  open  seasons and bag limits may be fixed for the entire state[,
 except on Long Island in the case of pheasants], or for  any  county  or
 part  thereof,  giving due regard to abundance of the species and poten-
 tial  hunting  pressure.  The  department  may  regulate   the   taking,
 possession and disposition of wild turkeys.
   §  5.  Paragraphs  d  and e of subdivision 2 of section 11-0905 of the
 environmental conservation law, as amended by chapter 911 of the laws of
 1990, are amended to read as follows:
 
 d. Ring-necked           [Long Island November  Long Island, four]
     pheasant             [1 through December    birds in one day,
                          31. Elsewhere, fixed   thirty during season.]
                          FIXED annually by      [Elsewhere, fixed] FIXED
                          regulation             annually by regulation
 
 e. Quail                 [Orange, Putnam and    Orange, Putnam and
                          Westchester counties,  Westchester counties;
                          fixed] FIXED annually  [four birds in one day,]
                          by regulation[; Long   ten during season.
                          Island, November 1     Long Island, six birds
                          through December 31    in one day, forty
                                                 during season]
                                                 FIXED ANNUALLY BY
                                                 REGULATION.
 
   § 6. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.