S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  8295--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             November 27, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  CARROLL,  COLTON,  REYES, BICHOTTE HERMELYN,
   WEPRIN, SEAWRIGHT, SIMONE, EPSTEIN, BURDICK -- read once and  referred
   to  the  Committee on Environmental Conservation -- recommitted to the
   Committee on Environmental Conservation in  accordance  with  Assembly
   Rule  3,  sec.  2  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the  environmental  conservation  law,  in  relation  to
   protecting wolves
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The environmental conservation law is amended by  adding  a
 new section 11-0541 to read as follows:
 § 11-0541. PROTECTION OF WOLVES.
   1. ALL WILD CANIDS TAKEN IN THE STATE SHALL BE CHECKED AND TAGGED IN A
 MANNER TO BE DETERMINED BY THE DEPARTMENT. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION,
 "WILD  CANIDS" SHALL MEAN COYOTES, INCLUDING CANIDS THAT WHEN TAKEN WERE
 THOUGHT TO BE COYOTES BUT WHICH SUBSEQUENT DNA ANALYSIS REVEALED  TO  BE
 WOLVES.
   2.  WILD  CANIDS  THAT ARE TAKEN THAT HAVE A WEIGHT GREATER THAN FIFTY
 POUNDS OR THAT MEET ADDITIONAL CRITERIA ESTABLISHED  BY  THE  DEPARTMENT
 SHALL  BE  SUBJECTED  TO  A DNA ANALYSIS, PAID FOR BY THE DEPARTMENT, TO
 DETERMINE THE GENETIC COMPOSITION OF THE ANIMAL. SUCH ANALYSIS SHALL  BE
 CONDUCTED BY A REPUTABLE LABORATORY THAT HAS PRIOR EXPERIENCE GENOTYPING
 HYBRIDIZED  CANIS  POPULATIONS IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. THE RESULTS
 OF ANY ANALYSIS PERFORMED SHALL PROMPTLY BE PROVIDED TO  THE  PUBLIC  BY
 POSTING ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   3.  IN THE EVENT THAT THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES, BASED ON DNA ANALYSIS
 OR OTHER SCIENTIFIC METHOD, THAT A WILD CANID  TAKEN  OR  FOUND  IN  THE
 STATE IS A WOLF, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL:

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13643-02-4
 A. 8295--A                          2
 
              

   (A)  DETERMINE  THE  LOCATION  WHERE  THE  WOLF WAS TAKEN OR FOUND AND
 DETERMINE, BASED ON FIELD RESEARCH,  WHETHER  THERE  MAY  BE  ADDITIONAL
 WOLVES IN THE VICINITY;
   (B)  IMPOSE  A  MORATORIUM ON THE TAKING OF WILD CANIDS, IN A SPECIFIC
 AREA OF THE STATE, FOR AS LONG AS THE DEPARTMENT DETERMINES IS NECESSARY
 TO PROTECT ANY WOLVES IN THE OCCUPIED WOLF TERRITORY AND  ANY  POTENTIAL
 ADJACENT TERRITORIES; AND
   (C)  INFORM  THE  PUBLIC  OF THE MORATORIUM THROUGH POSTING OF WRITTEN
 NOTICES IN THE MORATORIUM AREA AND ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   4. NO LATER THAN JANUARY FIRST THREE YEARS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
 THIS SECTION, AND EVERY  SIX  YEARS  THEREAFTER,  THE  DEPARTMENT  SHALL
 SUBMIT TO THE LEGISLATURE A REPORT ON THE STATUS OF WOLVES IN THE STATE,
 BASED ON DATA COLLECTED BY OR SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT AND SUCH OTHER
 METHODS  AS DETERMINED APPROPRIATE BY THE DEPARTMENT.  THE STATUS REPORT
 SHALL BE SIMULTANEOUSLY POSTED ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
   5. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL  MODIFY  ITS  HUNTING  AND  TRAPPING  TRAINING
 CURRICULUM TO INCLUDE EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PRESENCE OF
 WOLVES  IN THE STATE, THE LEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR WOLVES, THE CHECKING AND
 TAGGING REQUIREMENTS FOR WILD CANIDS, AND HOW TO DISTINGUISH A WOLF FROM
 A COYOTE WHEN A HUNTER OR TRAPPER IS IN THE FIELD.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.