The recount is complete and David Siffert has won the Democratic primary race for Assembly District 66.

Click and send a letter to Governor Hochul here asking her to sign Bill S3629A/A5850 banning the participation of certain wild animals in traveling acts.

Please send your comment today to oppose the new Stragetic Plan for Pheasant Stocking if you haven’t already.

How to submit your feedback:

• Deadline: Comments are open through July 25, 2026.
• Email: Send your thoughts to Wildlife@dec.ny.gov
• Important: Please use “Pheasant Plan” in the subject line of your email.

Subject: Pheasant Plan

Dear NYSDEC Bureau of Wildlife,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the newly drafted Strategic Plan for Pheasant Stocking to Enhance Hunter Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation (R3): 2026–2035.

Expanding the pheasant stocking program to boost hunter recruitment is an outdated approach. Raising and releasing thousands of hand-raised birds solely for target practice undermines ethical wildlife management. Instead of treating public lands and wildlife refuges as shooting ranges for captive birds, the DEC should focus on preserving and restoring natural, wild habitats that support self-sustaining native wildlife populations.

Many hunters, conservationists and wildlife advocates are calling for an end to the state’s failed artificial pheasant propagation program which releases more than 30,000 adult pheasants prior to and during the fall hunting season. This failed practice of artificially breeding pheasants for the purpose of killing them must end. Non-native and raised in pens, these baby birds are used to contact with humans who feed them, have no fear of predators, and are released into an unfamiliar environment ill-equipped to survive. A significant percentage of these birds die from starvation, cold, or being struck by cars shortly after release. Stocked pheasants are provided by DEC’s Reynold’s Game Farm in Ithaca. The goal of the pheasant propagation program is not to restore wild pheasant populations, but to provide an upland game bird hunting opportunity.

Promoted as an introduction for youth, novice and disabled hunters, pheasant stocking allows participants an easy mark to ensure success. This does not promote conservation. The pheasants are not expected to survive, predators take a major toll and very few survive the winter. This target practice with live animals does not support sustainable wildlife management. Less than half of the pheasants released each year are successfully bagged by hunters which leaves a considerable number unequipped to survive. Pheasants raised in captivity lack the necessary skills to find food and avoid predators.

We urge you to ban the breeding and release of thousands of pheasants for hunting in NY State and reallocate public funds to habitat preservation, wildlife rehabilitators and wildlife rehabilitation centers. Disease outbreaks like the H5N1 avian flu in 2023 resulted in the intentional killing of the breeding flock at the Reynolds Game Farm, incurring extra expenses for the state. Minnesota and South Dakota ended their failed pheasant breeding programs decades ago, so why is New York still torturing baby birds that jeopardize highway safety? Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal introduced legislation to stop this state-sponsored cruelty. Bill A888 would prohibit the state from participating in artificial pheasant propagation. In 2024 the New York Times reported that the cost of New York State’s pheasant breeding program was $1.4 million. Taxpayer money should be used for true conservation, wildlife rehabilitation centers, protecting wildlife habitats, providing low cost spay and neuter services, funding animal shelters, providing rabies shots for wildlife rehabilitators and paying rehabilitators for their services.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this plan.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your City, State Zip]
[Your Phone Number / Email]

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Farm Progress America: The H5N1 avian influenza virus has now been detected on every continent, with Australia confirming its first cases in wild seabirds last week.

June 23, 2026

Bird flu reaches Australia, completing global spread

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Australia’s status as the last continent free from the current H5N1 strain ended when officials confirmed the virus in two wild seabirds near Esperance, Western Australia. A dead brown skua and a sick giant petrel both tested positive for the deadly strain that has been circulating globally since 2021.

The detections occurred in Cape Le Grand National Park, approximately 350 miles southeast of Perth, well away from commercial poultry operations. Australian Egg Minister Julie Collins emphasized that there is “no evidence the virus has reached the country’s poultry or ag systems,” and no trade restrictions have been imposed on Australian poultry exports.

However, the threat is being taken seriously. Australian farmers remember last year’s H7 outbreak that forced the culling of 1.8 million birds and created egg shortages lasting nearly a year. Western Australian poultry groups have already canceled summer bird shows and urged producers to restrict bird movements and keep flocks separated from wild birds.

State officials are considering housing orders that could require free-range operations to bring birds inside. The federal government has invested nearly $100 million in recent years preparing for this scenario.

The virus has killed millions of wild birds worldwide and infected commercial poultry, dairy operations, and some farm workers. With H5N1 now present on every continent, carried by migratory birds, biosecurity measures have become more critical than ever for protecting commercial flocks.

This synopsis was created with the use of AI.