Category: Recent News

FORT EDWARD The Snowy owl sprang from the crate and glided across the open field at Friends of the IBA’s (FIBA) Alfred Z. Solomon Grassland Bird Viewing Area. She glanced back once before landing on a fencepost at the edge of the property and sat there checking out her surroundings amidst the falling snow. She […]

Thank you to all our members and supporters who have contributed time, effort and donations over the past year! We’ve accomplished a lot this year, from the passage of our “Grassland Bird Bill” to DEC’s addition of 180 acres of critical habitat to the Washington County Grasslands WMA (Wildlife Management Area). We also expect to […]

We did it! Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Washington County Grassland Bill (S.1672 (Little) / A.6759 (Woerner) into law on August 17, 2018. The law requires the State of New York to pay property taxes on State-owned land  in the towns of Argyle, Fort Edward, and Kingsbury in Washington County, NY. “This new law assures a […]

  Our bill authorizing New York State to pay taxes on lands it owns in the Washington County Grasslands has been sent to the Governor for his review. He has 10 days to sign or veto the bill.  Let’s make sure he signs it! PLEASE CALL Governor Cuomo today and ask him to sign Bill […]

NYS DEC Press Release, 07-30-18: $326,000 Acquisition Increases Size of Protected Grassland Habitat to 466 Acres New York State has purchased 180 acres of land to add to the Washington County Grasslands Wildlife Management Area (WMA) New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today. The $326,000 land acquisition, located along […]

ALBANY Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (D-Round Lake) announced the passage of legislation in the NYS Assembly on June 19 that will benefit grassland birds and the Washington County towns they call home. The Senate previously passed a companion bill introduced by Senator Betty Little (R-45th Senate District). The legislation would authorize New York State to pay […]

Tell New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Ways and Means Chair Helene E. Weinstein you want critical habitat for NY’s endangered and threatened grassland birds protected NOW! Tell them to pass Bill #A-6759 so that Short-eared owls and other imperiled grassland birds do not disappear from New York State. We have only four weeks left to get this bill passed! […]

Give Back to the Places You Love on May 5, 2018 I Love My Park Day is an annual event that brings together thousands of volunteers to celebrate and enhance New York’s parks, historic sites, and public lands. DEC has events at a variety of locations – from trails in the Forest Preserve to popular […]

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) announced $2.29 million in Conservation Partnership Program grants at the New York State Land Symposium in Albany on Tuesday. Fifty-one nonprofit land trusts across the state will receive a total of seventy grants. Friends of the IBA (FIBA) received a […]

This little Short-eared owl was found starving to death in late December. He’s pictured here with wildlife rehabilitators Dave Larrow and Cathy Lehman at the moment of his release during FIBA’s March field trip.  (photo courtesy Gordon Ellmers) WASHINGTON COUNTY GRASSLANDS IBA, FORT EDWARD “Ready? I’m going to open the box.” The Short-eared owl erupted […]