Recently Enacted Legislation: Establishing Requirements for NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Management Plan for Mute Swans

Governor Cuomo signed legislation that will establish requirements for any Management Plan for Mute Swans in New York State to prioritize non-lethal methods, document the scientific basis for population control, include a public education component, and include responses to public comments (A.9289/S.6630, Chp. 457). In December 2013, the Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Fish, Wildlife, and Marine Resources issued a Proposed Management Plan for Mute Swans in New York State which declared that mute swans are an “invasive species” and proposed steps for eliminating free-ranging mute swans from the State by 2025. The enacted legislation will require any future management plans: (1) give priority to non-lethal management techniques, (2) fully document the scientific basis for population and environmental damage projections, (3) include a public education component, and (4) include responses to public comments. The Animal Law Committee supported the identical 2014 version of this bill.