With ever-changing cuts to federal funding, environmental protection programs are increasingly coming under fire. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton and NYS Department of Health Commissioner James McDonald toured Hale Creek Field Station on Wednesday with a message that they will continue to conduct vital research to protect the environment.

“During these really uncertain times, where we’re seeing the federal government walk away from many of the protections that keep people and the environment safe, New York State is going to continue to step up to protect New Yorkers and the environment that we depend on,” Lefton said.

The field station, located at 182 Steele Ave Ext in Gloversville, is the only in-state lab that analyzes fish and wildlife for chemical contaminants. The lab was originally a fish hatchery in the 1930s, and in 1978 the DEC turned the building into the analytical laboratory it is today.

“We’ve developed methodology and analysis that flood the nation in research, right here at Hale Creek Laboratory,” Lefton said.

The field station contributes to the DEC and DOH by sharing the valuable data it collects. David Bryk, Laboratory Leader at Hale Creek Field Station, led Lefton and McDonald on the facility tour so they could see the scientific process behind the data.

When a fish is received at HCFS, there is a series of processes that are done among the 10 employees to test the fish for different pollutants, like PCBs, PFAs, mercury and pesticides.

The fish are frozen and stored in a walk-in freezer with proper documentation: the type of fish, where it was taken from and when it was taken.

When a fish is ready to be tested, it is descaled and filleted according New York State fillet standards. This is to ensure accuracy that all the samples are taken the same way.

The fattiest part of the fish is the part that is sampled, as that is where the pollutants are absorbed. The fat is then ground into a paste which will become the basis from where all research is conducted. Scientists will do different extraction processes to see chemical content in the fish. This entire process takes roughly over a week, from start to finish.

The data that is collected by HCFS is written in a report that is sent to the DEC, so the department can properly document the effects of the toxins in the water, and quality control the data before sending it to the DOH. From there, the DOH accordingly issues fish consumption advisories across the state.

“When [HCFS] test it, then they give the information to us, and then we convert that to an advisory for you,” McDonald said. “This is a good example where science informs the message.”

The data is not just about fish consumption safety, it also provides the DEC with vital information about toxin levels in bodies of water all across the state.

“This [research] underpins a lot of really important work that the department does,” Lefton said. “We can understand whether or not these kinds of chemicals are entering our environment, and where they’re prevalent, which helps us understand what solutions we need in order to protect the environment.”

HCFS partners not only with the DEC and DOH, but local schools as well. Hamilton Fulton Montgomery Career and Technical Center has an environmental conservation program in which students have the opportunity to do hands-on projects at HCFS. There is also the annual Fonda-Fultonville Central School District field trip, where organizers at HCFS have stations for students to participate in various activities such as fish identification and pollutant analysis.

“The ultimate goal is that we know science is so important and understanding how we can smartly protect the environment, as well as protect people,” Lefton said.

Mike Whitmore, director of the New York State Hemlock Initiative and forest entomologist at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, on Lake Champlain looking at a hemlock wooly adelgid infestation.

The invasive insect, hemlock wooly adelgid, on a branch.

On Monday, The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), New York State Hemlock Initiative at Cornell University (NYSHI) and Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) confirmed the presence of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) near the north end of Great Sacandaga Lake at Conklingville Dam, Saratoga County as well as the western shore of Lake Champlain, according to a press release.

HAW are small, invasive insects that take the shape of white, woolly sacs. They form at the base of hemlock needles in winter and........

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