According to some, the Department of Environmental Conservation's official magazine should change its name from"The Conservationist" to "The Environmentalist." Why? Because a growing number of readers say there's little in the form of conservation themes in the issues these days, but rather almost all environmental and preservation - or as some call it, "green" themes. And they say they miss the once well-balanced format the publication had for decades before the change crept in
When the then New York State Conservation Department, the DEC's predecessor, introduced it in 1946, the magazine primarily addressed such then popular themes as hunting, fishing, trapping, forestry and conservation-related subjects. But once DEC was born in 1970, the themes gradually drifted away from those and more toward non-consumptive resource activities and preservation issues. Today, about 90 percent of the magazine is devoted to preservation and environmental themes and issues.
The drift away from the more once traditional themes became quite clear during Tom Jorling's commissionership (1987-94) when the magazine was published with the sub-title, "New York's Environmental Magazine." That sub-title was removed with the appointment of the next DEC commissioner, Mike Zagata, reportedly because subscriptions had declined, and Zagata faulted the sub-title and overabundance of green themes for the drop. He was apparently correct in that assumption, because subscriptions rose afterwards.
I know the magazine's current editor, Dave Nelson, and he maintains that the publication will continue to run features on hunting, fishing, trapping, and fish and wildlife management as they relate to New Yorkers. But he also hedged this a bit by indicating the themes would reflect the diverse outdoor interests of all New Yorkers, both rural and urban. OK, but how many hiking, biking, jogging, wildlife watching, and rock climbing licenses did the State sell last year? Conversely, how much money was generated by fishing and hunting licenses? A subscription to the magazine is included in the all-encompassing Conservation Legacy license, which I doubt many non hunters and anglers purchase each year I understand Nelson's dilemma, especially considering the preservationist platform of the past and current administrations he has to answer to. But what impact will these theme changes have on the magazine's circulation and readership figures? Although the State doesn't offer the data, I'd hazard a guess that the majority of subscribers fish, hunt or even trap, or at least have an interest in how these activities support conservation management. While I enjoy informative features on the environment, I also want to be kept abreast of conservation issues. Such as how the State will manage the increasing deer, bear and coyote densities in populated areas, what are the plans for habitat improvement and forestry management for declining species such as grouse and varying hare, and how and where my sporting licenses and sporting gear tax dollars are being spent? Learning about the sex life of blue mussels may be informative, but how many readers, aside from aquatic biologists, are all that interested in such subjects.
In contrast to New York, Pennsylvania's primary state publications "The PA Game News" and "The PA Angler And Boater" are primarily composed of hunting, fishing, boating, trapping, and sport shooting themes, but they also supplement these with appropriate state environmental news. However, it seems to offer a better and, judging from their popularity with readers, more appealing mix in their feature themes.
I'm not sure New York's primary "conservation agency" is doing a service to its residents, some of whom wouldn't know a coyote from a fox, by feeding them too much "preserve the environment" rhetoric without also enlightening them to the need for necessary conservation and management of natural resources ... resources that are greatly impacted by man and manmade changes to the state's ecosystem. Like nature, there needs to be a balance. Otherwise, some species overpopulate while others decline. When I was editing magazines full-time, we had several rules that guided what subjects were included in each title. One of the most basic ones was "know your readers." Or as we sometimes quipped, "You can't be all things to all people," or "Better dance with the girl what brung you." If, indeed, DEC believes the direction it's taking its publication is the correct one that its primary reader base truly wants, the answer will eventually assert itself, by either increasing or declining readership numbers. If history repeats itself, it's liable to be the latter.

Corrections To Erroneous Regulations
There were several errors in the 2007-08 NYS Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide. What follows are the corrections. Page 8 -- The telephone number for the Region 8 Avon Wildlife Office should be (585) 226-5380
Page 23 –Bow/MZ Season Either Sex 2007-08 Tag for Bowhunting Season, Northern Zone should be: Oct 1 - Oct 19; Bow/MZ Season Antlerless 2007-08 Tag for Bowhunting Season, Northern Zone should be: Oct 1 – Oct 19 (2006-07 NZ Bow Season actually begins on September 27, but Tags aren't valid until October 1 since that is the beginning of the new license year)
Westchester County – Regular (bowhunting only) should be: Oct 13 - Dec 31. Deer Management Permit Deer Tag: Westchester County, Regular (bowhunting only) should be: Oct 13–Dec 31 Page 62 – Disregard the names under Allegany, they should be: Lt. Ken Didion 585-596-6396, ECO Ken Basile 585-593-0133, ECO Russell Callani 585-365-8198, ECO Mark Wojtkowiak 607-276-2076, Under Cattaraugus, the following should be added ECO Robert Nosal 716-532-0461
Page 76 – Deer Opening Day, Northern Zone: Regular should be: Oct 20. Opening Day, Southern Zone: Bowhunting should be: Oct 13, Regular should be: Nov 17.