Chautauqua Visitors Bureau
2025 Chautauqua County Event Calendar
Thanks to longtime member and contributor Dave Barus, we have a comprehensive calendar of outdoor events in Chautauqua County for 2025.
Safe Boating Certificate
Boating Safety Certificates
Who needs a boating safety certificate? Anyone operating a Personal Watercraft (JetSki™, Wave Runner™, etc.) must have a boating safety certificate, and be at least 14 years of age or older.
In 2024: If you are operating any other type of motorized boat, you will need a safety certificate if you were born January 1, 1978 or later. Starting in 2025, all operators of motorized vessels, regardless of age, will be required to have a safety certificate.
Effective January 1, 2025 – boat operators must have their Safe Boating Certificate in New York State.
Click to read more on the DEC website.
Great Lakes Basin Report
January 2025 Report
Lake Superior Lake Trout Recovery – A Remarkable Journey
Two recent stories from 2024 declared that Lake Trout in Lake Superior are fully recovered
In this issue:
Underwater drones transforming data … 2
Lake Erie Walleye numbers are down …. 3
Chicagoland Fishing Expo tickets ……… 3
MI State of Great Lakes Report …………. 4
2025 Ontario fishing regs released …….. 4
Grants available to grow fishing comm … 4
2025 Black Lake sturgeon season …….. 5
Fall/winter egg-take efforts wrapping up . 5
All-night lights change behavior of fish … 6
Trout early catch & release season …….. 6
L Superior Fisheries Mgmt Outreach…… 7
Upcoming programs to expand skills ….. 7
Cleaner water could hurt some fish …….. 7 J
udge adds OH EPA as defendant …….. 8
Snowmobilers: Act now for season …….. 8
New brown trout strain stocked ………….. 9
Jan 20 Free Park Day in Minnesota ……. 9
MN DNR 200 paid summer internships .10
Fish hatcheries get $75 million …………..10
New boat wash station Geneva St Park 10
Sled Safe this season ………………………11
OutWiGo for Free Fishing Jan 18-19…..11
NE Wis Upcoming DNR Meetings ………11
Ag runoff damages water/kills wildlife,,,,12
Sea Lamprey spike after Covid…………13
DEC asks beaver trappers for help
DEC Encouraging Beaver Trappers to Visit Designated State Properties this Season
DEC encourages beaver trappers to visit specific Wildlife Management Areas and a State Forest where beaver activity is causing damage to roads, trails, and other features during the upcoming trapping season which runs until April 7, 2025.
Beaver populations have grown significantly at these locations, making it more challenging to manage water levels on the ponds, marshes, and impoundments.
The Region 9 Bureau of Wildlife is asking trappers to consider beaver trapping on the following areas:
Allegany County:
- Keeney Swamp WMA – Town of Birdsall
- Hanging Bog WMA – Town of New Hudson
Cattaraugus County:
- Allegheny Reservoir WMA – Town of South Valley
- Birch Run Ponds WMA – Town of Allegany
- Harwood Lake MUA – Town of Farmersville
Chautauqua County:
- Boutwell Hill State Forest- Town of Cherry Creek
- Kabob WMA –Town of Stockton
- Watts Flats WMA – Town of Harmony
For more information about trapping opportunities at these locations, please contact: Land Management Biologist, Eric Maringer at 716-379-6367 or by email at eric.maringer@dec.ny.gov.
Regenerate NY Forests
Funding for Private Landowners to Grow the Forests of the Future
STATE MATCHING FUNDS AVAILABLE WITH STATE ASSUMING 90% OF THE COSTS
The purpose of this grant program is to support the regeneration of forests so they may continue to deliver vital services such as mitigating climate change, protecting air and water quality, and supporting the economy. Young forests in New York face many challenges today that did not exist a century ago, the most significant being wide-spread damage caused by increased white-tailed deer populations and competition from invasive vegetation. Active management of the land is essential to ensure the survival of young trees and allow forests to become established or renew themselves, but this can be overwhelming and expensive.
Musky Fishing Season Opens
Musky Season Opens June 1st.
Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family and the largest gamefish in the Great Lakes.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar today announced the fishing seasons for muskellunge begin on June 1 in inland waters and on June 15 in Great Lakes waters—Lake Erie, Upper Niagara River, Lower Niagara River, Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River, and tributaries to these waters.