New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

625 Broadway Street Albany, New York 12233 * 1-800-535-1345

Cecelia.Westwater@dec.ny.gov * dec.ny.gov

The following are suggested communications messages/ talking points that may help inform the
media and general public of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s
decision to enforce a burn ban, due to dry weather, throughout Adirondack Park effective
immediately.

● The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is announcing a burn

ban specifically in Adirondack Park effective immediately.

● The ban is due to unusually dry weather that has affected central New York State this
fall.

● We will assess the ban after 30 days to ensure that we are taking the right steps in
preserving the parks.

● We have seen that burn bans effectively reduce the risk of forest fires, and we want to
preserve the beauty of our state, especially in our state parks.
○ The NYSDEC first enacted strict fire safety measures to prevent wildfires in
2009. Since then, we have seen a 42.6% decrease in spring fires.

● We are working closely with New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
to ensure that proper measures are being taken to inform our park goers of this burn ban
and make sure that everyone is doing their part to keep our parks intact.

● We want to remind our park goers to take proper fire safety measures within the parks at
all times.

● This burn ban applies to all outdoor burnings with combustible materials, with violators
being fined at least $500. With more information on the logistics of the ban, I would like
to introduce Kristin Moffitt, the commissioner of the New York State Department of
Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.