WURTSBORO - As the winter leaves its final marks, the town board of Mamakating met this week to discuss animal control and the eagle population in the Basha Kill Area. Kevin Keller, co-leader of the Basha Kill Area Association's (BKAA) Nature Watch Program, provided the board with an update of the program, which is currently in its 16th year of running and has over 35 volunteers who work in preserving and protecting eagles living in the area.

Along with two other co-leaders, Keller, who has been a trainer for the past few years, is passionate about educating visitors about the eagles as well as training others about the importance of this program.

All volunteers are required to participate in a training program that teaches them the history of the Basha Kill, how to set up the program's numerous viewing stations, and how to interact with visitors to the area, which for Keller is extremely important to the program's survival. Additionally, each volunteer is provided with an extensive manual that volunteers can answer any questions that visitors may have about the Basha Kill and surrounding areas.

“The Basha Kill is a big draw,” stated Keller, and since 2006, the number of visitors has steadily increased from a little over 200 visitors to having approximately 1,500 guests in 2017. Keller is hopeful that the county's new casino, Resorts World Catskills, will aid in increasing these numbers in the future and that families visiting from outside of the county will want to experience all of what the area has to offer.

There are currently two eagle nests that can be viewed from the Basha Kill Area.

One nest may be seen from the primary viewing area located on South Road across from the Basha Kill Vineyard and this is where volunteers plan to set up several viewing stations. The second nest can be seen from a small bridge located on Haven Road, which is on the north side of Route 209.

For ten weekends, beginning April 21 until June 24, the program will provide viewing stations for anyone interested in catching a glimpse of the eagles. Over the next few days, the areas eagles' eggs are expected to hatch, an aspect of the program that Keller is quite proud of because since 1998, according to him, 25 chicks have hatched in the area.

The next training session will take place on Saturday, April 7, from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Community Church Hall located at 134 Sullivan Street in Wurtsboro. For additional information about this program or to attend the training session, contact Kevin Keller at 845-434-6209.

Earlier this month, the board discussed the acquisition of a new dog shelter contract with Port Jervis/Deerpark Humane Society located in Port Jervis.

Presently, the town has a contract with Walden Humane Society; however, this shelter does not accept pit bulls, which has posed a problem for the town in the past.

Louis Tripido, Dog Control Officer, informed the board that his department is operating “in the red” due to under-charging pet owners in the seizure and impound fees. He emphasized that his office works tirelessly to help locate missing dogs, sometimes spending days searching for one pet to ensure that the dog is safely returned to its owners.

Additionally, his team has even assisted in helping residents with non-dog related emergencies. Tripido is aware that accidents do occur, such as having a child opening the door to their home and having a dog run out. Nevertheless, Tripido is concerned that some of the dogs that he has found have not been lost accidentally.

Therefore, Tripido requested that the board amend the current law to increase the amounts charged to owners to compensate the town.

“We're not in the business of making money,” stated Tripido. He suggested the owner should be held more accountable, not the taxpayer, for paying the costs associated with searching for the lost animal and shelter fees.

The board voted to amend the current law to increase the town's “Dog at Large” fees as follows, which will be applied per dog, and not per owner:

1st offense: $150 seizure fee, $150 impound fee

2nd offense: $325 seizure fee, $275 impound fee

3rd offense: $425 seizure fee, $275 impound fee

4th offense: $525 seizure fee, $275 impound fee

The next town board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 3 at 6 p.m. in Town Hall, 2948 Route 209, Wurtsboro.