The Great Outdoors comes Indoors: Sportsman Expo Returns to Syracuse
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Great New York State Sportsman Expo is underway this weekend at the State Fairgrounds, bringing hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation to Central New York families and outdoor enthusiasts.
From Friday, Jan. 23 to Sunday, Jan. 25, the Expo is providing a weekend of hands-on seminars, the latest in outdoor gear, safety education, and conservation.
President of the Expo Norm Wightman said the event has everything any outdoor enthusiast could want.
“Whether you hunt, fish, or don’t hunt and fish,” said Wightman. “Man, woman, child, there’s something for everyone here.”
Wightman said education is a major focus of this year's expo. A series of seminars throughout the weekend is highlighting responsible outdoor practices, including wildlife conservation efforts aimed at projecting bald and golden eagles. New York Hunters for Eagle Conservation Director Adam Miller said the group’s mission is to encourage hunters to consider switching to non-lead ammunition to help protect eagles from lead poisoning.
“Our goal is to get lead out of the food chain so we can help protect and promote the future of hunting, protect healthy wildlife populations, and ensure effective harvests,” said Miller.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, eagles often ingest toxic lead fragments from deer carcasses left by hunters, causing illness or death. The Hunters for Eagle Conservation is a program run by Conservation Science Global to reduce lead poisoning in bald and golden eagles.
New York State Environmental Conservation Biologist Matt Palumbo said the impact from lead bullets can produce hidden fragments that can travel two feet away from the point of impact.
“It only takes about a lead fragment the size of a grain of rice that can potentially be lethal to a bald eagle,” said Palumbo.
The group is also offering hunters a rebate for using non-lead ammunition for deer hunting in specific areas to help study and project these birds of prey. According to the Hunters for Eagle Conservation, a successful New York program could become a model for other states to reduce eagle mortality as well. Miller's primary solution is for hunters to use copper ammunition, which don't have the same deadly effects, instead of lead ammunition.
“We know that won’t have any lead fragments out there,” said Miller. “It’s a pretty easy solution. And for hunters that want to make that choice, that’s a choice I made, and I’ve been really happy with the performance I’ve seen.”
Wightman added that this year's expo, which is expecting over a thousand attendees over the course of the three days, is proof that outdoor recreation is as popular as it’s ever been in New York State.
“A lot of people think New York is concrete and steel, but it’s not,” said Wightman. “We all know that New York is probably one of the biggest hot spots for hunting and fishing.”
