East Hampton Group for Wildlife

04/09/2026

DEC has announced Youth Hunting (Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26) and the Spring Turkey Hunt (May 1–May 31).

These beautiful birds do no harm. They are good neighbors who help control ticks, and they will be in their nesting season when this takes place—right in our community and woodlands, just as many of us are returning to nature after a long winter and late spring. It is unfortunate that our local officials do not take this into consideration.

Please consider writing to or speaking with local authorities to advocate for a ban on this unnecessary violence. You can also write to local newspapers to help raise awareness and encourage teaching children to respect nature and all living beings.

Thank you for your time and service.

Turkey photo: Helen Webster Lake

10/26/2025

10/26/2025

In August, the DEC decided to permit hunters to use crossbows whenever bow hunting is allowed. This means that in East Hampton hunters can use crossbows throughout October, November, and December. They can even use them in January, our traditional fi****ms season, because bow hunting is now permitted during this month.

The crossbow is a powerful weapon. The DEC requires an archer to be 500 feet away from any residential structure—five times the distance for the regular, vertical bow. The crossbow uses a trigger like a gun. In fact, some hunters on social media have asked, “Why not just permit rifles every season?”

The addition of the crossbow raises questions of public safety. Will hikers feel safe in the woods, knowing that these powerful weapons are in use?

I also want to speak about the deer.

Deer grow up playing together. They warn one another in times of danger, and they are exceptionally caring mothers. Each deer has an individual personality, and each one wants to live as much as we do. Shouldn’t we let them live? Do we really need to introduce a powerful new weapon that will undoubtedly kill many more of them?

The Wildlife Management Committee apparently has said yes, but I believe there should be a public discussion. The Town shouldn’t automatically participate. I believe crossbows are a bad idea.

I realize that people are concerned about ticks and vegetation destruction,. But will reductions in deer populations mitigate these problems? Conclusions are still unsettled in scientific journals. And if we decide to reduce deer numbers, there are nonlethal alternatives.

I also realize that many people believe we should follow the DEC's recommendations. After all, isn’t the DEC the government body that has all the relevant information?

But the DEC isn’t impartial. The agency constantly looks for ways to expand hunting because it receives significant funding from the sale of hunting equipment.

So let’s hold off on the addition of crossbow hunting.

—Bill Crain, The President of East Hampton Group for Wildlife

10/13/2025

When I taught at the City College of New York, I created a course titled “Animal Behavior and Ethics.” My students and I discussed research on nonhuman animals and ethical issues with respect to our society’s treatment of them. At the center of the course were the life and work of Jane Goodall.
The students, especially the women, were inspired by her courage and initiative. They were amazed that Goodall, a 26-year-old secretary, ventured into an African forest and made important discoveries about wild chimpanzee behavior. The students also were impressed by her exhausting efforts to call attention to our mistreatment of chimpanzees and other animals, and of the Earth itself.
In 2021 I published a book partly as a way of telling people about her. The book is titled “Forever Young: How Six Great Individuals Have Drawn on the Powers of Childhood and How We Can Follow Their Lead.” Goodall is one of the six individuals, and I dedicated my book to her.
In the book, I emphasized how she tried to experience the forest in a childlike manner. For her, as for children, nature was a place of wonder and enchantment. In her autobiography, “Reason for Hope,” she described how she was enthralled by whatever she encountered in the forest — insects, birds, baboons and their playful youngsters, the lovely sounds of the lake. She talked to the wind and a mountain peak, and felt a oneness with the trees and her surroundings.
For Goodall, as for children, there were no firm boundaries separating humans from other living beings. She was open to the possibility that chimpanzees, like humans, have individual personalities, intelligence, and emotions. And she concluded that chimps are indeed like us in these ways. In the process, she contributed a new scientific picture of our close relatives.
The value of childhood modes of experience is rarely appreciated in our society. Our educational system pushes children at the youngest grades to master the kinds of rational thinking that are prized by adults. Education officials seldom consider the need to preserve childhood qualities such as a sense of wonder and oneness with nature. Goodall’s life and work illustrate why this is a big mistake.
BILL CRAIN

09/05/2025

08/30/2025

NYS BILL S6360A/ A8330, THE BILL TO EXPAND CROSSBOW HUNTING, IS ON THE GOVERNOR'S DESK NOW.

CROSSBOW HUNTING is currently banned in Westchester and Long Island. Crossbow hunting gives hunters an even more unfair advantage against the animals because it almost eliminates the 'Fair Chase' aspect of hunting plus adding multiple painful injuries and prolonged suffering, using massive equipment that looks like its from a war zone.

PLEASE CONTACT GOV HOCHUL AND POLITELY ASK HER TO VETO S6360A/ A8330.

We don't need any expansion of hunting. Hunting in NYS has already been expanded to include children, longer hunt-seasons etc. Hunters already have a grossly unfair advantage over the animals - via 'scent lures,' elevated hunting stands, 'sound' lures, special sights, camo clothing etc. Even though less than 4 percent of the U.S. population hunts, nonhunters are forced to share many wildlife refuges, national forests, state parks, and other public lands with armed individuals who kill animals for sport; if anything Gov Hochul should pass legislation that reduces hunting.

GOVERNOR’S PHONE 1-518-474-8390

GOVERNOR’S EMAIL: [email protected]

MSG CAN BE SENT VIA GOVERNOR'S WEBSITE:

A lock icon or https:// means you’ve safely connected to a ny.gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

07/06/2025

Happy July 4th

Provided to YouTube by Symphonic DistributionRelaxing Ambience for Pleasant Dogs · Relaxing Music for Dogs4 D: Stay my Furry Pup℗ 2023 T-Rel MusicReleased on...

06/28/2025

The DEC constantly tries to increase hunting. Ellen and I think it does so largely because it receives funding from the sale of hunting equipment. In any case, we are invited to write to to the agency. The last paragraph in the announcement tells us where to write. Comments can be short and personal. I will say that I believe the DEC shouldn't facilitate hunting, but, instead, start rolling it back because deer, like us, want to live.

—Bill Crain

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced several proposed regulation changes to streamline use and reporting of hunting tags and provide new deer hunting opportunities. Hunting is important in New York State for wildlife population management and contributes....

03/08/2025

Betsy Peroski and Bill Crain spoke at last night's Town Board meeting on a proposal to reduce the size of new home construction. There was a large turnout, and the vast majority favored the proposal. Betsy's words were great on preserving the land. We can still write individual Town Board members.

Here is Bill’s testimony:

The East Hampton Group for Wildlife strongly supports a reduction in the size of new homes. At present, the construction of large, luxurious homes requires the destruction of trees, bushes, and ground that provide wildlife habitats. The current situation is unfair to our animal relatives.

Trees themselves are extremely valuable. They prevent soil erosion, beautify our community, absorb pollutants, provide shade, and, by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, they help fight global warming. In this process of carbon absorption, they release oxygen that animals need to live. (These animals include humans.)

The Town Zoning Code Amendment Working Group has made a recommendation that seems very reasonable. Please take action to reduce the size of buildings.

Here are the Town Board members email addresses.
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

01/11/2025

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is staying well. Our heart goes out to the wildlife and people affected by the wildfire in L.A.

This morning, my family and I woke up to the faint sound of gunshots and saw our dog shaking in fear—it’s shotgun hunting season (Jan. 5–31). The archery hunting season has been going on since last October and also goes on to Jan. 31. She reminded me of my mission to protect wildlife.

The Instagram page isn’t connected to our page because I’m not the administrator and haven’t been able to link the two. I’ll try to post more often on both pages, especially when something significant or inspirational happens.

A special shoutout to Betsy Petroski, our fierce representative for the Wildlife Management Committee, who put up all the SLOW DOWN signs last summer. I regret not helping her take them down at the end of the season.

Recently, someone placed a sign at the fork of Cedar Street and Hands Creek Road. I have a feeling that this person may have witnessed the horrifying sight of a road-killed deer on Stephen Hands Path near the 114 a few days earlier—there was blood everywhere. It was heartbreaking and awful.

You may have heard about the woman who was hit by a car in Southampton last week. Thankfully, I’ve learned she’s doing okay but has undergone several surgeries. I also had a scary experience myself last week—I was bumped by a big trailer truck at a red light in Southampton and nearly got hit while crossing the crosswalk by Provisions in Sag Harbor.

I truly believe the Slow Down campaign is the simplest and most effective strategy to live in harmony with wildlife and protect all lives.

Thank you for your compassion for animals and for slowing down to protect not only wildlife but us humans too.

Love & Peace, y.