In 2005 the Ithaca City Court ruled that only the State of New York can
regulations activities in or on Cayuga Lake because the State has
retained its rights to regulate the lake. The court cited a Court of
Appeals case that ruled on jurisdiction over activity in Canandaigua
Lake. (The Court
I guess the courts have the final say on the validity of Ithaca's ordinance.
Concern about the cost and risks associated with jurisdictional disputes may be
explanation enough for the lack of enforcement heretofore. But if the city
begins to enforce its "No Hunting" ordinance, then DEC will have
Here is a more complete quote from that DEC webpage:
"It is possible for local municipalities (such as villages and towns) to pass
ordinances prohibiting discharge of firearms. Since there are so many
municipalities, and the laws can change at any time, DEC cannot keep track of
all these ordin
After a careful reading of Title 7 and Title 9 of the state Environmental
Conservation Law, I've come around to the view that the Ithaca ordinance
prohibiting hunting is unenforceable with respect to the state waters that
lie within the city limits, as it conflicts with ECL Section 11-0701[1] and
1
