RED HOOK — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation police and forest rangers are searching for the owner of a Jeep that was found abandoned in a wildlife preserve in northern Dutchess County.
On Jan. 9, while patrolling the Tivoli Bays Wildlife Management Area, rangers Aubrey Russo and Cameron Sweeney discovered a Jeep, abandoned and stuck in the mud, DEC spokesman Jeff Wernick said.
The vehicle had license plates, Wernick said.
The vehicle’s owner, who is suspected of illegally off-roading on state property, has not been located, Wernick said.
DEC officials said they are unaware of any other agencies that are assisting in locating the owner, Wernick said.
The Jeep was towed from the trail and impounded.
If found, the owner could be charged with illegal use of a motor vehicle on state land and will have to pay for the tow, Wernick said.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Tivoli Bays extends for two miles along the east shore of the Hudson River between the villages of Tivoli and Barrytown, in the town of Red Hook, according to the DEC website.
The site includes two large coves on the east shore of the river including Tivoli North Bay, a large intertidal marsh and Tivoli South Bay, a large, shallow cove with mudflats exposed at low tide.
Tivoli Bays is one of four sites in the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, a partnership between New York State and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support stewardship of, research on, and education about the important lands and waters of the Hudson River estuary, DEC said.
Tivoli Bays was designated as a New York State Important Bird Area in 1997. It is also designated as a New York Bird Conservation Area in recognition of its unique breeding marsh bird community.