New York State faces challenges with its aging dam infrastructure. Dams in the state are an average of 87-years-old, over 20 years older than the national average, and a growing number of dams in New York are classified as high hazard or in poor condition. Climate change and increasingly extreme weather events have intensified both the safety risks of aging dams and the urgency of addressing dam infrastructure. While there has been growing consensus on, and funding to address, the risks and impacts of dam infrastructure, challenges remain—particularly when it comes to removing dams. Recent research has further reflected important shifts in how dam removal, modifications, and decisions around them are being made. These shifts include greater attention to ecological restoration as a driver for dam removals and modifications (or retrofitting). They also demonstrate that most dam removals in the Northeast are being conducted on small dams (under five meters) and at much lower relative costs. These shifts suggest there are significant potential opportunities for expanding cost-effective river ecosystem restoration efforts in New York, particularly as the state has approximately 6,000 dams, with the average height of a dam in the state being just under 15 feet. Given the human safety, economic, and ecological factors, it may not be surprising that dam removal or decommissioning rates have been on the rise, and that many owners of dams have sought to decommission, modify, or divest from them. It may also not be surprising that New York has taken steps over the last 25 years to clarify and improve its regulatory oversight, and that both the state and federal government have committed funding towards dam repair, modification, and removal in recent years. While there has been growing consensus on and funding to address the risks and impacts of dam infrastructure, there have also been challenges—particularly when it comes to decommissioning or removing dams. This report examines the history and current landscape of dams in New York and the current state of removal and modification policies through stakeholder interviews in order to identify opportunities for further improvement. Between late summer and early fall 2025, we conducted semi-structured interviews with dam owners, engineers, nonprofit staff, and regulatory staff engaged in dam removal and modification projects across New York and in other states. These conversations revealed systematic challenges and opportunities to improve dam removal and modification policy and practice in New York.