If you are out walking on a winter morning, you might be lucky enough to see some of nature’s most beautiful and ephemeral sights: hair ice and frost flowers, both snow-white and delicate against the dull forest floor. [Read more…] about Hair Ice and Frost Flowers
Adirondacks & NNY
Moose Are Back in New York State: A Population Update
Moose have been present in the northern tier of New York since the Pleistocene. However, by as early as the 1860s over-exploitation and habitat degradation had extirpated moose from all of New York State.
In response, a handful of small-scale moose restoration efforts were undertaken between 1870 and 1902, but none proved successful. Over the next eighty years there were periodic moose sightings, but none seemed to suggest an established population. [Read more…] about Moose Are Back in New York State: A Population Update
DEC Automates Day Use Sales for Lake George Islands
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the transition to automated, online sales for all day use permits at the islands on Lake George. [Read more…] about DEC Automates Day Use Sales for Lake George Islands
1774 His Majesty’s Garrison of Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga will host “1774 His Majesty’s Garrison of Ticonderoga,” a living history program looking at the peacetime garrison life for the British soldiers and their families that lived at Fort Ticonderoga, set for Saturday, February 18th.
[Read more…] about 1774 His Majesty’s Garrison of Ticonderoga
Protect the Adirondacks Names Claudia Braymer Deputy Director
Protect the Adirondacks has announced that Claudia Braymer, an environmental attorney and local government official from Glens Falls, New York, has joined the organization as its new Deputy Director. Braymer is an attorney who has worked on environmental cases across New York State and was co-counsel on Protect the Adirondacks’ successful lawsuit that upheld and defended the Forever Wild clause in the State Constitution in 2021. She also serves as a Supervisor, elected from the City of Glens Falls, on the Warren County Board of Supervisors. [Read more…] about Protect the Adirondacks Names Claudia Braymer Deputy Director
Lake Ice Related to Snowmobile Death, Serious Accident
According to New York State Forest Ranger Lee, on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 4:30 pm, he overheard radio traffic from Herkimer County 911 reporting a snowmobile accident on Stillwater Reservoir in the Town of Webb. Herkimer County 911 indicated there were two accidents and both victims were at the Stillwater Restaurant. [Read more…] about Lake Ice Related to Snowmobile Death, Serious Accident
State Rebuilding of High Peaks Wilderness Roads Challenged in Court
On January 20, 2023, Protect the Adirondacks filed a lawsuit challenging the reconstruction by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) of a previously closed and reclaimed road in the High Peaks Wilderness Complex. Protect argues that DEC’s road construction activity in the High Peaks violates the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (Master Plan) which prohibits roads in Wilderness Areas. [Read more…] about State Rebuilding of High Peaks Wilderness Roads Challenged in Court
Woodsman Willard Howland and his Amazing Critters
“
Lotsa Screes in here tonight,” Willard spoke low. “Puts me in mind of a he-scree I see up in Hawk’s Nest one fall when I was trappin’.”
And so began a story that would enliven the trailside or campsite for those who had the privilege to spend time with Willard Howland. Little has been written about the life of this woodsman beyond bits and pieces of the stories he told. It could even be said that his tales, everything from experiences in the woods, to amazing fantasy creatures that inhabited his wilderness, tell more of who Willard was than anything a written history could reveal. [Read more…] about Woodsman Willard Howland and his Amazing Critters
How Does A Land Trust Protect A Watershed? One Parcel At A Time
Species start to vanish from streams during the first stages of suburban development, according to the United States Geological Service. By the time impervious surfaces had absorbed 20 percent of the terrain of some New England watersheds, for example, those streams’ aquatic invertebrate communities had shrunk by roughly 25 percent. [Read more…] about How Does A Land Trust Protect A Watershed? One Parcel At A Time
The Most Negative Sales Pitch Ever: An Adirondack Story
A little more than a century ago, a horrendous description of an Adirondack village appeared in newspapers, including the Mail and Express published in New York City. At issue was the placement of a yet-to-be-built tubercular sanitarium. Feelings ran so high at the time, you’d swear they were selecting the next Supreme Court justice. But taking sides is nothing new, as proved by use of the written word back then to describe one of the candidate locations. As you’ll see, it’s hard to believe they were talking about the same place. [Read more…] about The Most Negative Sales Pitch Ever: An Adirondack Story