News and Views from the Empire State
All mammals that employ the use of a shelter in winter instinctively attempt to find a place completely hidden from the view of humans for their home, except for one.
When the time comes in late summer or early autumn for establishing a protective enclosure for the coming season of cold, ice and snow, only the beaver places its residence in a spot that can be readily noticed by a person passing through the area. [Read more…] about Beavers Are Building Their Lodges
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Along with the crisp mornings and crimson colors that signal summer’s slide into fall, there are changes occurring in the forests that go mostly unnoticed. Among them is the dispersal of fisher kits from their mother’s territory into their own. [Read more…] about Breakup of Fisher Families
Continuing its longstanding efforts to expand and improve Minnewaska State Park Preserve in New York’s Ulster County, the Open Space Institute (OSI) has announced the final phase of its fundraising campaign to support the park’s new, four-season visitor center. [Read more…] about Update On Minnewaska Preserve Visitor Center Project
What historians now describe as the Victorian Age, was then referred to as the Electric Era. Electricity lit up city centers and transformed the means of communication. Constant availability of power led to automation which, in turn, allowed for the mass production of goods. Electricity gradually entered the home and convenience stores were filled with new household devices. Even the death penalty went electric. [Read more…] about Electropathic Cure: Quackery in the Electric Era
The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies will host a series of virtual workshops on managing and conserving wildlife in New York State. Over the course of three webinars, they will explore New York State wildlife, their ecological roles, and the threats they face. [Read more…] about Ecological Approaches to Wildlife Virtual Workshops
As many birds prepare to abandon their summer ranges at this time of year, others are altering their routine to allow them to better survive winter. The regular appearance of numerous, year-round avian residents around homes and camps suggests that the behaviors of these hardy species do not change from one season to another. [Read more…] about Black-Capped Chickadees: Our Year Round Residents
This has always been my perception of bird migration in the fall: the days grow short and cool and then, one day, I notice a v-shaped caravan of Canada geese flying southward. Then another and another. Within a few weeks of that first sighting, I hear their melancholy call one final time for the season. Then they, and all the summer birds, are gone.
It’s a mass exodus for warmer climes, over and done in the blink of an eye and long before the snow flies. [Read more…] about Not All Birds Migrate
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has announced that this year’s Migration Celebration is taking place virtually with two weeks of online events, including articles, activities, and live events. Cornell Lab migration specialists will give online talks and there are a variety of family-friendly activities so the whole family can get involved.
The following webinars explore migration from every angle — from making migration forecasts to capturing the magic in stunning documentaries. [Read more…] about Virtual Bird Migration Celebration Underway
Beginning in the 1940s, medical wear began the journey towards what we know and easily recognize today.
What we call “scrubs” originated as the white gowns and drapes that were worn by surgeons and operating staff. At first, everything was white – the doctor’s coats, the operating gowns and the nurse’s uniforms. Operating rooms were also a gleaming sanitary white, with bright task lighting. [Read more…] about Medical Scrubs: A Short History