History, Natural History & the Arts
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Or, make checks payable to: [Read more…] about Less Than $1,400 To Go! – We Need You To Help Us Meet Our 2020 Fundraising Goal
Despite frosts, there continue to be many types of bugs that remain active into late autumn around New York State.
Among these hardy invertebrates, and the ones that are quite conspicuous to anyone that spends time working in the yard, garden or on the wood pile, are the harvestmen, known to most as the daddy-longlegs. [Read more…] about Daddy Longlegs During Winter
Climate change is altering winter weather in the Northeast, leading to less snow and more ice. Northeastern forests, and the resources they provide, need snow to stay healthy. And there is evidence that ice storms – the most destructive form of winter weather – will become more frequent and severe under changing climate conditions.
The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is set to host a free virtual science conversation on the effects of climate change on winters, with a focus on consequences for forest ecosystems, on Wednesday, December 9th. [Read more…] about Winter Wonderland No More? Climate & Northeastern Forests
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has proposed changes to black bass (smallmouth bass and largemouth bass) fishing regulations that the Department says will make them easier to understand. [Read more…] about DEC Proposes Statewide 12-Inch Black Bass Size Limit
I can’t seem to pass a hollow tree without stopping to snoop. If there is a cavity within reach, an investigation is in order. Wear and tear around a hole, evidence of food items on the ground, or simply sounds from within tell of the tenants inside. One of my favorite tricks is to power up my camera, flash on, and poke it inside a tree cavity for a quick snap. My most memorable and rewarding discovery came while lying on my stomach at the hollow base of a huge, dead maple. [Read more…] about The Hidden Life in Hollow Trees
If you get bad news about one of your trees, kindly don’t shoot the messenger. Even if – especially if – they vandalize that very tree. It could save your life to heed their warning.
Although it’s captivating to watch a big prehistoric-looking woodpecker chisel away at a rotten snag in the forest, the same performance loses its charm when it jack-hammers a hole in your perfectly sound tree. The thing is, no matter how healthy that tree may appear, it is definitely not sound, and may in fact be quite dangerous. Your “vandal” is alerting you to this fact by installing windows in the tree trunk. [Read more…] about Pileated Woodpeckers: Miscreants or Messengers?
We know that squirrels make the most of fall’s plenty by hoarding nuts for the winter, but the fact that birds also store, or cache, food goes largely unappreciated.
Through clever observation and experiments, biologists have found that food caching (from the French cacher, “to hide”) has developed to a high art in some birds. [Read more…] about Resident Birds Preparing For Winter
Each year, DEC partners with the Venison Donation Coalition and Feeding New York State to help provide food for those in need.
Through a cooperative relationship involving the New York State Department of Health, non-profit organizations like Feeding New York State’s regional food banks and deer processors, hunters contribute nearly 40 tons of venison each year to needy families across the state. [Read more…] about Hunters Can Help Fight Food Insecurity
On this episode of The Historians Podcast, Ashley Hopkins-Benton recounts the life of sculptor and stone worker Henry DiSpirito, who became artist in residence at Utica College. Hopkins-Benton is author of Breathing Life Into Stone: The Sculpture of Henry DiSpirito. She is also a senior historian and curator of social history at the New York State Museum in Albany. [Read more…] about Utica Sculptor Henry DiSpirito
The New-York Historical Society is welcoming is current crop of fellows and now accepting applications for its fellowship program for the 2021–2022 academic year.
Leveraging its rich collections that detail American history through the lens of New York City, New-York Historical’s fellowships are open to academic scholars at various times during their careers. [Read more…] about N-Y Historical Welcomes Fellows, Accepting Applications for 2021-2022