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Nature

Psychrophiles: Cold Lovers of Frigid Temperatures

January 21, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

psychrophilesWe humans tend to cringe at winter temperatures. We put on extra layers, crank up the thermostat, and wait impatiently for the tell-tale drip of spring thaw. However, there are plenty of tiny organisms all around us that aren’t just biding their time; they’re thriving in the bitter cold. If you could listen to as well as watch them under a microscope, you wouldn’t hear a single complaint about the temperature.

Psychrophiles, literally “cold lovers,” are organisms adapted to live at extremely cold temperatures. These are single-celled life forms, most often bacteria, but also blue green algae, yeasts, and fungi that can grow at temperatures as low as -13 degrees. [Read more…] about Psychrophiles: Cold Lovers of Frigid Temperatures

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Wildlife, winter

DEC Summer Camp Registration Opens April 2nd

January 21, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

DEC Summer CampNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that online registration for the 2023 Summer Camps program will open Sunday, April 2nd at 1 pm.

Applications should be submitted through the online registration program available through a link from the Summer Camps website. Parents and guardians are also advised to monitor this site to complete registration forms and encouraged to register early since spaces fill up quickly. [Read more…] about DEC Summer Camp Registration Opens April 2nd

Filed Under: Events, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: DEC

The Time to Prune Trees is Now

January 21, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

tree pruning (photo courtesy DEC_Care and maintenance of trees ensures their health life and minimizes liability. Trees can be damaged by high winds, snow, ice, and other severe weather events. Some damage requires immediate attention, while other damage may be dealt with later. [Read more…] about The Time to Prune Trees is Now

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Forestry, gardening, Landscape Architecture, nature, trees, winter

New York State’s Foam Ban: A Primer

January 21, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Fast Food Packaging Floating In a RiverOn January 1st, 2023, NY State celebrated the one year anniversary of the start of the Expanded Polystyrene Foam Container and Polystyrene Loose Fill Packaging Ban.

Polystyrene foam is a concern for people and the environment. It is a top contributor of environmental litter and is not accepted in most recycling programs in New York State because the foam is difficult to recycle and has a low value. [Read more…] about New York State’s Foam Ban: A Primer

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: Environmental History, plastics, pollution

Consequences of Feeding Deer in Winter

January 21, 2023 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

whitetail deer courtesy DECIt may be tempting to feed deer to “help” them through the winter. However, feeding whitetail deer during the winter or other times of the year is unnecessary, prohibited in New York State, and can have very negative consequences for deer, your neighbors, and surrounding wildlife habitat. [Read more…] about Consequences of Feeding Deer in Winter

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: gardening, nature, whitetail deer, Wildlife, winter

Trees, Knees, and Other Deep-Freeze Creaks

January 20, 2023 by Paul Hetzler 1 Comment

Conifers in winter courtesy Wikimedia user Olga ErnstIn winter, when temperatures dip well below zero Fahrenheit, especially if they fall precipitously, things go bump in the night. Frozen lakes and ponds emit ominous groans, snaps and booms that reverberate through the ice. Wood siding and old knee joints might creak. And if soil moisture is high and snow cover sparse, the soil can freeze deeply, causing the earth to shift in a harmless, localized cryoseism, or “frost quake” that produces a nerve-rattling bang. [Read more…] about Trees, Knees, and Other Deep-Freeze Creaks

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: ice, nature, trees, Wildlife, winter

Key Adirondack Wilderness Inholding Protected

January 17, 2023 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

map showing Bear Pond ForestNortheast Wilderness Trust announced that it has purchased a key inholding in the Adirondack Park’s Five Ponds Wilderness, establishing the Bear Pond Forest. With this acquisition, the 1,056-acre Bear Pond Forest is now safeguarded from development, and the Forest will gradually be integrated into the surrounding 107,230-acre Five Ponds Wilderness, which is connected to the 23,816-acre Pepperbox Wilderness. [Read more…] about Key Adirondack Wilderness Inholding Protected

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondacks, Clifton, Diana, Fine, Five Ponds Wilderness, Hamilton County, Herkimer COunty, Lewis County, Long Lake, nature, Northeast Wilderness Trust, Pepperbox Wilderness Area, St Lawrence County, Town of Webb, Wildlife

Diapause & Insect Winter Inactivity

January 14, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Adirondack lake ice during a winter thawThe unseasonably mild conditions we have been experiencing this winter has been unusual, but is not unprecedented. In the past, there have been numerous bouts of warm weather and limited snowfalls that have produced similar periods when the ground became bare and the temperatures frequently rose above freezing. [Read more…] about Diapause & Insect Winter Inactivity

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature Tagged With: Climate Change, ice, insects, snow, Wildlife, winter

Rehabilitation of Lows Lake Lower Dam Has Begun

January 14, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

lows lakeThe gate on the access road leading to the Bog River Dam, also known as Lows Lake Lower Dam, in the town of Piercefield, St. Lawrence County, closed December 6th, to allow for construction to maintain the Adirondack dam. [Read more…] about Rehabilitation of Lows Lake Lower Dam Has Begun

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Dams, Adirondacks, Bog River, DEC, Hitchens Pond, Horseshoe Lake, Lows Lake, paddling, Piercefield, St Lawrence County

Avoid Close Encounters with Marine Mammals

January 14, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

blue whale courtesy DECNew Yorkers along coastal shores are reminded to keep a safe distance from marine mammals and resist the urge to intervene when an animal comes ashore. Marine mammals, which include whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seals, are protected by federal and state laws to ensure they are not harmed and to keep people at a safe distance. [Read more…] about Avoid Close Encounters with Marine Mammals

Filed Under: Nature, New York City, Recreation Tagged With: Atlantic Ocean, dolphins, Long Island, Marine Life, New York Harbor, porpoises, Seals, whales, Wildlife

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