Nature

More Deer, Bear Hunting Seasons Begin This Weekend

November 19, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The 2020-21 regular deer and bear hunting seasons in New York’s Southern Zone begin at sunrise on Saturday, November 21st, and continue through Sunday, December 13th.

The Southern Zone regular season is New York’s most popular hunting season, with participation from about 85 percent of New York’s 550,000 licensed hunters. Animals killed during this hunting season account for nearly 60 percent of the total statewide deer take and 30 to 60 percent of the statewide bear take. [Read more…] about More Deer, Bear Hunting Seasons Begin This Weekend

Watch Out for Whales in New York Waters

November 19, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York’s marine waters are home to various marine life, including large whales. Whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and boaters must stay at least 500 yards (1,500 feet) away from North Atlantic right whales and at least 100 yards from all other whales. [Read more…] about Watch Out for Whales in New York Waters

Man Catches State Record Pumpkinseed

November 18, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that the state record for a pumpkinseed has officially been tied by a catch on the Black River earlier this year.

OSI Protects Land Near West Mountain, Warren County

November 18, 2020 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Building on more than three decades of protecting land in and around the Adirondack Park, the Open Space Institute (OSI) has announced the permanent protection of land in the Town of Lake Luzerne.

The newly protected 1,260-acre “West Mountain” property is located west of the West Mountain Ski Area, between the southeastern boundary of the Adirondack Park and Moreau Lake State Park and adjacent to Ralph Road State Forest.

Lake George Invasive Species Infestation Update

November 17, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and partners are reporting that they have completed this year’s treatment to control and prevent the spread of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) on New York State “Forever Wild” Forest Preserve lands at Lake George in Washington County, as part of an ongoing, multi-year effort.

DEC confirmed the HWA infestation in August. The affected hemlock trees were located in the Glen Island Campground on the shore of Lake George, along the shoreline of Shelving Rock Special Management Area, at the Buck Mountain Trailhead, and on Dome Island. [Read more…] about Lake George Invasive Species Infestation Update

Winter Bird Feeding 101: A Free Webinar

November 17, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has announced Winter Bird Feeding 101, a free webinar set for this Thursday, November 19th. [Read more…] about Winter Bird Feeding 101: A Free Webinar

Hudson River Dam History: The Big Hadley And Glen Dams

November 16, 2020 by Mike Prescott 3 Comments

One day as my wife and I and our dogs walked along River Road at Riparius on the Hudson River, my wife said to me in a folksy manner “just think all this water here, is on its way to New York City.”

It’s true the Hudson River has flowed out of the Adirondack Mountains for millennia, southward towards the Atlantic Ocean. And over the last two centuries or so there have been plans to dam the Upper Hudson for one reason or another. Most of those plans have dealt with using the water resources for some down state endeavor. [Read more…] about Hudson River Dam History: The Big Hadley And Glen Dams

Migrants and Residents: Canada Geese

November 15, 2020 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

A large V of Canada geese flying noisily over my head – and traveling north, rather than south – got me wondering about the ins and outs of fall migration. Shouldn’t these big birds be flying to warmer climes this time of year?

Why do they travel in that V-formation, anyway? [Read more…] about Migrants and Residents: Canada Geese

Elms: The Giving Tree

November 14, 2020 by Paul Hetzler 1 Comment

For thousands of years, the American elm (Ulmus americana) was the go-to tree for building supplies and home furnishings, kind of a Home Depot of the forest.

For the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and other First Nations peoples, it provided roofing and walls for longhouses measuring over a hundred feet long, as well as for smaller dwellings and outbuildings.

Elm also furnished top-notch material to make items as diverse as ladles, canoes, trays, snow shovels, grain scoops, baskets, and containers of all sizes. [Read more…] about Elms: The Giving Tree

The Life of Voles

November 14, 2020 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Bent down in an apple field searching for a lost earring, I found a different treasure: a stout mouse-like animal, with a short tail and stubby ears.

It gave me one quick look, then disappeared through a maze of tunnels in the thick autumn grass. I would have loved to follow this meadow vole, like Alice and her white rabbit, to find out where it was planning to spend its winter. [Read more…] about The Life of Voles