Nature

$4.5M for Buffalo Center for Plastic Recycling Research and Innovation

May 6, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced $4.5 million is being awarded to the State University of New York’s University at Buffalo to create a new Center for Plastic Recycling Research and Innovation and support crucial work to reduce plastic waste.

This expanded academic partnership will improve plastics recycling by researching the development of secondary recyclable markets to ease the financial burdens on municipal recycling programs and streamline the recycling process, especially with certain types of lower-grade plastics. [Read more…] about $4.5M for Buffalo Center for Plastic Recycling Research and Innovation

11th Annual ‘I Love My Park’ Day On Saturday, May 7th

May 5, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks), the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) has announced that registration is now open for the 11th annual I Love My Park Day, which will be held on Saturday, May 7th, at state parks, historic sites and public lands across New York.

This statewide event is a volunteer initiative to enhance parks, historic sites and public lands and raise awareness and visibility to the state outdoor recreation assets and their needs. [Read more…] about 11th Annual ‘I Love My Park’ Day On Saturday, May 7th

Public’s Assistance Sought With Jefferson County Deer Poaching

May 5, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is asking the public for information about a deer poaching incident that occurred on April 25th, 2022, in the area of Pillar Point in the town of Brownville, Jefferson County, between midnight and 5 am. [Read more…] about Public’s Assistance Sought With Jefferson County Deer Poaching

Rangers Respond to Brush Fires, Injured Hiker

May 5, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Rangers Respond to Brush Fires, Injured Hiker

Logging The Adirondacks From The West (1800-1820)

May 2, 2022 by Noel Sherry 6 Comments

In the nineteenth century Lewis County settlements east of the Black River were just getting established; most of these included at least one saw mill. By 1820 these settlements were beginning to push their way up the rivers into the Adirondacks, and new mills were being built along their courses. A Copenhagen, NY farmer on Tug Hill, viewing the Adirondack panorama spread out to his east, wrote the following in a Journal & Republican article titled “North Woods Wonder:”

“All the wilderness is strewn with lakes as if some great mirror had been shattered by an Almighty hand, and scattered through the forests for Nature to make her toilet by … And how the rivers meander the woods as the veins of a human hand. There are Beaver, Moose, and Indian, Bog, Grass and Racket… And how rough and shaggy the wilderness is with mountains … Let them pass unnamed.”

One of these “shattered” gems was Twitchell Lake. [Read more…] about Logging The Adirondacks From The West (1800-1820)

Hudson Valley Segment of Statewide Birding Trail Opens

May 2, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the grand opening of the Hudson Valley segment of the New York State Birding Trail to highlight the State’s world-class and wide-ranging birding opportunities.

The Hudson Valley segment includes 39 locations on public lands throughout six counties, providing a variety of quality birding experiences for New Yorkers and visitors to enjoy. [Read more…] about Hudson Valley Segment of Statewide Birding Trail Opens

New Exhibit, The Story of American Waterbirds, Opens Saturday

May 2, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Genesee Country Village & Museum, a 19th-century living history museum covering more than 600 acres located in the town of Wheatland, Monroe County, NY, about 20 miles from Rochester, will open “Duck, Duck, Shoot! The Story of American Waterbirds,” a new exhibit in the John L. Wehle Gallery focused on the history of waterfowling in nineteenth-century America, on Saturday, May 7th. [Read more…] about New Exhibit, The Story of American Waterbirds, Opens Saturday

150+ Acres Protected in Chemung, Tompkins Counties

May 1, 2022 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) have announced the protection of more than 150 acres following two State acquisitions in Chemung and Tompkins counties.

A 104-acre parcel with more than 4,000 feet of streambank along the Chemung River will be added to the Big Flats Wildlife Management Area in the town of Big Flats, Chemung County. Fifty wooded acres in the town of Caroline, Tompkins County, will be added to DEC’s Danby State Forest. [Read more…] about 150+ Acres Protected in Chemung, Tompkins Counties

Birding Spotlight: Long Island’s Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge

April 30, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge, a 187-acre peninsula on Long Island‘s Noyack and Little Peconic Bays, boasts exceptionally diverse birding habitats. Sandy and rocky beaches fringe the peninsula, while wooded bluffs overlook the bays. The refuge consists of upland forest, fields, ponds, salt marsh, beach, and a lagoon. [Read more…] about Birding Spotlight: Long Island’s Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge

Northeastern Stream Salamanders

April 30, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The life cycles of the three species of stream salamanders native to the Northeast – northern two-lined, northern dusky, and spring – are closely tied to the small streams where they are found. All three species belong to the Plethodontidae family, which are lungless salamanders that breathe through their skin.

Stream salamanders forage for small invertebrates both on land and in water and have a lengthy aquatic larval stage during which breathing is done with gills. The presence and persistence of these amphibians, therefore, can be greatly affected by the condition of the forested buffer along streams, as well as other factors, including atmospheric pollution. [Read more…] about Northeastern Stream Salamanders