Nature

Wildflower Public Relations Failures

November 5, 2021 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

Some beneficial wild plants suffer from reputation: To nettle someone means to annoy them, and nettle plants are in fact covered with hollow micro-spikes that inject a skin irritant. But nettles are also an early-spring cooked green par excellence.

Other plants are victims of poor branding. Critical to the survival of monarch butterflies, milkweed is delicious when cooked. Jewelweed, native to wetlands, contains a sap which counteracts poison ivy, and its orange or yellow orchid-like flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Yet both plants have names which define them as undesirable. [Read more…] about Wildflower Public Relations Failures

Environmental History of Niagara Falls (Podcast)

November 5, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The latest episode of Empire State Engagements features a conversation with Dr. Daniel Macfarlane about his book Fixing Niagara Falls: Environment, Energy, and Engineers at the World’s Most Famous Waterfall (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2020).

He discussed conflicting meanings of the falls for Indigenous People, sojourners mesmerized by their beauty, and entrepreneurs with utilitarian industrial visions and dreams of hydroelectric generation; the political dilemmas of managing such a valuable yet vulnerable resource on an international border; the role of Robert Moses in ramrodding power projects to completion in the postwar period; the remarkable re-engineering and re-construction of the falls themselves; de-watering Niagara; and the enduring appeal and splendor of the falls today, despite their “artificial” nature. [Read more…] about Environmental History of Niagara Falls (Podcast)

New Regs For Wildlife Management Areas Regulate Guns, Dogs & Motors

November 5, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the adoption of new regulations governing the public use of Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) and the simultaneous repeal of three area-specific regulations.

These regulations will become effective January 1, 2022. DEC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife manages 125 WMAs and several Unique and Multiple Use Areas across the state. Collectively known as the WMA system, these areas comprise nearly 250,000 acres. [Read more…] about New Regs For Wildlife Management Areas Regulate Guns, Dogs & Motors

Comments Sought On Tug Hill East Management Plan

November 4, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that it is now accepting public comments on the draft Unit Management Plan (UMP) for Tug Hill East through December 15th.

The draft UMP covers 22,886 acres of land in seven State Forests, one unique area, and 13 detached Forest Preserve parcels in the Lewis County towns of Lewis, Martinsburg, Osceola, Turin, and West Turin, the Oneida County town of Ava, and the Oswego County town of Redfield. [Read more…] about Comments Sought On Tug Hill East Management Plan

Tivoli Bay Boat Launch Improvements

November 1, 2021 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

The newly improved Tivoli Bay Boat launch offers an updated tidal freshwater wetland experience.

Tivoli Bays Wildlife Management Area & Research Reserve extends for two miles along the east shore of the Hudson River between the villages of Tivoli and Barrytown, in the Dutchess County town of Red Hook. [Read more…] about Tivoli Bay Boat Launch Improvements

Bat Week: Two More Caveless, Summer-Only Bats

October 31, 2021 by Ellen Rathbone Leave a Comment

The hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) and the silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) are caveless, summer-only bats and also our only other chiropteran residents that have striking coloration.

Size is relative. To my cat, I am rather large; to my dog, not so much. A blade of grass to an ant is like a small tree to you and me. So when I tell you that our largest bat, the hoary bat, has a wingspan of 15 to 16 inches and a body over six inches in length, you must realize that this is a significant bat, even if it weighs only about an ounce.

The Return of River Otters to Western New York

October 31, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), a member of the weasel family, is about 3-4 feet long including their tails. They have a streamlined body, short legs with fully webbed feet, a muscular tail, and dense, short, glossy fur — all of which aid them in being excellent swimmers. They also have close-able nostrils and ears for swimming and foraging underwater.

Historically, river otter could be found throughout New York, but they declined due to unregulated hunting, habitat destruction, and water pollution.

In the early 1990s, the river otter was only found in the eastern half of New York State. [Read more…] about The Return of River Otters to Western New York

Bat Week: New York’s Smallest Cave-Dwelling Bats

October 30, 2021 by Ellen Rathbone Leave a Comment

There are a number of species of cave bats in New York State, but today I am going to introduce you to just two: the eastern small-footed bat (Myotis leibii leibii) and the eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus).

The small-footed bat, as you no doubt guessed, is noted for its petite terminal appendages: it has small feet, only about six millimeters long. I’ve never seen any data on the size of other bats’ feet, but one must suppose that they are significantly larger with respect to the size of the bats in question. [Read more…] about Bat Week: New York’s Smallest Cave-Dwelling Bats

‘Uninvited: The Spread of Invasive Species’ Premieres Nov 1st

October 30, 2021 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Uninvited: The Spread of Invasive Species, a new film from Westfield Production Company and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation is set to premiere November 1st. Uninvited covers the damage that invasive species are causing to New York’s natural environment, communities, and economy. [Read more…] about ‘Uninvited: The Spread of Invasive Species’ Premieres Nov 1st

Bat Week: Little and Big Brown Bats

October 29, 2021 by Ellen Rathbone Leave a Comment

The little brown (Myotis lucifugus) and big brown (Eptesicus fuscus) bats are furry cave-dwellers who have been most heavily impacted by the fungus-based disease now known as white-nose syndrome (WNS).

Every hibernaculum in New York was diagnosed with the disease, and in some of the caves, these bats experienced over 90% mortality. It’s a sobering fact. [Read more…] about Bat Week: Little and Big Brown Bats