The Finger Lakes Museum has finalized their program calendar for the 2022 season, with three programs taking place in February. Cross country skiing at Cumming Nature Center takes place on February 5th, snowshoeing at Keuka Lake State Park occurs the following weekend on February 12th and ice fishing on February 19th rounds out the month’s events. [Read more…] about Finger Lakes Museum Hosting Winter Sports Programs, Revamps Wetland Property
Recreation
Look for Wildlife Tracks in Winter
Now is a great time to search for winter tracks or other animal signs visible in the snow. It can be fun to be a detective and figure out what animals have been walking through your yard or across a trail. [Read more…] about Look for Wildlife Tracks in Winter
NYS Canal System Hand-Launch Facility Design Guide Available
In response to a dramatic increase in canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards on the NYS Canal System, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has published the New York State Canal System Hand-Launch Facility Design Guide.
The free guide shares best practices for communities, businesses, and organizations looking to install or improve hand-launch facilities for paddlers. [Read more…] about NYS Canal System Hand-Launch Facility Design Guide Available
Central NY’s Berry Hill Fire Tower is Now Open to Visitors
The New York State Department of Conservation has announced that the Berry Hill fire tower in the town of McDonough, Chenango County, is open for recreation after the completion of interior and exterior upgrades to enhance safety and accessibility.
Berry Hill is the only fire tower open for recreation on public lands in Central New York and is one of the highest points in Chenango County. [Read more…] about Central NY’s Berry Hill Fire Tower is Now Open to Visitors
DEC Names First Woman, Karen Przyklek, Director of Division of Law Enforcement
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos has named Captain Karen Przyklek as the Director of DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement. Przyklek’s promotion follows a successful 26-year career with the Division during which she played a role investigating environmental crimes.
Pryzklek makes history as the division’s first female director. [Read more…] about DEC Names First Woman, Karen Przyklek, Director of Division of Law Enforcement
Forest Rangers Make Rescue at Kaaterskill Falls, Recover Body in the Adirondacks
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 Forest Rangers Make Rescue at Kaaterskill Falls, Recover Body in the Adirondacks
Snowmobile Racing in New York State: Some History
In the motor toboggan era – the time before the advent of the modern snowmobiles we know today – motor sleds had been too slow for racing excitement. As a result they remained strictly utilitarian vehicles racing only occasionally for promotional purposes. Motor toboggan and later snowmobile maker Polaris traveled each year at the end of the 1950s to trapper festivals at The Pas, Manitoba where they helped organize ad hoc races.
“We tried to rig them a little bit so we had a zig-zag effect,” David Johnson said, remembering one of the first informal races, “one guy ahead, and then the other, and so on, at a terrific speed of about 20 miles per hour.” In February 1959, Johnson won the first organized men’s race on an oval at The Pas and in 1960, the first cross-country race was held there. [Read more…] about Snowmobile Racing in New York State: Some History
Winter In the Catskills: The Columbia Ski Resort
It is unlikely that when he built the hotel with the spectacular vistas in 1891 John Harms Knapp envisioned it ever being a year-around resort, let alone one that advertised “superlative skiing,” and yet that is exactly what the Columbia Hotel in Hurleyville in the Catskills became in the early 1960s.
And of all the ski areas in Sullivan County — from Glen Hill to Christmas Hills — the Columbia’s was among the most successful, albeit for a relatively short time. [Read more…] about Winter In the Catskills: The Columbia Ski Resort
Round Whitefish Egg Collection Completed in the Adirondacks
In December, Bureau of Fisheries staff from DEC’s Adirondack Fish Hatchery completed its annual egg collection for round whitefish. Based on the time of year they spawn, collecting them can be a bit of a challenge if ice starts to form.
That wasn’t the case this year, but staff braved the chilly waters to net 119 fish and collect a total of 77,000 eggs from Little Green and Cascade Ponds. [Read more…] about Round Whitefish Egg Collection Completed in the Adirondacks
Woodhull Dam Fish Passage Construction Underway
DEC, Suffolk County, town of Southampton, and Peconic Estuary Partnership (PEP) announced the start of construction on a nearly $1 million fish passage through Woodhull Dam on the Little River in Riverhead.
The fish passage is essential to restoring critical spawning and maturation habitat for river herring and American eel and will help produce sustainable populations of fish species that are valuable resources for a healthy and productive marine ecosystem. [Read more…] about Woodhull Dam Fish Passage Construction Underway