New York State Forest Rangers and local fire departments have been battling numerous wildfires that burned about 13 acres around New York State since May 23rd, including one at the Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site. Several of the fires were started from illegal burning. Several tickets were issued and other fires were still being investigated on Thursday. [Read more…] about Wildfire At Bennington Battlefield One Of Several Across New York State
Recreation
New York State Invests $10 Million in Ticonderoga Downtown Revitalization
Awarded a $10 million grant in January, 2023 to revitalize its downtown, Ticonderoga in Essex County, NY, has launched the public planning process that will determine how best – and most strategically – to use the new funds. Ticonderoga is a historic community which lies between Lake George and Lake Champlain and is home to Fort Ticonderoga. [Read more…] about New York State Invests $10 Million in Ticonderoga Downtown Revitalization
Rangers Rescue Unprepared Climber at Colden Trap Dike
On May 29 at 5:30 pm, Ray Brook Dispatch requested New York State Forest Ranger assistance with a solo free climber stranded on the Trap Dike slide on 4,715-foot Mount Colden in the Adirondack High Peaks in the town of Keene, Essex County. [Read more…] about Rangers Rescue Unprepared Climber at Colden Trap Dike
How the Bayport Blue Point Phantoms Got Their Name
On the latest Long Island History Project podcast Stephanie Eberhard-Holgerson’s journalism class at Bayport Blue Point (BBP) High School in Islip tries to solve a mystery. At the suggestion of BBP’s librarian Pam Gustafson, the class has spent the last year looking into the school’s mascot, The Phantoms. The takeaway is that the straightforward question “where did the name come from” has yielded a very convoluted answer. [Read more…] about How the Bayport Blue Point Phantoms Got Their Name
When Sullivan County Was A Sportsman’s Paradise
Long before the Ontario and Western Railway touted the healing environment that was Sullivan County beginning in the 1880s, the Erie Railroad had been established along the county’s western edge. By 1850, the Erie had been completed through the county, and it was largely through its promotional efforts that the upper Delaware Valley began to receive notice as “a sportsmen’s paradise.”
By the 1870s, hundreds of people were traveling each weekend to dozens of resorts in the approximately 60-mile-long valley from the Delaware Water Gap to Narrowsburg. These people were drawn here by the river, lakes, and streams. They came to fish and to boat and to hunt. [Read more…] about When Sullivan County Was A Sportsman’s Paradise
Man Plans 200+ Mile Otsego County Thru-Hike for Charity
Tom Walsh, a 65-year-old hiker and cancer survivor, is planning to walk to all 20 state forests in Otsego County as well as five Otsego Land Trust conservation areas on a continuous thru-hike that will cover more than 200 miles. Starting from his home in Worcester, NY on or about June 1, the hike will take him through all 24 Otsego County towns. [Read more…] about Man Plans 200+ Mile Otsego County Thru-Hike for Charity
Hatchery Highlight: South Otselic Fish Hatchery
The South Otselic Fish Hatchery is located in South Otselic, about 15 miles west of Sherburne.in Chenango County, and raises walleye and brook trout. [Read more…] about Hatchery Highlight: South Otselic Fish Hatchery
Lake Ontario Fisheries Public Meetings Planned
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Bureau of Fisheries Chief, Lake Ontario Unit Leader, and respective regional fisheries managers will be on-hand at two upcoming public meetings hosted by DEC partners in Rochester and Mexico, Oswego County, NY. DEC experts will talk about the current state of the Lake Ontario sport fisheries and take questions on a wide array of management actions and research taking place on the lake and tributaries. [Read more…] about Lake Ontario Fisheries Public Meetings Planned
Fourth Lake Boat Launch Improvements
The Fourth Lake Boat Launch in the town of Inlet, Hamilton County, has reopened for the season after closing last fall to undergo rehabilitation repairs and improvements. Improvements include new pavement, line striping, directional arrows, new kiosk, and new access dock. In addition, fencing was installed along the property border. [Read more…] about Fourth Lake Boat Launch Improvements
Record Broken for Oldest Bear Hunter
When New York State’s big game biologists began compiling the black bear hunting data from this past hunting season, they noticed something unique. Nothing about the black bears reported by hunters or checked by taxidermists seemed out of the ordinary, but there was an outlier in the distribution of the ages of successful hunters. [Read more…] about Record Broken for Oldest Bear Hunter