History, Natural History & the Arts
While hiking in the woods, you may have noticed lichen on trees and rocks. Often mistaken as a plant or moss, lichen is a complex symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae.
Lichen receives its nutrients from photosynthesis, relying on the atmosphere to survive. They cannot filter what they absorb because they lack roots and protective surfaces. [Read more…] about Lichens & Air Quality
Cladophora is a type of stringy (filamentous) algae that grows on rocks, wood, logs, and other hard underwater surfaces in freshwater ecosystems, including the Great Lakes basin. If you spot this type of stringy algae along New York’s Great Lakes beaches and shorelines, including Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the Niagara River or the St. Lawrence River, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) wants to know. [Read more…] about Report Cladophora Algae Along Great Lakes, Niagara, St. Lawrence River Shorelines
Cyanobacteria blooms have closed beaches regularly this summer across New York State. While it may feel like a nuisance to not be able to cool off at your local beach, these blooms force swimming areas to close because they can be dangerous. To protect yourself, your loved ones, and pets, it is important that you understand how to recognize them and what you should do if a bloom is present at a beach you visit. [Read more…] about Beach Closures: Cyanobacteria and Phosphorus in New York’s Lakes