This round-up of Adirondack conservation news is a collection of the most current events taking place in New York’s Adirondack Park, a unique national treasure and legacy we inherited over 100 years ago that we must protect for future generations. [Read more…] about Adirondack Conservation News: 5 Things You Need to Know
alpine ecology
Catskills Montane Breeding Bird Survey Underway
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is partnering with the Cary Institute, NY Natural Heritage Program, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, and SUNY New Paltz biology department to monitor birds, such as the Bicknell’s thrush, that nest in rare mountaintop habitats. [Read more…] about Catskills Montane Breeding Bird Survey Underway
Hikers Advised to Avoid High-Elevation Trails and Trails that Cross Rivers and Streams
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued a high-water advisory following recent heavy rains and is urging hikers to postpone hikes near waterways and on high-elevation trails. DEC advises hikers on how to recreate safely and reduce negative impacts on trails to help protect natural resources throughout the Adirondack Park during this time. [Read more…] about Hikers Advised to Avoid High-Elevation Trails and Trails that Cross Rivers and Streams
Report: Crowds Impacting Adirondack High Peaks
The Adirondack Council has released a report commissioned in early 2021 looking at visitation and recreation patterns in specific areas of the High Peaks Wilderness Complex in the Adirondacks. [Read more…] about Report: Crowds Impacting Adirondack High Peaks
Help Monitor Alpine Birds in the Catskills and Adirondacks
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the field season for Mountain Birdwatch is underway for the month of June, and is seeking volunteers. This project, headed up by Jason Hill with Vermont Center for Ecostudies, is carried out on mountaintops across the northeast and involves point count surveys for 10 target alpine bird species. [Read more…] about Help Monitor Alpine Birds in the Catskills and Adirondacks
Reindeer Lichen: Fungus and Algae Living Together
One of the primary winter foods for reindeer is reindeer lichen, also known as reindeer moss. These are puffy, many-branched, pale green or grayish-white lichens up to 4½ inches tall, spongy to the touch when damp.
Multiple species of reindeer lichen cover extensive areas of ground in the Arctic tundra and Canadian boreal forest and also grow on mountain summits and at other sites throughout the Northeast. [Read more…] about Reindeer Lichen: Fungus and Algae Living Together
Birding Spotlight: Bicknell’s Thrush
On the cold, coniferous mountaintops of the Catskills and Adirondacks lives a native bird that is a High Priority Species of Greatest Conservation Need: the Bicknell’s Thrush.
Nesting in the low branches of stunted conifers, Bicknell’s Thrush exclusively relies on high altitude spruce-fir forests in the northeast to nest and raise chicks. Bicknell’s Thrush is considered one of the most at-risk songbirds in eastern North America and highly vulnerable to habitat loss. [Read more…] about Birding Spotlight: Bicknell’s Thrush
Northeast Mountain Ecology: A Primer
Hikers climbing the Northeast’s highest peaks will traverse several different vegetative zones along the way. On the summits, they’ll likely encounter plants so hardy that many also grow in the Arctic, thousands of miles to the north. [Read more…] about Northeast Mountain Ecology: A Primer