New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers responded to multiple backcountry incidents from August 18th through August 22nd. These included lost and injured hikers, stranded and injured boaters, an injured cliff jumper and more. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Respond to Lost, Injured Outdoor Recreationists
Boquet River
Adk Stream Crossing Restored After Boquet Barrier Removed
This summer the Ausable Freshwater Center (AFC) finished a stream restoration at the Moss Road crossing of the North Branch Boquet River in the Town of Lewis, in Essex County, NY, by removing two old, undersized culverts to restore a natural river channel.
The culverts that had constricted the river and blocked fish for decades are now gone, and a natural channel carries the river through the road crossing. The project reconnected some 50 miles of Adirondack river and coldwater tributary habitat. [Read more…] about Adk Stream Crossing Restored After Boquet Barrier Removed
William Gilliland: An Irish Immigrant Lake Champlain Settler
William Gilliland was born in 1734 in Caddy, Northern Ireland. His father died while he was a boy and his mother re-married. He was said to have been talented and ambitious and initially sought to establish himself in business and society in the city of Armagh.
However, a frowned-upon liaison with the daughter of a local upper class family caused him to seek his fortune elsewhere. [Read more…] about William Gilliland: An Irish Immigrant Lake Champlain Settler
New Project To Monitor Atlantic Salmon in Boquet River
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has begun a collaborative project with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the town of Willsboro, in Essex County, to improve monitoring of spawning Atlantic salmon in the Boquet River.
Much of the Boquet River salmon fishery occurs below the dam and fishway in Willsboro. DEC and partners hope to evaluate various management strategies to improve the Atlantic salmon population. [Read more…] about New Project To Monitor Atlantic Salmon in Boquet River
Get ‘Stream Wise’: The Lake Champlain Watershed Initiative
Healthy streams are home to diverse fish and wildlife, provide vital drinking water, and create recreation and relaxation opportunities.
Historically, they’ve often been impacted by various land uses that disturb native shoreline vegetation, put water quality at risk and increase flood potential. [Read more…] about Get ‘Stream Wise’: The Lake Champlain Watershed Initiative
Project Rearing Atlantic Salmon for the Saranac River Enters Final Year
A five-year project experimenting with raising Atlantic Salmon in Lake Champlain on the Saranac River estuary is entering it final year. The project team is studying how to increase returns of the popular fish to the Saranac River to spawn each year on their own. [Read more…] about Project Rearing Atlantic Salmon for the Saranac River Enters Final Year
DEC Rebuilds Damaged Boquet River Fishing Access Site
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Region 5 recently coordinated with the Town of Willsboro (with assistance from Trout Unlimited and Boquet River Association) to rebuild an angler access site on the river near a popular salmon fishing pool.
The Boquet River in Essex County is the steepest river in New York State, and is more prone to erosion and storm damage, in part due to the channelizing of the river. [Read more…] about DEC Rebuilds Damaged Boquet River Fishing Access Site
Historic Boquet River Bridge Replaced Along State Route 22
An historic bridge carrying State Route 22 over the Boquet River in the Town of Essex, Essex County, NY, has been replaced with a new $3.4 million single span, steel girder bridge.
Route 22 is one of the longest north-south highways in New York, and one of the oldest components of the State’s highway system, running along the eastern edge of the state from The Bronx to the hamlet of Mooers in Clinton County near the Canadian border. [Read more…] about Historic Boquet River Bridge Replaced Along State Route 22
Forest Rangers Rescue Adirondack Hikers, Fight Upstate Wildfire
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 and engage in policing on New York State Lands.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Rescue Adirondack Hikers, Fight Upstate Wildfire
The Tale of a Lake Champlain Tsunami
The sharpest contrast between rivers and lakes is in water movement. While rivers flow inexorably downhill, lake water movement is more subtle. Anyone who has weathered a storm on a lake, however, can attest that less consistent water movement does not mean no water movement at all.
In fact, at one point, about 5,000 years ago, it seems a tsunami formed on Lake Champlain. [Read more…] about The Tale of a Lake Champlain Tsunami
Naturally Reproducing Atlantic Salmon Returning to the Lake Champlain Basin
In 2019, for only the third time in 150 years, scientists found wild Atlantic salmon fry in the Boquet River, a tributary of Lake Champlain in Essex County. The long-term effort to restore self-sustaining, naturally reproduced populations of salmon to the Lake Champlain basin appears to be on the verge of success. [Read more…] about Naturally Reproducing Atlantic Salmon Returning to the Lake Champlain Basin
Saranac and Boquet River Creel Survey Underway
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is conducting a pilot survey on the Saranac and Boquet rivers to complement the Lake Champlain Angler Creel survey. [Read more…] about Saranac and Boquet River Creel Survey Underway
Boquet River Farm Easement Protects Salmon Fishery
294 acres of farmland with more than two miles of natural forest along the Boquet River and associated tributaries, have been brought under a permanent conservation easement in a deal between the Adirondack Land Trust and the landowners, the Gillilland family.
The Boquet River, a major tributary of Lake Champlain that drops 2,700 feet over its 47-mile course from the Adirondack High Peaks to the lake, provides critical spawning habitat for salmon and other native fish. [Read more…] about Boquet River Farm Easement Protects Salmon Fishery
Rangers Find Gun, Weed; Rescue Unprepared, Injured, Ill Hikers & More
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 Rangers Find Gun, Weed; Rescue Unprepared, Injured, Ill Hikers & More
New York’s Fall Salmon Migration
Each fall, tributaries to the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain are home to salmon returning to spawn. This can make for some exciting fish watching as salmon move upstream and jump or otherwise navigate various obstructions on their way to their desired spawning sites. [Read more…] about New York’s Fall Salmon Migration
Schenectady and the Adirondacks: A Legacy of Conservation
Schenectady has a long history of its residents being active in conservation and outdoor recreation – in Schenectady County and in the wilderness of the North Country, alike.
Schenectadians’ interest in protecting and exploring wilderness has its roots in the mid 1800s with industrialization and westward expansion. The wilderness was at risk of disappearing, and influential nature lovers used their writings to convince Americans that preserving land and wildlife was vital. Many Americans, including people in Schenectady, could easily see the case for this. [Read more…] about Schenectady and the Adirondacks: A Legacy of Conservation