The GreenNY Council has released the 11th Greening New York State report (PDF), the first under Executive Order #22, “Leading by Example: Directing State Agencies to Adopt a Sustainability and Decarbonization Program,” signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in September 2022. [Read more…] about State Agencies Declare Progress on Reducing Environmental Footprint
Climate Change
When North Meets South: Flying Squirrel Hybrids
It’s evening, and you’re in the forest. You close your eyes and inhale the sharp, sweet, turpentine scent of pine. The air is still, yet the branches overhead seem to nod at your presence. You shine a flashlight and catch a glimpse: a fleeting, tiny ball of fur, arms and legs outstretched, tail like a rudder, gliding through the night. It lands on a tree trunk, pauses, then launches itself again. A flying squirrel, in its glory. [Read more…] about When North Meets South: Flying Squirrel Hybrids
Study: As City Heat Rises, Bird Diversity Declines
Humans aren’t the only ones leaving town when city heat becomes unbearable. A study done on 336 cities in China concludes that heat-retaining buildings and paved surfaces are directly related to a loss in bird diversity. These findings from scientists at Zhejiang University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. [Read more…] about Study: As City Heat Rises, Bird Diversity Declines
University at Albany Science and Technology Entry Program
Founded in 1986, the University at Albany’s Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) works to promote diversity, equity, and the inclusion of historically underrepresented high school students pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). [Read more…] about University at Albany Science and Technology Entry Program
Climate Change & Lake Champlain’s Underwater History
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is dedicated to inspiring people to make personal connections to Lake Champlain through our region’s history, ecology, and archeology.
For the Museum’s archaeology team, this work of making connections includes conducting ongoing archeological research, on land and underwater; caring for our collection of artifacts and research; and managing Lake Champlain’s underwater cultural resources and the Lake Champlain Underwater Historic Preserves, a unique system of shipwrecks in the lake open for divers to explore each May–October.
The flooding and ongoing climate change are threats to our work, Lake Champlain, and the lake’s shipwrecks and other underwater cultural resources. [Read more…] about Climate Change & Lake Champlain’s Underwater History
Cracked: The Future of Dams in a Hot, Chaotic World
Throughout history, humans have dammed rivers at the cost of wild fish, Indigenous people, forested land, and healthy watersheds. Adding to the havoc of today’s climate-change-induced weather extremes and water shortages, science says there’s no future for the business of dam-building.
A new book offers hope for the dam removal movement and how it will contribute to the mitigation of the climate crisis: when we free the rivers, watersheds are restored and Earth heals itself. In Cracked: The Future of Dams in a Hot, Chaotic World (Patagonia, 2023) author Steven Hawley, an Oregon-based environmental journalist and documentary filmmaker, delivers the full, ugly truth about dams and offers a pathway toward freeing our rivers. [Read more…] about Cracked: The Future of Dams in a Hot, Chaotic World
A Wing and a Prayer: Saving Our Vanishing Birds
After hearing the news in 2019 that nearly 3 billion birds have been lost in the United States and Canada during the past 50 years, Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal traveled more than 25,000 miles across the Americas, chronicling the efforts of conservationists, scientists, and politicians to save bird species from extinction. [Read more…] about A Wing and a Prayer: Saving Our Vanishing Birds
Bear Mountain State Park, Appalachian Trail Remain Closed 4 Weeks After Storm
Bear Mountain State Park is closed due to damage from a heavy rainstorm and flash floods on Sunday, July 9th. The storm’s epicenter landed near West Point, NY, where as much as 9 inches of rain fell in less than six hours – an unprecedented amount that overwhelmed local infrastructure and landscapes.
There was tragic loss of life and destruction in nearby towns, and the floods caused significant damage in nearby Palisades Parks and closed the Appalachian Trail. [Read more…] about Bear Mountain State Park, Appalachian Trail Remain Closed 4 Weeks After Storm
Wake of the Flood: A Lake Champlain Report
It has been two weeks since flooding devastated many communities in the Lake Champlain watershed and throughout the states of New York and Vermont. The heavy rains lasted for days and sent rivers and streams over their banks, pouring into homes and businesses and carrying a swill of debris, nutrients, sediment, untreated wastewater, chemicals, and more into Lake Champlain.
If you live in an area not directly affected it may be hard to understand the monumental impact. [Read more…] about Wake of the Flood: A Lake Champlain Report
Swimmers & Anglers: Give Trout A Break In This Summer’s Heat
You know who isn’t a huge fan of summer? Trout. Summer heat waves impose serious stress and can even cause death. Trout and salmon that are already heat-stressed may not recover after being caught and released.
You can help these fish survive the summer by following a few simple tips: [Read more…] about Swimmers & Anglers: Give Trout A Break In This Summer’s Heat