History, Natural History & the Arts
Ongoing dry conditions, fallen leaves and illegal burning led to an outbreak of multiple wildfires across New York State from Orange to Essex to Onondaga Counties this past week.
One fire of nearly 40 acres is still burning near Piseco Lake in the Adirondacks. [Read more…] about Large Wildfire Burning at Piseco Lake
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued a Drought Watch for 20 New York counties because of a shortage of rainfall and declining levels of stream-flow and ground water. [Read more…] about Drought Watch Issued for 20 New York Counties
New York State is getting an early start this year on drought conditions and wildfires. Between April 14 and 21, Forest Rangers and local fire departments responded to fires in 10 counties across New York State which burned more than 37 acres of land.
Fires were reported in Albany, Clinton, Greene, Herkimer, Orange, Putnam, Saratoga, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington Counties [Read more…] about Drought Conditions, Fire Danger High: Wildfires Reported in 10 Upstate Counties
Recent dry and windy conditions have resulted in numerous wildfires across New York State. There are currently six active fires that have burned more than 6,000 acres. New York State has issued a Drought Warning and Very High fire danger in some regions.
Rangers remain on the scene of a 5,304-acre fire in the town of Warwick, Orange County. The Jennings Creek Fire, which straddles the New York and New Jersey border, is now 90 percent contained. [Read more…] about Wildfires, A Drought Warning, and High Fire Danger
In the last week several brush fires and wildfires have broken out throughout the NY Metropolitan area and lower Hudson Valley. In the Palisades region alone, more than 5,000 acres have already burned – an area roughly ⅓ the size of Manhattan.
These fires come on the heels of the driest October on record. [Read more…] about Update on Wildfires in the Lower Hudson River – Palisades Region
A New York State Parks employee has been killed in a tree-fall while part of a crew fighting what authorities are calling New York’s biggest wildfire this year. A number of fires have raged along the New York-New Jersey border since Friday, among very dry conditions.
The largest of these fire covers about 2,000 acres and threatens at least two homes along with eight structures in the Long Pond Ironworks State Park in West Milford, New Jersey, and parts of Sterling Forest State Park in the Town of Warwick, Orange County, NY at Greenwood Lake. [Read more…] about State Parks Employee Killed Fighting Forest Fire; Historic Area Threatened
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has declared a Drought Watch for 15 New York counties because of a significant shortage of rainfall and declining levels of streamflow and ground water. DEC is encouraging residents in affected counties, particularly those dependent on private groundwater wells, to conserve water whenever possible during the coming weeks. [Read more…] about New York State Drought Watch Declared for 15 Counties
This spring, we went the no-mow route on about a quarter-acre of our lawn, the last remaining groomed piece we hadn’t turned into vegetable garden or permanent meadow. What a relief! During the hottest, driest spells over the summer, the grass wasn’t growing anyway. The lawn we did mow during the drought – mostly pathways – turned unhappily brown. [Read more…] about Rethinking the Lawn: Cutting the Grass
Being first isn’t always a good thing. For example, trees that are first to have their leaves turn color are definitely losers. Premature autumn leaf color change is a reliable indicator of failing health, and the worse a tree’s condition, the sooner it begins to turn.
Although the display of colors that our hardwoods produce each autumn never fails to fill me with awe and appreciation, when it starts in late July or early August, it worries me. [Read more…] about Distressing Colors: Early Autumn Color Change
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that the State has expanded its Drought Watch to the Southern Tier drought region, which includes Cattaraugus, Alleghany, Steuben, and Chemung counties.
A drought watch remains in effect for four other State regions: Long Island, Upper Hudson/Mohawk, Adirondacks, and Great Lakes/St. Lawrence. [Read more…] about Five Regions Now on Statewide Drought Watch List
Hit and miss rain showers and scattered thunderstorms have provided much of the precipitation over the New York State during this past month.
This has allowed some locations to maintain an adequate level of soil moisture while causing conditions in other places to become especially dry. [Read more…] about In The Dirt: Earthworms and Drought
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