History, Natural History & the Arts
The NFL training camps have begun for another season, with the preseason beginning in mid-August.
During the 1960s the New York Football Giants would play a series of preseason games during a five year period at Cornell’s Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, NY, which would come to be called the Finger Lakes Pro Bowl. [Read more…] about The Finger Lakes Pro Bowls & The NY Giants
In June, 1883, Jefferson and Helen Beardsley of Ithaca, New York, were indicted, tried, and sentenced for “selling and exhibiting obscene pictures.”
In Smut: An 1883 Obscenity Trial and Its Echoes Today (Paul Dry Books, 2026), historian Carol Kammen draws directly from the trial transcript and reveals the fascinating history surrounding the case and its surprising relevance today. [Read more…] about Smut: An 1883 Obscenity Trial and Its Echoes Today
New York State Forest Rangers spent a busy week rescuing numerous people from backcountry dangers, including: a 77-year-old rescued by helicopter in the Adirondack High Peaks; Lows Lake campers stranded by a violent storm; a teen medical emergency near Cranberry Lake; a capsized boat; an injured cliff jumper on the West Branch Ausable River which included a technical rope rescue; and dehydrated hikers and hikers with lower leg injuries in the Adirondacks and Catskills.
Be sure to eat before hiking and bring plenty of water and extra food that’s high in protein and calories. Read the Ten Hiking Essentials. [Read more…] about Campers Rescued from Violent Storm; Injured Cliff Jumper; Many More Rescues
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has opened the new Sentry Bridge at Watkins Glen State Park, restoring full access to the renowned Gorge and Southern Rim Trails.
The bridge reconnects visitors to the park’s iconic waterfalls, overlooks and trail network in one of New York’s most visited parks. [Read more…] about New Watkins Glen State Park Sentry Bridge Installed
Visit Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area (WMA) for a peaceful, crowd-free escape with direct, undeveloped access to Cayuga Lake, on of the Finger Lakes. This WMA consists of 287 acres along the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake in Lansing, in Tompkins County, New York. [Read more…] about Watchable Wildlife: Cayuga Shores Wildlife Management Area
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently announced the acquisition of 284 acres at the former Babcock-Hovey Scout Camp in the Town of Ovid in Seneca County.
Located between Willard Wildlife Management Area and Bonavista State Park, the acquisition will provide protection for 2,800 feet of Seneca Lake shoreline. [Read more…] about Former Scout Camp Purchase Protects Seneca Lake Shoreline
A farmer, community leader, and entrepreneur from Prattsburgh in Steuben County, NY, Raymond Fedderman established the Fedderman Wine Company in the early 1970s, creating New York State’s first Black American owned winery.
While working in the Finger Lakes region, Fedderman was encouraged to open his own winery by Walter Taylor, a member of the prominent Taylor Wine Company family and founder of Bully Hill Vineyards. [Read more…] about Conserved Wine Bottles Recall Fingers Lakes Black History
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has announced recommendations by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation to add 19 properties and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
The nominations include a nineteenth-century church in Jefferson County that developed and promoted Universalism in Upstate New York, a pre-Revolutionary War house owned by seven generations of the Hulse family on Long Island’s North Shore, and additional documentation for New York City’s Hotel Chelsea recognizing its significance as a center of LGBTQ cultural and creative life. [Read more…] about 19 NY Places Recommended for State and National Registers
New York State is home to several rare and fragile floating bogs and fens. These unique ecosystems feature mats of sphagnum moss and vegetation that actually float over water.
Bogs and fens are both peatlands (wetlands that build up deposits of dead plant matter called peat). The primary difference is their water source: bogs are largely by nutrient-poor rainwater, making them highly acidic. Fens are fed by mineral-rich groundwater, making them alkaline or neutral. [Read more…] about Rare and Fragile Floating Bogs and Fens
The spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) is a non-native insect from Europe. In New York, spongy moth caterpillars feed on a variety of trees, with oak as their preferred species.
Spongy moths have naturalized in our forested communities, which means they are always present in New York in some capacity. In recent years, spongy moth populations have experienced a boom throughout the Northeastern U.S. [Read more…] about 2026 Spongy Moth Outbreak Outlook for New York State
New York State Forest Rangers recently fought three wildfires started by illegal debris and garbage burning, and one unattended fire, on April 28th and April 29th, which burned about 4 acres.
They also recovered the body of a man from a creek in Tioga County, and responded to a hiker having an allergic reaction in the Catskills. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Fight Wildfires, Recover Body, Respond to Allergic Hiker
In celebration of World Water Day on March 22, 2026, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced a sweeping plan to address one of the most challenging water quality issues facing communities across the state — Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs).
Harmful Algal Blooms are over-growths of algae (in New York State primarily cyanobacteria also known as blue-green algae) that can produce dangerous toxins, appearing primarily but no longer exclusively during the warm months of August and September. [Read more…] about New York State Launches New Harmful Algal Blooms Effort
The following articles about a crime on a Hudson River sloop in 1811 were found and transcribed by Hudson River Maritime Museum Contributing Scholar George A. Thompson. They have been lightly edited and annotated by John Warren.
On Saturday afternoon last, a short time before Capt. Griswold sailed from New-York for this village [Newburgh], nine thousand six hundred dollars (almost $250k today), in bills, was given him directed to the Bank of Newburgh, and by him put into his trunk in his state room; as soon as the vessel was got under way, the captain discovered the money had been stolen. [Read more…] about An 1811 Hudson River Sloop Mystery
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State locating and extracting lost, injured or distressed people and policing state lands.
This report of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers was prepared by DEC: [Read more…] about Rangers Recover Body, Locate Missing 10-Year-Old, Rescue Hikers
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) have announced recommendations by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation to add 25 properties and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
The nominations include an intact 1905 metal casting foundry complex in Hudson, an 1873 house that reflects Syracuse’s layered history of immigration, urban renewal, and grassroots historic preservation, a cohesive group of Colonial Revival apartment buildings in Kenmore built during the 1920s and 1930s suburban housing boom, and an amendment to the 1971 nomination for Revolutionary-era Senate House in Kingston to include its 1920s commemorative museum annex. [Read more…] about 25 Properties Recommended to State, National Registers
A stately but weathered factory stands on watch over the west entry to the historic Village of Seneca Falls in Seneca County.
The bulk of the 314 Fall Street complex was completed in 1916 to house the production and offices of the Seneca Falls Machine Company, manufacturers of scroll saws, table saws, and lathes used to make machines for the early automobile industry. [Read more…] about Seneca Falls Machine Company Plant Offers A Historic Redevelopment Opportunity
Known for its rolling hardwood forests, diverse wildlife, and scenic overlooks, Sugar Hill State Forest offers an inviting gateway to the natural landscapes of the Finger Lakes region.
Located just outside Watkins Glen, this state forest stands out in the area for its unique blend of hidden ponds and waterfalls, mountainous hills, and a noteworthy fire tower that rewards visitors with 15 miles of panoramic views. [Read more…] about Watchable Wildlife: Sugar Hill State Forest
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has expanded the oak wilt quarantine districts in Yates and Ontario counties in the Finger Lakes after finding new trees infected with oak wilt. [Read more…] about Oak Wilt Quarantine District Expanded in Yates, Ontario Counties
As tensions leading to the American Revolution developed, Native nations were divided in their loyalties to England, the American rebels, and their own alliances. Initially, Haudenosaunee Nations viewed the conflict as a civil war between colonists and chose to remain neutral.
Over time, it became clear to Haudenosaunee leaders that the winners of the revolution would ultimately be the parties they negotiated their futures with. Loyalties and allyship among the Nations diverged, weakening the overall power of the Iroquois Confederacy. [Read more…] about How The American Revolution Divided & Weakened The Six Nations
In April 1763, the American Indian War for Independence (1763-1766) — also called Pontiac’s Rebellion or Pontiac’s Uprising for the Ottawa Nation leader who organized a coalition against European colonial powers — started with the siege of Fort Detroit.
In July 1764, an English colonial force that included 500 Native fighters departed from Oswego for operations against Pontiac’s forces to the west. Attacks by Native forces spread east and south as a result of continued European colonists’ trespassing and settlement on Native lands. [Read more…] about Pontiac’s Uprising: The American Indian War for Independence
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