The fisher, once all but extinct in the Adirondacks, has now firmly re-established itself here. According to John Davis, an Essex County writer and activist affiliated with the New Mexico-based Rewilding Institute, the fisher is “a rewilding success story.” [Read more…] about Rewilding: Wildways Create Wild Connections
fishers
Snapshot NY Citizen Science Wildlife Monitoring Project
Snapshot NY, a citizen science program created by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University in 2025, will begin Year Two in July.
The innovative program, which enables the public to participate in the state’s efforts to monitor wildlife by deploying privately-owned trail cameras, has already enlisted more than 800 volunteers. [Read more…] about Snapshot NY Citizen Science Wildlife Monitoring Project
Two Fishers Meet in the Winter Woods
Fishers (Pekania pennanti) have a reputation as the northern forests’ ultimate misanthropes.
These mesocarnivores are so territorial that within six to eight months after their birth, young fishers are unceremoniously pushed out of their mother’s home range to fend for themselves. [Read more…] about Two Fishers Meet in the Winter Woods
Stay Alert for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Since it was first introduced into New York State in January 2022, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been documented in captive birds in multiple counties and detected in free-ranging wild birds and mammals throughout the state.
Wild bird mortalities from HPAI increase in late fall and peak over the winter months, then typically decrease in the late spring and summer months. At this point, it is widespread in wild birds and even suspected to be present in counties where it has not yet been detected. [Read more…] about Stay Alert for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Tree Cavities: Prime Real Estate for Wildlife
Tree cavities are a precious commodity for wildlife. It has been estimated that about one-fourth of northeastern forest wildlife species need trees with cavities.
Some cavities are excavated by birds while others are created by decay and broken branches. Trees with cavities are used by wildlife for nesting and raising young, protection from predators, a place to store food, hibernation, and roosting. [Read more…] about Tree Cavities: Prime Real Estate for Wildlife
Governor Kathy Hochul Vetoes Safe Wildlife Crossings Act
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has vetoed the Safe Wildlife Crossings Act, a bill designed to make highways safer for motorists and wildlife with purpose-built crossings in the New York’s North Country. The bill would have required the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) and the NYS Thruway Authority to conduct studies to determine the most hazardous areas of highways for vehicle-animal collisions and develop a plan to reduce those hazards. [Read more…] about Governor Kathy Hochul Vetoes Safe Wildlife Crossings Act
NYS Legislature Passes New York Wildlife Crossings Act
The State Assembly and State Senate have both acted to pass the New York Wildlife Crossings Act, which was sponsored by Senator Leroy Comrie and Assembly Member Robert Carroll. The bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to assess roadways “in the state for potential wildlife crossings to improve wildlife habitat connectivity, reduce wildlife vehicle collisions, and increase public safety for New York motorists.” [Read more…] about NYS Legislature Passes New York Wildlife Crossings Act
Aggressive Fisher Killed in Warren County
On Wednesday, November 29th, New York State Forest Rangers responded to two incidents of an aggressive fisher (Pekania pennanti) which had bitten two hikers in the Hudson Pointe Nature Preserve in Queensbury, Warren County, NY. [Read more…] about Aggressive Fisher Killed in Warren County
Erratic Fisher Spurs Emergency Response
On February 17th, Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) Gross and Levanway responded to a call from a teller at the Lyons National Bank in Seneca Falls, Seneca County, NY, reporting a fisher running laps around the building. [Read more…] about Erratic Fisher Spurs Emergency Response
New Accessible Trail Open at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center
New York State Department of Conservation (DEC) has announced the completion of the Fisher Trail at DEC’s Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in the town of Bethlehem, Albany County.
Most of the trail’s 0.66-mile length is constructed in compliance with DEC accessibility guidelines for people with mobility disabilities and expands access to outdoor recreation opportunities on DEC lands. The trail was officially opened to the public during a ribbon cutting at Five Rivers with the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, Friends of Five Rivers, members of the DEC Accessibility Advisory Committee, and other partners. [Read more…] about New Accessible Trail Open at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center
Update on Northern New York Fisher Population Study
DEC staff, in partnership with researchers from SUNY ESF, are conducting a study to better understand fisher population dynamics and survival across the agency’s Northern Zone in Northern New York. [Read more…] about Update on Northern New York Fisher Population Study
Breakup of Fisher Families
Along with the crisp mornings and crimson colors that signal summer’s slide into fall, there are changes occurring in the forests that go mostly unnoticed. Among them is the dispersal of fisher kits from their mother’s territory into their own. [Read more…] about Breakup of Fisher Families
Study Seeks To Answer Questions About Fisher Declines
Over the past decade, the number of fishers taken by trappers has declined in the Central Adirondacks, and since the harvest is often proportional to abundance, there is a believed to be a population decline in this area as well. [Read more…] about Study Seeks To Answer Questions About Fisher Declines
Fishers And Their Bad Reputation
Whenever the subject of fishers comes up, you hear they’re mean, nasty and vicious – a smaller wolverine with attitude. Fishers get a pretty bad rap, but when they do, there’s a great deal of projecting and anthropomorphizing going on.
Fishers aren’t mean or evil, and they don’t really eat many house cats at all. [Read more…] about Fishers And Their Bad Reputation