History, Natural History & the Arts
On August 14, 2023, a Deerpark, Orange County resident entered pleas of not guilty in Deerpark Town Court to charges related to the illegal commercialization of trout.
The arraignment followed a months-long investigation stemming from a tip alleging the subject was selling trout by the Neversink River. [Read more…] about Illegal Commercialization of Trout Charges Filed
According to the Summer 2003 Lake Ontario fishing boat survey, the lake provides anglers with a diverse world-class trout and salmon fishery worth an estimated $560 million dollars to New York’s economy. [Read more…] about Lake Ontario Fishing Boat Survey Summer 2023 Report Now Available
New York State’s Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force, established by the Randy Preston Road Salt Reduction Act in 2020, has been released. The Task Force was charged with conducting a comprehensive review of road salt contamination and roadway, parking lot, driveway, and sidewalk management best practices within the Adirondack Park, and making recommendations for enhancements. [Read more…] about Adirondack Road Salt Report Issued: Some Data & Recommendations
The Capital District Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in the towns of Berlin and Stephentown in Rensselaer County, NY. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, if you are craving some Adirondack-like scenery, this 4,000-acre (soon to be 10,000-acre) parcel of woods is the place to go. While touring the many interior access roads (they are not plowed in winter), you may see deer, fisher, or even a moose. [Read more…] about Exploring The Capital District Wildlife Management Area
In the 1890s as the Catskills was becoming a very popular summer resort, in part due to the service provided by the New York, Ontario and Western Railway (O&W), the people of Sullivan County sought to have their own fish hatchery. [Read more…] about Catskill Fish Hatchery: Home of Historic Trout Fishing
This fall the Cornell Biological Field Station at Shackelton Point in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be initiating a three-year telemetry study of adult walleyes in Oneida Lake to identify spawning sites, describe seasonal movement patterns, describe habitat use throughout the year, and determine where post-spawn walleye go after they have been processed at the Oneida Fish Hatchery. [Read more…] about Oneida Lake Walleye Telemetry Study Underway
Cyanobacteria blooms have closed beaches regularly this summer across New York State. While it may feel like a nuisance to not be able to cool off at your local beach, these blooms force swimming areas to close because they can be dangerous. To protect yourself, your loved ones, and pets, it is important that you understand how to recognize them and what you should do if a bloom is present at a beach you visit. [Read more…] about Beach Closures: Cyanobacteria and Phosphorus in New York’s Lakes
On June 15, 2023, the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), which oversees large or environmentally sensitive developments in thee Adirondack Park, approved a variance application for a commercial marina located in and around wetlands in Crescent and Ampersand Bays on Lower Saranac Lake in the Town of Harrietstown, Franklin County.
Wetlands are critical to conserving water quality, mitigating flooding, and harboring fish and wildlife. [Read more…] about Adirondack Park Wetlands Project Approval Heading To Court
Every so often, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) receives reports from anglers that catch or observe out-of-the-ordinary fish while out on the water. [Read more…] about Pet Fish Belong in Tanks, Not Our Waters
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