floods

Adk Stream Crossing Restored After Boquet Barrier Removed

August 19, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

This summer the Ausable Freshwater Center (AFC) finished a stream restoration at the Moss Road crossing of the North Branch Boquet River in the Town of Lewis, in Essex County, NY, by removing two old, undersized culverts to restore a natural river channel.

The culverts that had constricted the river and blocked fish for decades are now gone, and a natural channel carries the river through the road crossing. The project reconnected some 50 miles of Adirondack river and coldwater tributary habitat. [Read more…] about Adk Stream Crossing Restored After Boquet Barrier Removed

1832: A Stuyvesant Lighthouse Disaster Kills Four Children

July 19, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The following text is from articles printed in March 1832 about the destruction of one of the Hudson River lighthouses on a tidal marsh flat near Stuyvesant Landing, only shortly after its construction in 1830.

A massive, moving field of spring ice crushed the 20 by 34 feet stone structure and killed four children. [Read more…] about 1832: A Stuyvesant Lighthouse Disaster Kills Four Children

Help Document New York Weather Impacts

April 30, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

MyCoast NY is a public web tool which offers an opportunity to contribute and access photos of flooding, shoreline change, and storm damage from anywhere in the state.

When you submit a photo, it is automatically linked to real-time weather, river, and tidal gauge data to help provide context for the photo. [Read more…] about Help Document New York Weather Impacts

A Super Strength El Nino Brewing? Here’s What to Expect

April 29, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

El Niño is a natural climate pattern characterized by warmer than average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, typically returning every two to seven years. It disrupts global weather – and it looks like we may be in for a record El Niño year.

State University at Albany Atmospheric Science Professor Paul Roundy studies how interactions between the tropical ocean and atmosphere influence global weather, including El Niño. [Read more…] about A Super Strength El Nino Brewing? Here’s What to Expect

‘A Terrible Death Struggle’: The Wreck of the George W. Lee

April 2, 2026 by Dave Waite 3 Comments

The mournful sound of the midnight ferry skittered across the Hudson River, and rain clouds spat a parting gift onto Captain John Frawley as he urged his mules northward and passed out of sight.

Over the last sixteen hours, Frawley had brought the canal boat George W. Lee from the Morgan sawmill in Glens Falls, and forty miles down the Champlain Canal to the Albany Basin, where he deposited the year’s last load of lumber. Despite the rain, his trip down had been uneventful, even getting well-behaved mules when he stopped for a fresh team in Schuylerville. [Read more…] about ‘A Terrible Death Struggle’: The Wreck of the George W. Lee

High Waters in Spring: Consider Flood Safety Now

March 8, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Flooding is one of the most common and costly natural disasters in New York State. It can be caused by severe weather such as large rain events, undersized infrastructure, poor stormwater drainage, and snow melt.

Being prepared for flooding is key to staying safe, protecting valuables, and allowing for an easier recovery. Take these steps to stay prepared and safe during a flood: [Read more…] about High Waters in Spring: Consider Flood Safety Now

Nature Conservancy Awards Climate Change Resilience Grants

December 2, 2025 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Nature Conservancy in New York has awarded $500,000 through its 2025 Climate Resilience Grant Program to support 12 projects that will protect more than 1,200 acres and strengthen climate resilience across the state.

Now in its fifth year, the Climate Resilience Grant Program funds land trusts, local governments, Tribal Nations and nonprofit organizations working to conserve resilient lands, protect floodplains and shorelines, and build local capacity to adapt to climate change. [Read more…] about Nature Conservancy Awards Climate Change Resilience Grants

NY Severe Weather Events Increasing, Costs Soaring

October 30, 2025 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

A new report from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found the frequency of severe weather in the state is growing, taking a toll on New York’s residents, property and economy.

“Extreme weather events are happening more and more often and inflicting financial and emotional stress on New Yorkers from loss of life to property destruction,” DiNapoli said. [Read more…] about NY Severe Weather Events Increasing, Costs Soaring

A History of Early Bridges Over Catskill Creek

April 14, 2025 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

During Theodore Burr and Jonathan Baldwin’s trek in 1792-1793 from western New England to Oxford NY, they arrived via a ferry on the west bank of the Hudson River at a place called Catskill (or Kaatskill).

While Burr and Baldwin may have disembarked at a place not too far from the junction of the mighty Hudson River and the Kaatskill Creek, a 46-mile southward flowing tributary of the Hudson, with its scattering of buildings, it is possible the ferry continued to carry them upstream to a settlement then called Madison, which today is the hamlet of Leeds. [Read more…] about A History of Early Bridges Over Catskill Creek

Better DEC Oversight of Dams Recommended To Prevent Failures

February 24, 2025 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) should improve oversight and enforcement of compliance with the state’s dam safety regulations to guard against potential costly and life-threatening failures, according to an audit released by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“Dam failures are rare in New York, and we want to keep it that way,” DiNapoli said. [Read more…] about Better DEC Oversight of Dams Recommended To Prevent Failures

Twitchell Lake: Wilderness, Survey and Settlement

December 20, 2024 by Noel Sherry 2 Comments

Twitchell Lake is an Adirondack gem that has been protected over time by its remote location. Originally carved out by the last glacier, it drains northwestward into Beaver River, which exits the Adirondacks into Lewis County’s Black River, finally meandering its way into Lake Ontario. Twitchell’s location is starred on this unique watershed map. [Read more…] about Twitchell Lake: Wilderness, Survey and Settlement

The Great Lakes: World’s Largest Freshwater Ecosystem

December 20, 2024 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The latest episode of “DEC Does What?!” a podcast from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, explores the work of DEC’s Great Lakes Program to protect the iconic Great Lakes, the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world.

DEC’s Great Lakes Program oversees the largest watershed by land area, working across more than 42 percent of the state’s land area and along over 750 miles of shoreline. [Read more…] about The Great Lakes: World’s Largest Freshwater Ecosystem

Fallen Logs Invigorate Stream Life

November 10, 2024 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

For 12 summers, my Vermont colleagues and I offered guidance to high school student and teacher teams who conducted research on streams as part of a National Science Foundation EPSCoR program. These teams received training in July, and for the rest of the summer and early autumn, employed their news skills by taking water samples and flow measurements and making observations about aquatic macroinvertebrate populations.

They also took note of the size and abundance of fallen logs in the water. [Read more…] about Fallen Logs Invigorate Stream Life

Adirondack Trails Advisory in Effect

July 29, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued a backcountry advisory for the Adirondacks as the department continues to evaluate storm impacts, including those from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. DEC is assessing roads and State facilities in the region damaged by flooding and other storm impacts. [Read more…] about Adirondack Trails Advisory in Effect

How Flooding Impacts Aquatic Life

June 7, 2024 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded worldwide, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Rising temperatures associated with climate change have dramatically increased atmospheric moisture, causing more frequent and severe storms. [Read more…] about How Flooding Impacts Aquatic Life

Jesup’s Milk-Vetch

May 21, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A few ledges along the Connecticut River are home to a rare plant commonly known as Jesup’s milk-vetch (Astragalus robbinsii var. jesupii). In fact, this species, which has been listed as federally endangered since 1987, only grows at six sites along a 16-mile stretch of the river in New Hampshire and Vermont. But conservationists are working to boost the plant’s presence. [Read more…] about Jesup’s Milk-Vetch

Battery Coastal Resilience Project Breaks Ground

May 14, 2024 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

New York City’s Battery Coastal Resilience project, a $200-million component of the overall Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency strategy, broke ground last week to rebuild and elevate the wharf promenade in The Battery to 11 feet above sea level to protect against expected sea level rise due to global climate change. [Read more…] about Battery Coastal Resilience Project Breaks Ground

William Redfield & The Great September Gale of 1821

April 13, 2024 by John Warren Leave a Comment

Hurricanes are infrequent visitors to New York City. Major hurricanes, those with winds 111 miles per hour and above, making landfall in the city are rarer still. One of these was the first storm of the Atlantic Hurricane Season in 1821, originally called “The Great September Gale,” it’s now known as the Norfolk and Long Island Hurricane.

The Category 3 storm came ashore in Jamacia Bay, on September 3rd. A 13-foot storm surge, which luckily hit at low tide, rose within an hour and flooded Manhattan Island from the Battery to Canal Street, uniting the Hudson and East Rivers. It tossed ships into the streets, and destroy harbor docks and the bridge to Ward’s Island. It also resulted in a major scientific discovery. [Read more…] about William Redfield & The Great September Gale of 1821

NOAA Map Shows Sea Level Rise Impacts on New York

April 12, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

An interactive map by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows “worst case scenario” sea level rise of 6.6 feet by 2100 – which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says “cannot be rules out” – would impact New York State as far north as Albany County. At that level, devastating impacts would be felt in the New York City metropolitan area, including the submergence of shorelines and Long Island barrier islands. [Read more…] about NOAA Map Shows Sea Level Rise Impacts on New York

DEC Expanding Freshwater Wetlands Regulations

February 8, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) is encouraging New Yorkers to review and comment on the development of proposed regulations that are hoped would further protect freshwater wetlands statewide. DEC released the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to begin developing regulations to implement the new law that expands the number of wetlands regulated by DEC. [Read more…] about DEC Expanding Freshwater Wetlands Regulations

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