The Great Lakes Commission is hosting a series of free webinars focused on Great Lakes priorities, including binational restoration efforts and climate resilience in coastal areas. [Read more…] about Great Lakes ‘Coffee Hours’ with the Great Lakes Commission
Great Lakes
Greater Niagara Birding Trail Opens To Public
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the grand opening of the Greater Niagara segment of the New York State Birding Trail. The route highlights the State’s world-class and wide-ranging birding opportunities.
The Greater Niagara segment includes 36 locations throughout Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties, providing a variety of quality birding experiences. [Read more…] about Greater Niagara Birding Trail Opens To Public
Francis Mallaby: Witness to Sackets Harbor History
The name Francis Mallaby may not be familiar in New York history but sailing master Mallaby served at the Sackets Harbor navy yard in a prosperous time of lake shipping and community growth. He helped make a difference by initiating purchase of land which is cherished today as the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site.
This War of 1812 veteran received high compliments from Lake Ontario navy commander Isaac Chauncey and Captain Woolsey that helped influence Mallaby’s 1817 appointment as master of the first steamboat on Lake Ontario, based in Sackets Harbor in Jefferson County, NY. [Read more…] about Francis Mallaby: Witness to Sackets Harbor History
Virtual Hike Challenge in St Lawrence, Eastern Lake Ontario Region
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and SLELO PRISM have invited all hikers, cross-country skiers, and snowshoers in the Saint Lawrence/Eastern Lake Ontario (SLELO) Region to take a hike to protect the region’s hemlocks this winter through their Virtual Hike Challenge. [Read more…] about Virtual Hike Challenge in St Lawrence, Eastern Lake Ontario Region
New York, New France: French Ambitions at Oneida Lake in 1634
When a Dutchman, Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert, traveled from Albany (then Fort Orange) to the main village of the Oneidas in the dead of winter 1634, he was on a mission to thwart the French, who had found their way to Oneida Lake.
In the struggle for influence in Iroquoia, there was no time to lose. The Dutch had a firm hold on the Hudson Valley at this point and a profitable relationship with the Mohawk, but New Netherland’s trade was threatened by New France, which controlled the St. Lawrence River from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic. [Read more…] about New York, New France: French Ambitions at Oneida Lake in 1634
‘State of Lake Ontario Fisheries’ Virtual Meeting & Video Series
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released a new series of recorded presentations on their website that focus on Lake Ontario fisheries science and management initiatives.
DEC will hold a virtual public meeting on December 2nd to provide the public with an opportunity to ask questions about the recorded presentations. [Read more…] about ‘State of Lake Ontario Fisheries’ Virtual Meeting & Video Series
65-Acres Added to Bare Hill Unique Area, Yates County
DEC and Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) recently announced the State’s acquisition of 65.7 acres of land in the town of Middlesex, Yates County. The parcel will be added to the Bare Hill Unique Area. [Read more…] about 65-Acres Added to Bare Hill Unique Area, Yates County
Deep Time: Lake Ontario’s Lucky Stones & Fossils
When did homo sapiens arise? Maybe 2 million years ago?
Nobody really knows exactly when we became “human,” but most of the rocks on our Lake Ontario beaches are at least a hundred times older than our species.
This is what the geologists mean by “deep time.” [Read more…] about Deep Time: Lake Ontario’s Lucky Stones & Fossils
American Eel Migration
Fall’s cooling temperatures signal many changes. Among the least visible, but most incredible, is the migration of the American eel.
Somewhere right now, at the bottom of a lake, pond, or river, an American eel is preparing to leave the home she has known for 3, 13, or maybe even 30 years. Her yellowish skin has turned to silver, her eyes and nostrils expanded to take in more sights and smells, her body become strong with muscle and fat. She is ready to go. [Read more…] about American Eel Migration
Ring-Billed Gulls In Northern New York
As the bright yellow tops of goldenrod begin to fade in fields, and the foliage of the red maple increasingly begins its change to a bright reddish-orange, gulls engage in a nomadic phase of their life and can often be seen visiting a variety of settings in Northern New York.
Two species of “seagulls” are notable seasonal components of upstate fauna; however, the slightly smaller ring-billed gull is far more common and likely to be observed than the nearly identically colored herring gull. [Read more…] about Ring-Billed Gulls In Northern New York