Lake Erie

Northeastern Crayfish: Tiny Predators, Big Impact

May 29, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Crayfish fill my childhood memories. I spent summers playing in streams, flipping over rocks, and, if I was lucky, catching glimpses of these mysterious little creatures. Most crayfish are nocturnal and dart backwards to escape danger.

An early summer morning last year at Crystal Lake State Park, near Barton, Vermont, brought me back to these moments when I saw a crayfish along the shore in the gently lapping waves. As I knelt for a closer look, I realized I knew so little about crayfish in my backyard. [Read more…] about Northeastern Crayfish: Tiny Predators, Big Impact

Four New Yorkers Being Inducted into Abolition Hall of Fame

May 6, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The institution of race-based slavery in what is now New York dates to 1627 when 22 enslaved Africans were brought to New Amsterdam (now New York City) by the Dutch West Indies Company. From that day forward some Americans opposed slavery and sought its abolition.

The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum in Madison County, NY, has announced four abolitionists will be inducted this fall: Black Americans William Wells Brown and Samuel Ringgold Ward, and also William and John Jay II – descendants of American Patriot John Jay. [Read more…] about Four New Yorkers Being Inducted into Abolition Hall of Fame

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

More of Western New York Wildway Protected by Land Conservancy

January 22, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Western New York Land Conservancy has announced the purchase of the 86-acre Bush property, a hardwood forest in Wales, NY that is part of the Western New York Wildway.

With this acquisition, the Conservancy has now permanently protected all of their “4 for ’24” projects in southern Erie County. The other three are known as Paul (in Concord), Kaiser (Concord), Wales Ravine (Wales, NY). The 4 for ’24 properties total 155 acres; they will not be publicly accessible. [Read more…] about More of Western New York Wildway Protected by Land Conservancy

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

Feeding the Erie Canal: Rome Summit Level Reservoirs

October 19, 2025 by Bill Orzell 3 Comments

All canals are a series of ponds, at different water stages, or elevations. These elevation changes are transitioned by locks, with the area between the locks being of any length, and referred to as a level. Simply put, canal transport is similar to a set of stairs, with the levels being the tread, and the locks the riser. The highest level of any canal is known as the summit level.

As water flows with any lock movement, it is necessary to constantly re-supply the canal, and by feeding the replacement water to the summit level, the entire canal may be supplied. The original Erie Canal, statewide from Albany to Buffalo, had three summit levels; Lake Erie, Jordan and Rome. [Read more…] about Feeding the Erie Canal: Rome Summit Level Reservoirs

New York State’s Canal Heritage: An Engineering Family Tree

October 16, 2025 by Bill Orzell Leave a Comment

The canal system of New York State is a complex network of natural and man-made waterways that connect two of the Great Lakes that border the state with the Atlantic Ocean. The canals also incorporate Lake Champlain and the Finger Lakes. The development of this system bridges several generations and gives the canal system a genealogy of its own. [Read more…] about New York State’s Canal Heritage: An Engineering Family Tree

Last Seen in 1929: Have Silver Chub Returned?

June 22, 2025 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Silver Chub (Macrhybopsis storeriana) is a medium-sized, relatively nondescript minnow that, in New York, has only been collected from the watersheds of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

This species was last seen during surveys of the Lake Erie watershed in 1929 and has long been thought to be extirpated from the state, largely due to extensive pollution in the lake and its tributaries. Silver chubs are mainly restricted to large, often silty rivers and are sometimes found near the mouths of small streams. [Read more…] about Last Seen in 1929: Have Silver Chub Returned?

New York Watercraft: Working With Freight

May 15, 2025 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Covered barges were once heavily employed in the New York port areas to lighter (i.e., load, transport, and offload) various non-bulk, perishable cargoes from and to ship or shore.

By the mid-nineteenth century, covered barges with boat-shaped hulls were present in New York State ports, including Plattsburgh, Whitehall, Buffalo, Troy, Albany and other Hudson River and New York Bay ports. [Read more…] about New York Watercraft: Working With Freight

New York’s Scows: Workhorse Watercraft

April 6, 2025 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The wooden a freight-carrying scow was the most ubiquitous vessel in the waters of the New York, and played a crucial role in various industries. The word scow is derived from the Dutch word for the same type of vessel, schouw, which did not enter use in English until the late 1700s.

Typically towed (although some were rigged as sailing scows) it was generally decked, with a flat bottom hull and vertical sides, and its ends angled upward as a common barge (though typically smaller than a barge). [Read more…] about New York’s Scows: Workhorse Watercraft

200 Years of Erie Canal History (1825-2025)

March 23, 2025 by Guest Contributor 4 Comments

In 2025, New York State commemorates the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo. This event was transformative for both the state and the nation, linking the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean in an unprecedentedly efficient waterway.

During the bicentennial, we are offered an opportunity to reflect on two centuries of rich and complex history and discover how that period’s impacts allow us to explore and enjoy the Canal today. Here is some history, and tips for enjoying the canal. [Read more…] about 200 Years of Erie Canal History (1825-2025)

Who Owns the Great Lakes?

March 20, 2025 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Is President Donald Trump angling to take over the Great Lakes? Can the water be diverted to the United States?

Daniel Macfarlane, an expert in environmental water history and US-Canada relations, discusses these questions on the latest Unsalted Great Lakes podcast. [Read more…] about Who Owns the Great Lakes?

State Parks’ Post-War Pools and Bathhouses

December 27, 2024 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

As New York’s state park system continued to develop in the post-war era, buildings and features accommodating an expanding range of functions were needed to meet the surge of visitation that followed the end of the war.

Among these were pool complexes, such as at James Baird State Park in the Taconic region in Dutchess County, NY. While the swimming pool no longer exists, the complex’s keynote feature — the bathhouse (1950) — remains. [Read more…] about State Parks’ Post-War Pools and Bathhouses

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

June 18, 1812: War of 1812 Begins When US Declares War On Great Britain

June 17, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On June 18, 1812, Congress passed and President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain, marking the beginning of the War of 1812. Frustrated by Britain’s maritime practices and support of Native American resistance to western expansion, the U.S. entered the war with ambitious plans to conquer Canada, a goal that was never realized. [Read more…] about June 18, 1812: War of 1812 Begins When US Declares War On Great Britain

Improved Lake Erie Fishing Platform in Chautauqua County

April 3, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Dunkirk Harbor fishing platform on Lake Erie in Dunkirk, Chautauqua County, was recently reconstructed after it irreparably damaged by a Lake Erie storm surge in 2020. Now open for use, it features slip-resistant decking, two benches, solar-powered lighting, and parking for eight cars. [Read more…] about Improved Lake Erie Fishing Platform in Chautauqua County

Confederate Spies at the Canadian Border

February 2, 2024 by Devin Lander Leave a Comment

We often think about the Civil War in terms of two large armies facing off on the battlefield, but less seldom do we consider the clandestine efforts on behalf of the Confederate States of America to bring the war to United States territory and influence Great Britain and other European nations to join the attack on the United States. [Read more…] about Confederate Spies at the Canadian Border

Frank Lloyd Wright Materials Donated to University at Buffalo

December 19, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

A major donation of historic objects by the Graycliff Conservancy Board of Directors to the University at Buffalo Libraries will add to the university’s already extensive Frank Lloyd Wright collection, further establishing UB as the most comprehensive source in Western New York for research materials related to the celebrated architect and his creative process. [Read more…] about Frank Lloyd Wright Materials Donated to University at Buffalo

New Grant Program to Support Maritime Heritage

October 31, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has announced almost $400,000 in federal grant awards from the National Maritime Heritage Program for maritime heritage education and preservation projects in New York State.

The National Park Service (NPS) awarded $2 million in maritime heritage grants to fund 12 preservation projects in nine states, including two awards totaling $392,500 to State Parks. [Read more…] about New Grant Program to Support Maritime Heritage

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