The New York State Wildlife Action Plan for 2025–2035 is now finalized. An assessment conducted for the report found 570 species of special concern, including 269 native plants. Of these, 147 are designated as a high priority. [Read more…] about New York State 2035 Wildlife Action Plan Finalized
Natural Heritage Program
Smooth Slender Crabgrass: A Quiet Engineer
For all the adventures I’ve had in New Hampshire, I’ve spent few of them looking at the ground. The plants I pay the most attention to are closest to eye level, such as the gorgeous draping branches of spruce trees and the pale bark of white birches.
However, when I started a job as a fishways operator at Amoskeag Fishways, I did a deep dive into the flora and fauna of the state and learned about a fascinating little plant: smooth slender crabgrass (Digitaria laeviglumis). [Read more…] about Smooth Slender Crabgrass: A Quiet Engineer
A New Native Species Selection Tool
Are you looking for recommendations of native plants and trees to plant on your specific site? DEC and the New York Natural Heritage Program recently released a Species Selection Tool that provides a list of recommended native tree, shrub, and herbaceous plant species, including flowering species, ferns and herbs, to improve habitats, increase biodiversity, and benefit wildlife across New York State. [Read more…] about A New Native Species Selection Tool
A Firefly Atlas: Research Hopes to Help Declining Species
Most people have heard about insect declines, with recent headlines like “Insect Declines: The Great and Merciless Thinning.”
Bumble bees and butterflies are the best-known examples of declining groups, but there is a growing body of evidence documenting downward trends in other insects. Fireflies, famous for their impressive light-shows in the eastern US, are one such group. [Read more…] about A Firefly Atlas: Research Hopes to Help Declining Species
Catskills Montane Breeding Bird Survey Underway
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is partnering with the Cary Institute, NY Natural Heritage Program, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, and SUNY New Paltz biology department to monitor birds, such as the Bicknell’s thrush, that nest in rare mountaintop habitats. [Read more…] about Catskills Montane Breeding Bird Survey Underway