At this time of year you may see bird courting rituals, lots of singing, nest construction, and the beginnings of fragile new life. Spring also brings another season of the NestWatch citizen-science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, building its ever more valuable database on nesting birds. [Read more…] about Help Monitor Bird Families
nature
Recovery Plan for Hudson River American Shad Released
DEC has announced the release of the Recovery Plan for Hudson River American Shad. American shad is an economically and ecologically important migratory fish species that once supported a robust fishery in the Hudson River.
Decades of intense fishing pressure coupled with years of low reproduction and non-fishing-related mortality events have further impacted the stock’s resilience and exacerbated declines. [Read more…] about Recovery Plan for Hudson River American Shad Released
South Colton Tract Easement Comments Sought
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced they are seeking public input on the development of a draft Recreation Management Plan (RMP) for the South Colton Tract Conservation Easement, a privately owned tract subject to a conservation easement encompassing approximately 1,725 acres in the town of Colton, St. Lawrence County. Comments are being sought on the development of the draft RMP until April 21st, 2023. [Read more…] about South Colton Tract Easement Comments Sought
As Lake Champlain Lake Trout Rebound, Stocking Reduced
The Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative – a working group of fisheries professionals from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – have announced the decision to further reduce the number of stocked lake trout released annually into Lake Champlain waters. They said this decision was prompted by the continued increase in natural reproduction and the documentation of multiple age classes of wild fish. [Read more…] about As Lake Champlain Lake Trout Rebound, Stocking Reduced
The Return of the Ospreys
On my commute to the Northern Woodlands offices in Lyme, New Hampshire, I pass a long-established osprey nest, perched atop a very tall electric tower next to Route 302. This location offers the ospreys a view of their surroundings – and provides me with a view of the ospreys from the road.
My early morning drive is brighter now, on the season’s edge, than it was in the heart of winter, and I have been craning my neck lately to get a look at the nest – and hoping to see a raptor or two perched on its edge or soaring nearby. [Read more…] about The Return of the Ospreys
Comments Sought on Lake Champlain Watershed Plan
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the release of the draft Watershed Implementation Plan that creates a detailed path forward to reduce phosphorus that impairs Lake Champlain and contributes to harmful algal blooms (HABs). [Read more…] about Comments Sought on Lake Champlain Watershed Plan
There’s More To Animal Fur Than Meets The Eye
A flash of orange streaks across the meadow – a red fox, like a starburst in the snow. Its fur shimmers in the early morning light, and I, bundled in my winter layers and still shivering cold, envy the fox’s luxurious coat. [Read more…] about There’s More To Animal Fur Than Meets The Eye
Adk Conservation News: Five Things To Know
Adirondack Diversity Initiative’s new leader says she’s up to the task
The Adirondack Diversity Initiative announced the hiring of a new Executive Director. Tiffany Rea-Fisher began her new duties on Feb. 1; she lives in Saranac Lake with her family and is a dance teacher in Lake Placid. She also works with a dance company that splits its time between Harlem and Lake Placid. Her familiarity with the arts, public speaking, and the Adirondack Park are all assets for ADI. [Read more…] about Adk Conservation News: Five Things To Know
Science & Suckers: The Cohoes Mastodon & The Cardiff Giant
In 1866, NY State Geologist James Hall received a message from T.G. Younglove, an official at Harmony Mills in Cohoes, New York, informing Hall that while conducting some excavations to expand the mill they uncovered a “great pothole” at the foot of Cohoes Falls where the Mohawk River begins to empty into the Hudson.
The “great pothole” contained a large jawbone “of some unknown beast,” much larger than that of an elephant. [Read more…] about Science & Suckers: The Cohoes Mastodon & The Cardiff Giant
It’s Baby Bear Season in New York State
If bears had birthday parties, they’d all be in January and February. That’s when winter dens across New York State turn into nurseries as most pregnant black bears give birth to cubs weighing in at less than a pound that would easily fit into your hands. Human moms would probably envy a mother bear’s ability to give birth to one, two, or three or more tiny cubs while half-asleep. [Read more…] about It’s Baby Bear Season in New York State