Getting out fishing is a great way to get fresh air and connect with nature.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when planning a fishing trip during our current health crises:
nature
Animal Tails: The Tales They Tell
Anyone who has shared a home with a dog or a cat has learned something about the silent language of tails. Wild and domesticated animals may use tails for everything from communication to courtship, balance to locomotion, and defense to swatting flies.
Tails can range from short to long and be furry, feathered, or naked. [Read more…] about Animal Tails: The Tales They Tell
Fishers And Their Bad Reputation
Whenever the subject of fishers comes up, you hear they’re mean, nasty and vicious – a smaller wolverine with attitude. Fishers get a pretty bad rap, but when they do, there’s a great deal of projecting and anthropomorphizing going on.
Fishers aren’t mean or evil, and they don’t really eat many house cats at all. [Read more…] about Fishers And Their Bad Reputation
Tree Flowers Color the Hills
I love that time in spring when the hills around my house change from gray and brown to shades of yellow, green, and red. The trees have not yet leafed out, so what’s painting the forests these wonderful colors?
The answer: most of our northern hardwood trees are flowering. [Read more…] about Tree Flowers Color the Hills
Zoom A Lake Champlain Scientist Programs
The Lake Champlain Committee in partnership with Lake Champlain Sea Grant have announced their expanded line up of “Zoom a Scientist” programs.
The public can tune in virtually through Zoom every Tuesday and Friday from noon to 1 pm to learn more about Lake Champlain. [Read more…] about Zoom A Lake Champlain Scientist Programs
Beavers: Nature’s Architects and Engineers
Beavers are the great architects of American ponds and streams. The North American beaver competes with the Eurasian beaver to be the 2nd largest rodent in the world, after another semi-aquatic mammal, the South American Capybara.
The average weight of a beaver in New York State is 42 lbs, though 60 pounders are not that unusual. Beavers have an average body length of 2 and ½ feet to 3 feet, and a flat swimming rudder tail of 8 to 14 inches. The tail doubles as a warning device, used to loudly slap the water when predators, dogs or people are sighted. [Read more…] about Beavers: Nature’s Architects and Engineers
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Remains A Threat
One spring-like afternoon this winter, I was skiing near Middlebury, Vermont. The trail followed Otter Creek, weaving through cedar patches, hemlock groves, and past the occasional hardwood. It was one of those days where you can shed a few layers and still break a sweat when the sun spills through gaps in the canopy. [Read more…] about Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Remains A Threat
Earth Day 50: A Recent History Of Environmentalism
I came of age in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was a turbulent time in American history; marked by the rise of the antiwar movement (Vietnam, nuclear weapons) and the expansion of movements promoting equality for groups of marginalized people including woman, African Americans, Native Americans, and the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning) community.
Many also consider the 60s and 70s to be the beginning of the modern American environmental movement; which is often portrayed as having started with the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s best-selling book, Silent Spring (thirty-one weeks on the New York Times best-seller list). The book described how the adverse environmental effects caused by the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides threatened both animals and human beings. [Read more…] about Earth Day 50: A Recent History Of Environmentalism
An Adk Lake’s Sufferings: High Salt Load, 22 Less Days of Ice
Mirror Lake, along which the Village of Lake Placid is spread, is no longer flowing like it should, and has been iced-over an average of 22 days less since the 1990s. High concentrations of road salt and climate change are considered the culprits.
The lake has apparently stop its natural mixing in the spring, a issue first documented in 2017. During February and March of 2019, the highest chloride concentrations documented so far were observed. [Read more…] about An Adk Lake’s Sufferings: High Salt Load, 22 Less Days of Ice
Accessible Recreation at Wildlife Management Areas
During the current COVID-19 public health crisis, getting outdoors and connecting with nature is a great way to help maintain our mental and physical health. Scientific studies show that time outside in nature significantly reduces stress and anxiety; lowers blood pressure; improves mood, energy, and sleep; and boosts the immune system. Remember to #RecreateLocally. [Read more…] about Accessible Recreation at Wildlife Management Areas