History, Natural History & the Arts
Most of our northeastern snakes draw their coloring from the palette of earthly tones, coming in browns, grays, and yellows.
Some species have bright patterns that fade as the snake ages, and others have eye-catching yellow, red, or orange scales on the belly that are mostly hidden except when the snake feels threatened. [Read more…] about Smooth Green Snakes: Hidden Grassland Jewels
In April, Albany County Supreme Court issued a decision in Chautauqua Lake Prop. Owners Assn., Inc. v State of New York annulling the recently revised 6 NYCRR Part 664 freshwater wetlands regulations in their entirety.
The court said the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) failed to comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) during the adoption process. [Read more…] about After NY Wetlands Rules Struck Down, DEC Plans Webinar Tuesday
For hundreds of years, people believed that, come autumn, barn swallows would dive under the surface of ponds and lakes, swim to the bottom, and bury themselves in the mud for the winter.
We now know better – swallows, along with thousands of other avian species across the globe, undergo seasonal migrations – and the idea of spending the winter buried in mud at the bottom of a pond seems laughable.
But there are other vertebrate organisms that do exactly this: some water turtles, such as painted turtles and common snapping turtles, search out the soft substrate at the bottom of ponds, rivers, and lakes, and burrow down into the mud. [Read more…] about A Turtle’s Life Beneath the Ice and Snow
New York Almanack regularly reports on the rescue and relocation of wildlife across New York State. The reports below were provided by the New York State Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs). You can read all our recent wildlife rescue stories here. [Read more…] about Recent Wildlife Rescues: Injured Screech Owl, Black Bear Relocated
On September 23, NYS Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) Doig and Osborne responded to a call from a motorist in Delaware County, NY who felt a snake slithering up her leg while she was driving on State Route 17 in the town of Hancock. [Read more…] about Delaware County Snake Found Slithering Up Drivers Leg
On July 30, NYS Environmental Conversation Officer (ECO) Perkins responded to the Bay Shore Marina in Islip, in Suffolk County on Long Island for a report of an injured osprey observed in a parking lot for hours.
Officer Perkins arrived and discovered the bird moving slowly and unable to fly. [Read more…] about Wildlife Rescuers Save Ducks, Osprey, Alligator & Rattlesnake
Healthy streams are home to diverse fish and wildlife, provide vital drinking water, and create recreation and relaxation opportunities.
Historically, they’ve often been impacted by various land uses that disturb native shoreline vegetation, put water quality at risk and increase flood potential. [Read more…] about Get ‘Stream Wise’: The Lake Champlain Watershed Initiative
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) made two notable wildlife rescues recently, including a eastern timber rattlesnake in Delaware County, and a bald eagle in Schenectady County. [Read more…] about Bald Eagle Rescued From Erie Canal Lock; Rattlesnake Rescued from Home
For Europeans planning or being forced to migrate, the concept of the United States as a virtually border-less society remained alive until the passing of the Immigration Act of 1917 (this was not the case for other groups). It offered an opportunity to governments to “shovel out” troublesome subjects.
The German term Übersiedelung (literally: relocation) was used by officials of the Kingdom of Hanover to describe the practice of exiling “unwanted” subjects to America. From the early 1830s to 1866 (when Hanover was conquered by Prussia), some three thousand individuals – most of them petty criminals or paupers – were expelled from the territory. [Read more…] about Deportations, Convict Ancestors, Rattlesnakes & American Identity
New York State Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) recently made several wildlife rescues, including a snake from a house in Delaware County, a disoriented Peregrine falcon at Kensico Reservoir in Westchester County, and a Cormorant in a small backyard pool on Long Island. [Read more…] about Wildlife Rescues: Eastern Milk Snake, Peregrine Falcon & A Cormorant
As a budding naturalist growing up in the concrete-heavy environs of Boston, I would regularly thumb through my family’s collection of nature books and daydream about the creatures within. One species I was particularly drawn to was the eastern box turtle.
These charismatic terrestrial turtles have high-domed shells festooned with colorful yellow or orange markings, and stout legs built for walking. Notwithstanding their similarities to tortoises, box turtles are part of the “water turtle” family Emydidae, which includes species like the eastern painted turtle and spotted turtle [Read more…] about Eastern Box Turtles: Life in a Shell
On May 3, NYS Environmental Conservation Officer Chomicki responded to a call about a snake under an outdoor stairway at a home in the town of New Paltz, Ulster County.
Officer Chomicki identified the snake as a copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), a venomous pit viper native to eastern North America. [Read more…] about Native New Paltz Copperhead Relocated From Backyard
Spring and summer in New York bring a burst of activity to the outdoors – flowers bloom, birds sing, and a variety of wildlife — including snakes — make their seasonal appearance. For many homeowners, an unexpected encounter with a snake in the yard or garden can be a bit startling. [Read more…] about Learning to Live with Snakes
The Nature of the Place: On the Flora and Fauna of the Adirondacks (North Country Books, 2025) is Adirondack nature writer Edward Kanze’s invitation to slow down, smell the roses, and get to know fellow creatures with more longstanding claims to this landscape than we have.
Theirs is the real internet Kanze argues, a web of life that weaves together an almost infinite number of threads into a fabric that’s a wonder to behold and something close to a miracle in a largely hostile universe. [Read more…] about Ed Kanze’s Nature of the Place Reflects on Adirondack Flora and Fauna
Nestled between Rochester and Buffalo, Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (INWR) stands as one of the best-kept secrets of Western New York. This serene haven, spanning over 10,000 acres, is a testament to the timeless beauty and quiet reverence of nature.
My visits to the refuge, accompanied by my wife, have left us in awe of its tranquil atmosphere. There is something magical about the place — a sense of wildness that feels both untamed and peaceful; as if nature itself is speaking in whispers. [Read more…] about Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge: A Hidden Gem in Western New York
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has vetoed the Safe Wildlife Crossings Act, a bill designed to make highways safer for motorists and wildlife with purpose-built crossings in the New York’s North Country. The bill would have required the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) and the NYS Thruway Authority to conduct studies to determine the most hazardous areas of highways for vehicle-animal collisions and develop a plan to reduce those hazards. [Read more…] about Governor Kathy Hochul Vetoes Safe Wildlife Crossings Act
The roughly 50,000-acre Montezuma Wetlands Complex in Central New York is a globally significant Important Bird Area situated at the outlet of Cayuga Lake, and consists of the National Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, the State’s Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area, and lands owned by The Nature Conservancy and other private parties. [Read more…] about Montezuma Wetlands Projects Completed
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public input on the draft list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need and associated species status assessments for use in updating New York’s State Wildlife Action Plan for 2025-35. [Read more…] about List of Species of Greatest Conservation Need Being Revised
In cartoons, when a turtle is spooked, it retreats into and closes up its shell. While used for comic effect, this imagery is based in fact – although not all turtles are capable of this protective feat.
In the Northeast, there are three native turtle species that have hinged shells: the Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii), the common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus), and the woodlande box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina). [Read more…] about Hinge-Shelled Turtles
There has been a 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations in just 50 years (1970-2020), according to World Wildlife Fund‘s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2024. The report warns that parts of our planet are approaching dangerous tipping points driven by the combination of a loss of nature and and climate change.
The Living Planet Index, provided by the Zoological Society of London, tracks almost 35,000 vertebrate populations of 5,495 species from 1970-2020. The Index shows an average 73% decline in monitored vertebrate wildlife populations (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish). [Read more…] about Major Decline In Wildlife Found in New Report
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