History, Natural History & the Arts
An ongoing New York State Museum project is returning nearly 500,000 rescued freshwater mussels to the restored ALCOA Superfund Site in the Lower Grasse River near Massena, NY.
The State Museum was awarded an $713,000 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lead the five-year effort, which is also expected to advance research informing future freshwater restoration efforts. [Read more…] about Rescued Mussels Being Returned to Lower Grasse River
Within the past several years, at least three terrestrial pests have invaded the forests of the Lake George watershed. Among them: emerald ash borer, which was first detected in Warren County in 2020, along the Schroon River near Chestertown.
That discovery was the first indication that the invasive species might have established itself in the southern Adirondacks. [Read more…] about Emerald Ash Borer: A Threat to Trees, Mohawk Traditions
We recently passed the 50th anniversary of the release of Robert Caro’s Pulitzer-prize-winning book about Robert Moses: The Power Broker. Exhaustively comprehensive, Caro’s monumental tome nonetheless virtually ignores one of the most fascinating chapters of Moses’s career: his time as Chairman of the Power Authority of the State of New York (PASNY) from 1954 to 1962.
While heading PASNY, known today as the New York Power Authority, the legendary New York City builder oversaw the remaking of Niagara Falls and the St. Lawrence River for hydropower. [Read more…] about Robert Moses’s Imperial Niagara and St. Lawrence Megaprojects
On Western Avenue, two miles from the hamlet of West Charlton,in Saratoga County, NY, stands a blue and gold historic marker recalling a tragedy from nearly 250 years ago: [Read more…] about The 1782 Raid on the Gonzalez Farm in Saratoga County
November is Native American Heritage Month, a nationwide celebration of the contributions of Indigenous peoples and celebration of their heritage, traditions, culture, art, and history while acknowledging how society has impacted Indigenous peoples and culture. New York State was the first state to recognize “American Indian Day” in 1916, originally observed on the second Saturday in May. [Read more…] about DEC Relations with Indigenous Nations
On Tuesday, December 12 at about 6:30 pm, US Customs and Border Protection (CPB) and the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office requested NYS Forest Ranger assistance with the search for 31-year-old Ana Karen Vasquez-Flores, who was reported missing by her husband on Monday, December 11th.
On Wednesday, December 13th, nine Forest Rangers arrived to helped coordinate linear search assignments. Investigative efforts narrowed the primary search area to the Great Chazy River. [Read more…] about Woman Dies Crossing Great Chazy River: Some Background
Paul Smith’s College students have completed construction of the Akwesasne Mobile Cultural Center. This new cultural center is a result of a partnership between Paul Smith’s College and the Nia’s Little Library – a nonprofit that promotes literacy and preserve the Mohawk language. [Read more…] about Paul Smith’s Students Create the Akwesasne Mohawk Mobile Cultural Center
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced “Tribal Values for Natural Resources,” a webinar set for Tuesday, February 15th. [Read more…] about Tribal Values for Natural Resources (Virtual Program)
The Alcoa Massena-West Plant is an aluminum production plant on the north shore of the lower Grasse River. In the 1950s, Alcoa began using and discharging polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Grasse River, contaminating water and sediment. [Read more…] about Update On Grasse River Superfund Site Restoration
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