This fall the Cornell Biological Field Station at Shackelton Point in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be initiating a three-year telemetry study of adult walleyes in Oneida Lake to identify spawning sites, describe seasonal movement patterns, describe habitat use throughout the year, and determine where post-spawn walleye go after they have been processed at the Oneida Fish Hatchery. [Read more…] about Oneida Lake Walleye Telemetry Study Underway
Science
Fly Research Yields Possible Trauma Treatment
Though the phrase “garbage in, garbage out” is a decades-old caution for techies to be mindful when writing code or entering data, I thought my mom invented it. It was her stock retort when we kids asked why two hours of Saturday cartoons was plenty: “Garbage in, garbage out. Fill your heads with foolishness, and you’ll act that way.” I guess she was afraid we’d start chasing roadrunners across the desert, which typically leads to sprinting off cliffs and being struck by falling anvils.
It turns out she had a point. Numerous studies confirm that exposure to graphic TV violence raises a child’s level of aggression and anxiety in the short term, and is a sound predicter of hostile behavior as an adult. [Read more…] about Fly Research Yields Possible Trauma Treatment
Lead Research Hopes to Improve Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle Conservation Efforts
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking hunters to participate in a multi-year study of non-lead ammunition impacts on the State’s eagle conservation efforts. DEC is partnering with the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Cornell University, U.S. Geological Survey, and Conservation Science Global on the study to determine the reduction in bald eagle and golden eagle deaths that can be achieved from increased use of non-lead ammunition for deer hunting. [Read more…] about Lead Research Hopes to Improve Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle Conservation Efforts
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
Saranac River Watershed Landowners Sought to Steward Rivers & Streams
Paul Smith’s College’s Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) is seeking landowners to assist in protecting and improving local rivers and streams by participating in Stream Wise. [Read more…] about Saranac River Watershed Landowners Sought to Steward Rivers & Streams
Lake Trout Research Underway on Lake Ontario
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in collaboration with the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Fisheries, with outreach assistance from New York Sea Grant (NYSG) has been collecting research data on Lake Ontario lake trout movement using acoustic telemetry tags. [Read more…] about Lake Trout Research Underway on Lake Ontario
Dead Adirondack Moose Recovered By Researchers
In early April New York State Environmental Conservation Officers and other Department of Environmental Conservation employees brought a dead yearling moose out of a heavily forested area in Onchiota, Franklin County, in the Adirondacks. DEC had fitted the moose with a GPS collar in 2022. The collar recently gave off a signal indicating the animal was no longer alive. [Read more…] about Dead Adirondack Moose Recovered By Researchers
Winter Cold Snaps Help Control Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
Native to Asia, the hemlock woolly adelgid, or HWA, is an invasive, aphid-like insect that attacks North American hemlocks. Juvenile HWA, known as crawlers, search for suitable sites on the host tree, usually at the base of the needles. [Read more…] about Winter Cold Snaps Help Control Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
Chicken, Owl or Eagle: They All Start From Amazing Eggs
I’m often tempted to peek at the eggs inside a phoebe’s nest when the parents leave it to forage for food. I’ve picked up a fallen robin’s egg shell and admired its delicate color and smoothness. I’ve marveled at the primal determination of the chick that pecked its way out of an egg to become a full-fledged owl, avocet, or eagle. [Read more…] about Chicken, Owl or Eagle: They All Start From Amazing Eggs
The Migrating Juvenile American Eel Monitoring Project
All along the Hudson River estuary, volunteers including teachers, students, and residents are donning waders and venturing into tributary streams to participate in ongoing research on migrating juvenile American eels (Anguilla rostrata). [Read more…] about The Migrating Juvenile American Eel Monitoring Project