History, Natural History & the Arts
A new report from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found the frequency of severe weather in the state is growing, taking a toll on New York’s residents, property and economy.
“Extreme weather events are happening more and more often and inflicting financial and emotional stress on New Yorkers from loss of life to property destruction,” DiNapoli said. [Read more…] about NY Severe Weather Events Increasing, Costs Soaring
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has announced 15 grant recipients for its campground and day-use improvement initiative, the Enhanced Visitor Experience (EVE) program that provides money for new amenities and activities for visitors. [Read more…] about State Parks: 15 Campground & Day-Use Improvement Projects
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State locating and extracting lost, injured or distressed people and policing state lands.
This report of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers was prepared by DEC: [Read more…] about Drunk Hiker Among Several Rescued Over Last Week
Grafton Lakes State Park is located on a forested plateau in Rensselaer County, NY, between the Taconic and Hudson valleys, just east of Troy. The park includes five ponds, a reservoir, and 25 miles of public trails on nearly 2,500 acres.
The most popular hike is Long Pond Loop, which is approximately 2.5 miles long and follows the forested shoreline of Long Pond. It offers excellent views of the pond and is mostly level with some rocky terrain. There are multiple connector trails that can be used to explore more of the area. [Read more…] about Hiking Grafton Lakes State Park
Leaf peeping is right up there with pumpkin spice lattes and cozy wool sweaters as a quintessential fall activity. When the temperature starts dropping and autumn begins to show its true colors, many New Yorkers converge on their local state parks for the chance to see beautiful yellow, orange, and red vistas up close and personal. Whether you’re an avid hiker or a weekend trail walker, fall is the perfect season to get outside and enjoy the 2000+ miles of state park trails. [Read more…] about Great Leaf Peeping Opportunities at New York State Parks
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people and engage in policing on New York State Lands.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Hikers Lost Overnight As Forest Rangers Respond To 12 Lost & Injured People Over 8 Days
On Tuesday, May 14th at about 2:30 pm, New York State Forest Rangers Joseph Pries and Aubrey Russo responded to a call for two injured hikers at the bottom of the waterfall off the Quarry Hill Trail near the Massachusetts -New York border at Taconic State Park in Dutchess County, NY. [Read more…] about 2 Hikers Injured After Fall At Taconic State Park Waterfall
On March 19th, a Massachusetts Department of Public Works plow driver noticed a car at the Taconic Crest Trail’s Berlin Pass trailhead in Williamstown that had been parked at that location since March 11. The vehicle was 700 feet from the New York border near Taconic Ridge State Forest. [Read more…] about Rangers Recover Body Of Missing Hiker At Taconic Crest Trail
A $1 million land deal has protected Snake Hill, Saratoga Lake’s largest unprotected shoreline property. Local land trust Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature) purchased the land from Stewart’s Shops with funding from the 2023 New York State budget. [Read more…] about Saratoga Lake’s Snake Hill Protected by Land Trust
In this episode of A New York Minute In History Podcast, State Historian Devin Lander and Saratoga County Historian Lauren Roberts tell the story of Boston Corners, also known as Hell’s Acres, which once belonged to Massachusetts, but was ceded to New York State by an act of Congress in 1855. [Read more…] about Hell’s Acres in the Taconic Mountains
1,300 acres of forest and grasslands in the Taconic Mountains in the town of Berlin, Rensselaer County, has been protected by the State of New York.
The recent acquisition will connect the Taconic Ridge and Berlin State Forests, preserve open space, and expand recreational opportunities. [Read more…] about 1,300 Acres Protected in Taconic Mountains
On the Hudson River along upstate New York’s eastern border, within the natural boundaries of river and mountains, lies the rough rectangle of Rensselaer County. It is bisected by the Poesten Kill,* a powerful stream that scours its way from the mountains to the sea level flats of the Hudson River at Troy.
The Poesten Kill splits the county across the middle into two pieces of roughly equal size, north and south. From its source at about 1,600 feet in the Taconic Mountains, to the village which bears its name, it’s a smaller steam tumbling over forested rocks and ledges, and forming pools and small waterfalls. At the village of Poestenkill it begins to meander across a 10-mile wide plateau of farmlands before falling abruptly through a series of steep gorges at Troy to settle into the Hudson. [Read more…] about The Poestenkill: Mountains, Waterfalls and Waterworks
Bordered by the Hudson River and the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, few know Columbia County is noted for a mastodon tooth that rolled down a farmer’s hill in Claverack changing the world’s understanding of prehistoric times.
President Martin Van Buren lost his wife, Hannah, in Kinderhook and hardly mentioned her again. Hudson’s gallows were the scene of New York’s last hanging, as hundreds of ticket holders looked on. “Pondshiners” in the hills of Taghkanic made fantastic baskets.
Local author Allison Guertin Marchese explores these little-known stories of people and places in
Hidden History of Columbia County, New York (History Press, 2014). [Read more…] about Hidden History of Columbia County, NY
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