The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and SLELO PRISM have invited all hikers, cross-country skiers, and snowshoers in the Saint Lawrence/Eastern Lake Ontario (SLELO) Region to take a hike to protect the region’s hemlocks this winter through their Virtual Hike Challenge. [Read more…] about Virtual Hike Challenge in St Lawrence, Eastern Lake Ontario Region
Wildlife
New York Coyote Parasite Survey
Graduate students at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) are asking for public assistance in the collection of samples as part of a study for an emerging zoonotic parasite. [Read more…] about New York Coyote Parasite Survey
Balsam Fir: A Native New York Christmas Tree
Every year my husband and I cut a Christmas tree on family land. We look for a young balsam fir growing in the power line right-of-way or in a forest clearing.
Fir is our favorite type of Christmas tree because of its delightful, pungent fragrance. While Christmas tree farmers cultivate a variety of fir species, balsam fir is the only type of fir native to Northern New York. [Read more…] about Balsam Fir: A Native New York Christmas Tree
Watchable Wildlife: Green Lakes State Park in Onondaga County
Green Lakes State Park’s outstanding features are its two glacial lakes, each nearly 200 feet deep. These blue-green lakes are surrounded by old-growth forest of enormous hemlocks and tulip trees. [Read more…] about Watchable Wildlife: Green Lakes State Park in Onondaga County
Report Cold-Stunned Sea Turtle Sightings on New York Beaches
There are four species of sea turtles that can be found in New York’s coastal waters: green, Kemp’s ridley, leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles. They remain local in the area during the warmer months from approximately May through November, and will typically begin their migration south to warmer nesting waters by mid-November. [Read more…] about Report Cold-Stunned Sea Turtle Sightings on New York Beaches
New Black River Fishing Access Site at Deer River, Denmark, NY
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the completion of the Black River at Deer River Fishing Access Site, a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant fishing access site in the town of Denmark, Lewis County. [Read more…] about New Black River Fishing Access Site at Deer River, Denmark, NY
The Wild Turkey in Winter
There are only a few dozen species of birds capable of surviving the rigors of an Adirondack winter, and of these, the wild turkey is one that is more closely associated with the warmer and less snowy regions of New York than those to the north. [Read more…] about The Wild Turkey in Winter
Utica Marsh Wildlife Area Comments Sought
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released a draft Access and Public Use Plan (APUP) for the Utica Marsh Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The draft plan is available for public comment until December 22nd. [Read more…] about Utica Marsh Wildlife Area Comments Sought
Woodland Jumping Mice are Truffle Specialists
“Shhh,” I tell my 5-year-old son, “there are animals sleeping, right under our feet.” He presses his ear against the frozen ground, hoping to hear the slow, sleepy breath of a snoozing mammal.
I tell him that if he could pull back the earth like a blanket and peek in, he might see a small, mousey ball of white, black, and yellowy-orange fur curled tightly inside a nest of dried grasses and dead leaves.
A long, sparsely-furred tail would be coiled like a thin ribbon around this little package: a woodland jumping mouse, whose pre-hibernation diet consists largely of truffles. [Read more…] about Woodland Jumping Mice are Truffle Specialists
How Old Is That Deer?
By passing up shots on yearling bucks (1.5 years old), hunters improve their odds of seeing older-age, larger bucks in the years to come.
Though antlers can be helpful to distinguish young bucks, sometimes antlers can be misleading. Body characteristics are also very important. [Read more…] about How Old Is That Deer?