Lake Champlain Sea Grant has invited students to become certified Watershed Explorers by completing a series of fun activities designed to teach them about watershed science and the Lake Champlain Basin. [Read more…] about Champlain Watershed Explorer Challenge Designed For Kids
Wildlife
Other Important Uses for Milkweed
After the undulating clouds of blackbird flocks have left the scene, and the broad chevrons of geese have mostly disappeared over the horizon, another momentous fall event begins.
Yes, it’s time for one more native species to take to the air. The great milkweed migration is on. [Read more…] about Other Important Uses for Milkweed
Motus Wildlife Tracking Stations Installed in Wildlife Management Areas
Just in time for fall migration, all five Motus receiver stations on the Perch River, Upper and Lower Lakes, Three Rivers, Rome, and Lake Shore Marshes Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are up and running.
In August and September, the Northeast Motus Collaboration worked with DEC to install the stations, which join a growing network of Motus receiver stations that will help researchers better understand bird, bat, and insect movements and migration by remotely tracking tagged individuals as they move across the landscape. [Read more…] about Motus Wildlife Tracking Stations Installed in Wildlife Management Areas
Be Alert for Moose in the Adirondacks
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has reminded motorists that they should be alert for moose on roadways in the Adirondacks and surrounding areas at this time of year during peak moose activity. [Read more…] about Be Alert for Moose in the Adirondacks
Urticating Hairs: The Defense Hairy Caterpillars
Last October, a young student in one of my nature journaling workshops pointed out a fuzzy yellow caterpillar with long black tufts.
“Those kind sting!” he declared. He was the third student that month to point out the same kind of caterpillar as stinging. I remembered being warned away from hairy caterpillars as a kid, but I’ve since picked up many – of various types – with no ill effect. I wondered, could the hairy-caterpillars-sting story be a myth? [Read more…] about Urticating Hairs: The Defense Hairy Caterpillars
Woolly Bears And Winter Forecasts
Autumn is coming to a close. The brilliant fall foliage is past peak, if not already layered in the compost bin. The last geese are honking their way toward winter homes. Predictions are proffered (sometimes cheerfully, mostly not) for how cold and snowy this year’s winter will be.
Sources for seasonal predictions vary. The Farmers’ Almanac and traditional tales are often cited. How soon those geese head south, for example, is supposed to indicate how difficult winter will be. We trust these bits of folklore because they often have a scientific basis and seem to work. [Read more…] about Woolly Bears And Winter Forecasts
Sapsuckers and Other Insults
As far as I can tell, icebreaker exercises are meant to help those awkward obligatory group events like staff development days or office team retreats feel even less comfortable. I recall one workplace training where we had to inform the group what animal best represented our personality. I was going to say “squirrel” but got distracted looking at something out the window, and forgot. In retrospect I should have chosen the yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), since I spent much of that same event straightening business cards and brochures at the conference center. This will make sense (I hope) in a moment. [Read more…] about Sapsuckers and Other Insults
Wild Center Releases Rehabilitated River Otters
After five months of rehabilitation, The Wild Center has released two female North American river otters in the Shingle Shanty Preserve and Research Station, a 15,000-acre biological field research station in the Western Adirondacks. [Read more…] about Wild Center Releases Rehabilitated River Otters
Working the Bugs Out of Firewood
With cold weather approaching, those of us who heat with wood look forward to the cozy warmth that only a wood fire can provide. Especially if it’s a fireplace, or a stove having a window so you can watch the flames, it’s the kind of ambiance perfect for sharing with loved ones on frigid evenings. With the Covid-19 situation, however, visitors may be fewer and far between for a while. [Read more…] about Working the Bugs Out of Firewood
Invasive Species Survey Efforts Help Protect NY Waters
DEC’s aquatic invasive species team has been coordinating surveys to detect and map invasive species in New York State’s waters. Surveys help to better understand invasive species infestations and inform DEC’s management efforts. [Read more…] about Invasive Species Survey Efforts Help Protect NY Waters