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Wildlife

DEC Plans To Shore-Up Saranac River’s Imperial Mills Dam

July 31, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Imperial DamNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the release of final plans for the Imperial Mills Dam on the Saranac River in Plattsburgh.

The plan shores-up the dam to bring it into compliance with dam safety regulations and adds a carry for paddlers and a fish ladder to provide for passage of landlocked Atlantic salmon. There have been calls to remove the dam entirely, including by Lake Champlain Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the City of Plattsburgh and return the river to a more natural state and reduce the threat of flooding in the city.  DEC’s announcement said they met with Clinton County officials before finalizing the plan. [Read more…] about DEC Plans To Shore-Up Saranac River’s Imperial Mills Dam

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Nature Tagged With: Adirondack Dams, DEC, development, fish, Fisheries, fishing, Industrial History, nature, Plattsburgh, Salmon, Saranac River, Wildlife

36,000 Acres of Adirondack Park for Sale

July 30, 2020 by Editorial Staff 7 Comments

Whitney Park map courtesy ProtectThe family of recently deceased Saratoga civic and philanthropic leader Marylou Whitney announced today that the 36,000-acre Whitney Park lands in the center of the Adirondack Park are for sale.

John Hendrickson, the husband of Marylou Whitney, stated in the Wall Street Journal that his asking price is $180 million. Whitney Park is located in the Town of Long Lake, in Hamilton County and is one of the largest privately held contiguous tracts of land in the 6.1 million-acre Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about 36,000 Acres of Adirondack Park for Sale

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: Adirondack Park, Forest Preserve, Long Lake, nature, Protect the Adirondacks, Whitney Park, Wildlife

Invasive Knotweed, Milfoil Webinars Set

July 29, 2020 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

invasives webinarsHamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District and Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program have announced two upcoming webinars focused on Aquatic Invasive Species. [Read more…] about Invasive Knotweed, Milfoil Webinars Set

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, Invasive Species, nature, Wildlife

Comptroller Audit Highlights Invasive Species Challenges

July 27, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Adirondack Watershed Institute Decontamination programAccording to an audit released by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) needs to improve efforts to control invasive species such as zebra mussels, hydrilla and giant hogweed that have established footholds across New York state and threaten native species, agriculture and tourism, [Read more…] about Comptroller Audit Highlights Invasive Species Challenges

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Recreation, Western NY Tagged With: Adirondack Council, boating, DEC, Invasive Species, nature, Wildlife

Great Blue Herons: A Primer

July 26, 2020 by Paul Hetzler 2 Comments

Great Blue Heron courtesy Wikimedia user Terry FooteOn the whole, Europeans did alright naming New World plants and animals. In example, they called a large brown bat species the big brown bat – kudos for accuracy. A few labels missed the target, like the sunflower relative dubbed Jerusalem artichoke, even though it’s unrelated to either. Some names are partly right: the tufted titmouse has a tuft, but it’s a songbird, not a mouse. [Read more…] about Great Blue Herons: A Primer

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: birding, birds, Great Blue Herons, nature, Wildlife

Outside Story: Life In A Swamp

July 25, 2020 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Swamp Lungwort by Adelaide TyrolThere was a sucking sound as my rubber boot sank into the deep black muck. Naturalist Jon Binhammer and I were standing in the middle of a hardwood swamp in central Vermont.

Above us, dainty red flowers clung to the still-bare branches of red maple trees and fat black buds encircled the stems of black ash. Though the trees in the surrounding uplands had leafed out, the swamp was cooler, and these trees had not yet unfurled their leaves.

Bright yellow blooms of marsh marigold covered the swamp’s floor, growing out of mud and pools of water. Speckled alder shrubs, named for their spotted stems, were scattered about. In the distance we heard the “kuk-kuk-kuk” of a pileated woodpecker and the “toolili” of a blue jay. [Read more…] about Outside Story: Life In A Swamp

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: birding, birds, frogs, Mink, nature, waterfowl, Wildlife, woodpeckers

Check In On Your Trees This Summer

July 25, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Maple leaves with signs of tar spotThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has encouraged the public to do a seasonal check-in on trees in their yard or on their street. [Read more…] about Check In On Your Trees This Summer

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: DEC, Invasive Species, nature, trees, Wildlife

White Pines at Risk

July 21, 2020 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

Group of white pine trees courtesy US Fish and Wildlife ServiceOur eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), monumental in a number of important ways, is now imperiled throughout much of its range south of the border. Unfortunately, we can expect that to become the case in Canada in the near future. [Read more…] about White Pines at Risk

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: nature, trees, Wildlife

Sweat Bees: Diminutive and Diverse

July 20, 2020 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Sweat Bee by Adelaide TyrolAs you swat away blackflies this summer, look closely; it may be that not all those flies are flies. Some of them might be tiny sweat bees, members of the Halictidae family, which gets its common name because some species will lick sweat from human skin. [Read more…] about Sweat Bees: Diminutive and Diverse

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: bees, insects, nature, pollinators, Wildlife

Social Isolation: Live Long and Prosper Together

July 19, 2020 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

Two ant workers communicating through touch and pheromones courtesy Wikimedia user NoahElhardtI imagine there was a lot more hand-wringing prior to the Covid-19 lockdown in Switzerland as compared to other countries, because since 2008 it has been a federal crime there to isolate social animals. Makes you wonder if Swiss authorities have brought charges against themselves yet, or whether they’re waiting until after the crisis lets up. [Read more…] about Social Isolation: Live Long and Prosper Together

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Medical History, nature, Public Health, Social History, Wildlife

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