Almanack Contributor Margaret Murphy

Margaret Murphy is a principal scientist and owner of Integrated Aquatic Sciences, LLC in Lake Placid and adjunct assistant professor at SUNY-ESF.  She has over 25 years experience in fisheries and aquatic ecology focusing on monitoring; physical, chemical, and biological assessment; and restoration of natural aquatic resources in the Adirondacks.  While growing up in Syracuse, she spent her childhood exploring the Adirondacks from her family camp near Old Forge and became a full time resident 5 years ago - fulfilling a life long dream of living and working in the Adirondacks - to work on conserving our aquatic systems and fisheries for future generations.  You can reach Margaret at margaret@integratedaquaticsciences.com


Monday, July 30, 2018

Removing the Quarry Dam, West Branch Ausable

Monitoring teamQuarry Dam, on the West Branch Ausable River just outside Lake Placid, has been identified for removal this summer. The removal is being conducted by the Lake Champlain Chapter of Trout Unlimited, in collaboration with others.

The abandoned concrete and timber crib dam, three feet high and about 50 feet long, is creating undesirable impacts on the fish and aquatic life. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, June 14, 2018

More Adirondack Lake Trout Monitoring Needed

spawning lake trout Lake Trout are designated species of Greatest Conservation Need in NY, based on the reduction of cold, well oxygenated waters in lakes due to climate change.

Lake Trout, Salvelinus namaycush are one of two native salmonines to the interior Adirondacks, Brook Trout, S. fontinalis being the other.

However, unlike Brook Trout, which can be found from small headwater streams to deeper lakes, Lake Trout reside in the hypolimnion (bottom) of lakes during the majority of the year, where water temperatures are most suitable. The depth of the hypolimnion depends on many factors, including latitude, size of the lake, and the height of surrounding land that offers protection from the wind.  » Continue Reading.


Sunday, June 18, 2017

Non-Native Jellyfish Found In Newcomb ‘Heritage Lake’

View of Wolf Lake during summer 2016A SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry undergraduate received the Hudson River Foundation’s Polgar Fellowship this summer to conduct water sampling in Wolf Lake on SUNY-ESF’s Huntington Wildlife Forest (HWF) under my guidance.

Sampling will be conducted to determine if water quality changes observed over the past few summers in Wolf Lake might be due to a relatively unknown but widespread organism, the freshwater jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii. » Continue Reading.



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