Monday, September 5, 2022

Reading Bug Tracks on Tea Leaves

From palm-reading to watching Fox News, humans throughout the ages have sought knowledge through some decidedly irrational means. But every now and then, superstition pays off. For example, studying the pattern of coffee grounds in the bottom of one’s cup, a practice known as tasseomancy, will nearly always reveal that someone forgot to put a filter in the coffeemaker basket. And haruspicy, the study of the fresh entrails of a gutted animal, is consistently right in concluding the animal is dead.

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Monday, September 5, 2022

Adirondack Interpretive Center September/October Events

Here’s a glimpse of what is planned for SUNY-ESF’s Adirondack Interpretive Center (AIC) for the remainder of September, heading into October. Programs include a variety of walks, hikes, and a Halloween-themed educational program called Skull Skills. Pre-registration is required for all programs.


Saturday, September 10th – 9:30 to 11:00 am
Black Bear Woods Walk
Come along for an easy guided walk as we learn about black bears in the Adirondacks. We’ll look for signs of bears on our trails, discuss the implications of a changing climate on black bears, and learn about bear safety. Bring your trail shoes and your best bear stories.
click here to register

Sunday, September 4, 2022

A Zucchini is Not a Cucumber 

Cucumbers are a part of any summer vegetable garden. And from salads and dips to sandwiches and smoothies, crunchy, refreshing, water-rich cucumbers are an indispensable part of any summer diet, as well.

I suppose, much the same can be said for zucchinis. And, given their similar appearance, it’s easy to see how cucumbers and zucchinis can sometimes be mistaken for one another. They’re alike in shape and color and belong to the same family of plants (Cucurbitaceae, the gourd family). But they’re of different genera (Cucumis and Cucurbita, respectively) and, actually, quite unalike.

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Sunday, September 4, 2022

Updated RMP Continues Public Recreational Access Within Edinburgh & Corinth Conservation Easement Tracts

dec logoOn August 30, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the finalization of an updated management plan that will continue public recreational access and protect natural resources within the Edinburgh and Corinth Conservation Easement Tracts in Saratoga County.

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Saturday, September 3, 2022

Final Three Segments of NYS Birding Trail Completed

On August 25, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the grand opening of the final three regions of the New York State Birding Trail, highlighting the state’s world-class and wide-ranging birding opportunities. The Adirondacks-North Country, Catskills, and Southern Tier segments bring the total number of birding trail locations across the state to more than 300, providing a variety of quality birding experiences for New Yorkers and visitors to enjoy.

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Thursday, September 1, 2022

Tree Sign Language: Early Fall Color

Deciduous trees, ice-cream stands, and marinas close each fall for the same reason: as daylight dwindles and cold creeps in, they become less profitable. When income dips down to equal the cost of doing business, a wise proprietor will turn out the lights and lock the doors until spring. Some enterprising holdouts stay open longer. Perhaps they have less competition, or a better location. Conversely, a few close shop at the first whiff of autumn. Those are the ventures which just scrape by at the height of summer. I’m talking about trees here, of course. Trees whose leaves show color ahead of their same-species peers are doing so because they are barely breaking even.

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Thursday, September 1, 2022

9th Annual Fire Tower Lighting event set for Sept. 3

The 9th Annual Fire Tower Lighting event is scheduled for Saturday, September 3 from 9 to 9:30 p.m. and will include several fire towers in the Adirondacks and Catskills. On the evening of the event, volunteers will light fire tower cabs with high-powered lights, and invite people to visit locations where they could look up, see the light on the horizon, and pay homage to fire observers who would stand watch in the towers, protecting the community and surrounding forest.

Established in 2014, this statewide event is the brain child of Doug Hamilton of the Red Hill Fire Tower Committee, and is meant to showcase the history of fire towers around the state.  They were erected in the early 20th century, as fires ravaged hundreds of thousands of square miles of wild forest.

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Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Adirondack History Museum to host Fires of the High Peaks lecture on Sept. 1

Adirondack History Museum staff are pleased to host a Fires of the High Peaks Lecture by Sharp Swan on the evening of Thursday, September 1 at 7 p.m. The start of the 20th Century saw massive forest fires throughout the Adirondack region. Between 1903 and 1913, about 862,000 acres of forest burned.

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Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Adirondack Council weighs in on NYSERDA’s draft Climate Scoping Plan, importance of wild forests and farms

ELIZABETHTOWN, N.Y. – As owners of the largest intact temperate deciduous forest on Earth, New Yorkers have an awesome responsibility to save the Adirondack Park from the ravages of climate change. But that “forever wild” forest is also New York’s greatest weapon in the fight to prevent global overheating, the Adirondack Council told the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority recently.

The Adirondack Park’s largest environmental organization was commenting on NYSERDA’s draft Climate Scoping Plan, which will spell out how the state intends to combat climate change and comply with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.  The Act requires New York to stop emitting all greenhouse gases by 2050.

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Monday, August 29, 2022

Stewards on duty

Boat steward Kelly Bonnville prepares the machine used to clean boats with hot water. Photo by Zachary Matson

Adirondack Watershed Institute boat stewards this summer continued their education-focused mission of protecting Adirondack lakes by preventing the spread of invasive plants.

As a new law requiring boaters certify they have cleaned their boat and that it does not contain any visible plant or animal material before launching in the park goes into effect, though, staffing remains a key challenge to both the stewards and the environmental conservation officers tasked with enforcing the new law.

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Monday, August 29, 2022

ANCA’s annual meeting, Growing the New Economy of Tomorrow, slated for Sept. 23

All are welcome to join ANCA‘s board, staff and friends for ANCA’s 2022 Annual Meeting, Growing the New Economy of Tomorrow, where the group will explore the future of the North Country economy with a focus on small businesses, clean energy, local food systems, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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Sunday, August 28, 2022

ADK receives $303,960 Northern Border Regional Commission grant for Cascade Welcome Center renovations

Lake Placid, NY — ADK (Adirondack Mountain Club) has been awarded a $303,960 Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) State Economic & Infrastructure Development (SEID) grant for renovations at Cascade Welcome Center. The grant was announced by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik on Wednesday as part of a $4.1 million package awarded to projects in NY-21.

The funding will be used to make Cascade Welcome Center available to the public for skiing and other outdoor activities, as well as to develop the Center into a fully accessible, year-round, world-class outdoor education and visitor information center. This will help visitors and residents connect with the Adirondack Park’s numerous outdoor opportunities as they travel to and from the region.

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Saturday, August 27, 2022

Adirondack Land Trust Recognizes Jon Kislin and Jess Grant as Volunteers of the Year

KEENE, NY — The Adirondack Land Trust at its annual meeting in North Creek recognized two Volunteers of the Year: Jess Grant, of Willsboro, and Jon Kislin, of Wilmington.

 

Grant, a former land trust Intern for the Future of the Adirondacks, was recognized for the key role she plays in building and co-leading the land trust’s Next Gen Council. The Next Gen Council engages a variety of individuals—primarily in their 20s and 30s—in environmental conservation. With different career fields, backgrounds and identities, Next Gen Council members have in common a deep interest in the health and sustainability of the Adirondack Park and are committed to helping to ensure it is a place for all to enjoy and care for. Grant represented the council this summer during two events on the land trust’s porch in Keene that attracted more than 50 interns and young professionals.

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Thursday, August 25, 2022

Paul Smith’s VIC to host free Monarch Fest on Sept. 3

The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently added the migratory monarch butterfly, known for their flight to California and Mexico during the winter, to their “Red List,” a compilation of animals that they deem endangered. The native populations of this butterfly have shrunk by at least 22% in the past decade, due to numerous  factors, including deforestation, pesticides, and climate change.

 

Deforestation in Mexico and California to clear the way for urban spaces, has destroyed much of the monarch’s shelter. Pesticides and herbicides used in large-scale agriculture have killed butterflies and milkweed, the plant that the larvae feed off of. Drought, wildfires, and extreme weather and temperatures caused by climate change has also damaged these butterflies’ homes, as well as killed many of them.

 

In celebration of these beautiful creatures, Paul Smith’s VIC has organized a Monarch Fest which is scheduled for September 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

» Continue Reading.


Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Watercraft Inspection Steward Program Going Strong

boat stewards

If you’ve visited a boat launch this summer, you may have met some of our friendly watercraft inspection stewards who monitor incoming and outgoing boats for signs of hitchhiking invasive species. Stewards educate over 500,000 water recreationists every year on “Clean, Drain, Dry” practices. This year, Stewards have intercepted more than 6,611 invasive species from leaving or entering NYS waterbodies!

Watercraft inspection stewards also collect data about potential travel vectors for aquatic invasive species (AIS). This data helps our AIS team determine which waterbodies are the most vulnerable so they can increase surveying and outreach efforts.

Check out our interactive map to find a watercraft inspection steward located near you.

Boating in the Adirondacks? Please see our watercraft inspection steward webpage to learn about the new law requiring ADK boaters to self-certify that their watercraft has been cleaned, drained, and dried.



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The Adirondack Almanack

The Adirondack Almanack is a public forum dedicated to promoting and discussing current events, history, arts, nature and outdoor recreation and other topics of interest to the Adirondacks and its communities

We publish commentary and opinion pieces from voluntary contributors, as well as news updates and event notices from area organizations. Contributors include veteran local writers, historians, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts from around the Adirondack region. The information, views and opinions expressed by these various authors are not necessarily those of the Adirondack Almanack or its publisher, the Adirondack Explorer.

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