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A handful of harmful algae blooms have struck the Adirondacks this summer, according to state environmental regulators.
Many blooms are inconvenient and ugly, but some are the product of toxic cyanobacteria that are often called and mistaken for algae. Without lab results, it’s impossible to know which is which, but officials tend to err on the side of caution now.
Inside the park’s boundaries, the state has identified five blooms it labels harmful, meaning not just icky but risky for people swimming in or drinking from the water. That figure, though, is sort of an undercount because it doesn’t include other blooms along Lake Champlain that are tracked by officials in Vermont.
A separate bloom tracker for Lake Champlain shows a series of blooms along the edge of the Adirondacks and the lake, though the ones happening now have been labeled “generally safe.”
Residential food scraps collection services and community food scraps drop-off spots are popping up across the state. Both are a great way to compost your food scraps locally if you can’t at home. Residential food scraps collection services collect food scraps at your curb while community food scraps drop-off spots allow you to drop your food scraps off at a designated location and time, such as your local farmers market or community garden. In return, the compost from these programs is used to build local healthy soils. 
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos released proposed regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emission statewide and implement the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). The proposed regulations mark a milestone in realizing New York’s nation-leading clean energy and climate agenda.
Denuding the Adirondack Woods.
The Little Fish Pond barrier dam is the lowermost fish barrier dam protecting the waters of the Saint Regis Canoe Area from invasion by non-native species. It was built prior to one of the biggest reclamation projects in NYS history. In 1952-1954,14 ponds and 21 miles of inlets, outlets, river and tributaries were treated to restore wild trout populations.
This past Tuesday, the Explorer hosted our first public event of the COVID era — a Zoom panel discussion with Dan Kelting, the head of the Adirondack Watershed Institute of Paul Smith’s College.
Explorer policy reporter Gwendolyn Craig has reported plenty of news on invasive species this month — most of it unfortunate.
Japanese knotweeds (Reynoutria japonica, Reynoutria sachalinensis, and their hybrid Reynoutria X bohemica) are invasive plants that are infamously difficult to control and have negatively impacted ecosystems and economies in the US, Canada and Europe.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) canceled an open house at Perch River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) out of an abundance of caution to protect public health due to the Department of Health’s (DOH) recent discovery of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in horses in the immediate vicinity.
If you’re in search of ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle, one effective way to reduce waste and conserve natural resources is through buying gently used items and supporting second hand shopping. Thrifting and second hand shopping has environmental, social, and economic benefits such as:
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) and Clarkson University will deploy new technologies to combat harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Lake Neatahwanta in Oswego County this summer. In 2019, Governor Cuomo challenged these research institutions to use their scientific expertise in water quality to develop new and innovative technologies to reduce the impact of HABs. SUNY ESF and Clarkson University will study the effectiveness of their experimental inventions this summer. Learn more about this project at DEC’s 
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the confirmation of 
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation would like to remind hikers, and all who enjoy outdoor recreation to follow the “common sense rules of the outdoors,” such as preparing for arduous conditions, avoiding sensitive ecology, picking up your trash, and respecting your fellow visitors and those working to protect our wilderness.
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