In the mid-1760s, brothers Edward and Ebenezer Jessup moved from Dutchess County, NY, to Albany and engaged in land speculation in the Hudson River Valley and Lake George area.
The Jessups would become friendly with Sir William Johnson, who had built Fort William Henry in 1755. Thanks to his close relationship with the Mohawk, Johnson became the Superintendent of Indian Affairs. The Jessups acquired much of their land from Johnson and the Mohawks. » Continue Reading.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) have announced the release of the Statewide Riparian Opportunity Assessment, which provides a suite of tools to help identify and prioritize riparian (stream side) sites for restoration or protection.
This assessment will support DEC’s Trees for Tribs program, which is working with partners and volunteers to create and improve riparian buffers by planting native trees and shrubs along streams. » Continue Reading.
The 2018 John Brown Day has been set for Saturday, May 5th, at John Brown Farm Historic Site, in Lake Placid. The event will honor the awardees of The Spirit of John Brown Freedom Awards dedicated to honoring women and men whose work invokes the passion and conviction of the 19th century abolitionist who dedicated his life to the cause of liberation. » Continue Reading.
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a showing of the film Selma has been set for Thursday, April 19th, from 6:30 to 9 pm, in the Cantwell Room of the Saranac Lake Free Library. » Continue Reading.
Among the exhibitions worth visiting in our area this summer is one I’m especially interested in seeing: the Shelburne Museum’s “Playing Cowboy: America’s Wild West Shows,” an exploration of the manifold ways in which William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody and other Wild West characters influenced American popular culture well into the 20th century.
And not because I’m particularly or even remotely interested in the American west, wild or otherwise.
Rather, it’s because of the story’s links to the Adirondacks. » Continue Reading.
Adirondack Buyer Days, an annual wholesale gift show hosted by the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), provides a marketplace for regional artisans and retailers to connect with the shared goal of expanding their markets and enhancing the customer experience.
The event, which is free and open to store owners and retail buyers, will take place at the Saratoga Springs City Center on April 23-24, 2018. » Continue Reading.
Often, during my forays into the woods behind our house, I wonder who might be occupying the holes carved into tree trunks by time and nature.
The barred owls I hear hoo-hoo-hoo-hooing, maybe, or the chittering red squirrels. And, chances are, there are raccoons in some of those hollows, high above the ground. » Continue Reading.
How do you know when spring has begun? Is it the flow of maple sap? The first crocuses coming up through the snow? Ice out on local lakes? The arrival of the first red-winged blackbirds? The clamor of peepers? Apple trees and/or lilacs blooming?
Meriam-Webster defines phenology, which is derived from the Greek word ‘phaino’ meaning to show or appear, as ‘a branch of science dealing with the relations between climate and periodic biological phenomena.’ Think of it as a timeline or chronology of periodic natural events; such as when insects hatch or arrive; when flowers and plants emerge, bloom, and produce seed; when migrating birds and insects (e.g. monarch butterflies) arrive, mate or nest, and depart; and how all of these function within ecosystems and respond to change. » Continue Reading.
When I hear the phrase “trap tree,” an image of Charlie Brown’s kite-eating tree in the Peanuts comic strip comes immediately to mind. But trap trees, or sentinel trees, are meant to nab a much smaller flying object, the emerald ash borer (EAB).
The idea is to make certain ash trees more attractive to EAB, to serve both as a monitoring tool and as a means of slowing the rate of ash death. Early in the growing season, a chosen ash tree is girdled, which stresses it and induces it to create certain phenols and alcohols not present in healthy trees. It is on this chemical signature that the adult emerald ash borers home in. » Continue Reading.
Champlain Area Trails (CATS) has announced the inaugural hike on its first trail in Chesterfield, at Trembleau Mountain near Keeseville, on Saturday, March 31, from 6:30 to about 8:30 pm.
The Cadence’s Crest Trail — called so for landowners’ Kathy and Andy Prescott’s grandson Cadence — is a fairly easy, family-friendly hike that offers views looking out over Lake Champlain in the east and at the sunset over the Adirondacks in the west.
This evening hike coincides with the second blue moon in 2018. A blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. This year is unusual in having two blue moons; the first was in late January when CATS held another moonlight hike. » Continue Reading.
Wilmington Flume Trail Network located in the Wilmington Wild Forest provides 11.5 miles of trails for snowshoeing and hiking. Those accessing these hiking trails from the Flume Trailhead West will pass a wildlife viewing area overlooking a beaver dam and pond and enjoy scenic views of the West Branch Ausable River.
Flume Knob can be reached on trails traversing at least 2.5 miles, depending on the route taken, and ascending 1,300 feet from the Flume West Trailhead. The peak can also be reached from the Bear Den Trailhead, from which the trail traverses a total of 1.5 miles and ascends approximately 1,025 feet. » Continue Reading.
Fifteen of the 19 remaining 1980 USA Hockey Team players will be back in Lake Placid, Sunday through Wednesday, March 25-28, to participate in the fourth annual Miracle on Ice Fantasy Camp.
Sixty-five attendees will enjoy lodging at the High Peaks Resort, tournament games, a bobsled ride, home and away replica 1980 USA Hockey game jerseys, a highlight video and “inside” stories from each of the 1980 USA Hockey players as they remember their Olympic experiences 38 years ago. » Continue Reading.
The April 1st New York State budget deadline is quickly approaching, debate and negotiations will be in high gear for the next week over the approximately $160 billion spending plan.
While the budget and staffing levels within the Department of Environmental Conservation have been on life support for a decade now, the Police Benevolent Association of New York State (PBA of NYS) – the union that represents forest rangers – is advocating for moderate staffing increases based on dramatic increases in the amount of state land, recreational users and search and rescue operations that have occurred in the same time period. » Continue Reading.
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