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Earthworms (at left) and slugs are both at high risk for harm on roadways and sidewalks due to their slow locomotion and small size. Take a moment to move them to a safer space whenever possible.

While most of us are familiar with Walt Disney and many have enjoyed the original version of the film, “Mary Poppins,” it’s quite possible that few knew of his fondness for the … more

By SANDY LONG | 3/12/25

Rorick and Walker take turns feeding babies and grooming them.

Born into it

Farm families are a breed unto themselves, and yet no two are exactly the same. My wife and I have decided to parent our kids using three pillars we agreed upon before there was ever any twinkling in … more

By HUNTER HILL | 3/12/25

The Ashokan Rail Trail (ART) stretches for 11.5 miles along the Ashokan Reservoir between West Hurley and Boiceville, NY. Depicted here is the Glenford Dike, one of 10 dams and dikes built from local sources to form the reservoir. The Ulster and Delaware Railroad line originally ran through the valley, but was rerouted. ..The ART is 12 feet wide and surfaced with highly compacted stone. Trailhead parking areas and portable restrooms are ADA-compliant. Trailheads are plowed in winter, but the trail itself is not. Three public trailheads provide access. ..This stretch is at the Woodstock Dike Trailhead, located at 1285 NY-28 in West Hurley. The entrance is 5.3 miles west of the New York State Thruway traffic circle at Exit 19. ..The ART is open for non-motorized uses, including hiking, walking dogs on leash, bicycling, running, nature observation, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Visit ashokanrailtrail.com/ for more information.

DEC advises hikers, visitors of changing weather

NEW YORK — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is advising visitors to the Adirondacks and Catskills of unsafe winter conditions in the backcountry due to this … more

3/10/25

DEC advises visitors of spring-like conditions

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is advising visitors to the Adirondacks and Catskills of unsafe winter conditions in the backcountry due to this week’s … more

3/8/25

NY DEC announces 2024 bear harvest numbers

NEW YORK — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced on March 7, that hunters in New York harvested an estimated 1,685 bears during the 2024 hunting seasons. … more

3/7/25

This adult bald eagle was spotted on the ice at the Lackawaxen confluence a week back. It may have found a fish scrap as it spent a lot of time trying to get something, obscured by the ice ridge, out of the ice before it flew off. This individual could be a migrant or one of the resident breeding eagles. Presently, the upper Delaware River has one of the most concentrated areas of nesting bald eagles in the region.

The animals can vote too

The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers annually announce a River of the Year. This year, the Delaware River got the … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 3/5/25

Extension to offer fumigation webinar

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA — An upcoming Penn State Extension webinar will cover best practices for fumigation to combat pests in storage spaces for grains and other commodities. Participants can earn … more

3/5/25

Art Flick, his life and his streamside guide

As books go, the “Streamside Guide” is a small volume, measuring a mere 4 inches by 6 inches with 114 pages, in the first edition. Despite the size, it’s the first book … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 3/5/25

An eastern coyote in the snow. File link: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/deed.en.

Coyote sightings increase in the spring

NEW YORK STATE — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today encouraged New Yorkers to help do their part to prevent conflicts between people and coyotes. Coyotes … more

2/28/25

My parents, Orm and Dot Long, fostered my appreciation of the natural world, inspired by their love of places like Shenandoah National Park, where they took my sisters and I as young children. Many years later, I became the first Artist in Residence at the iconic park they cherished—a thrill for them and for me.

The grace of letting go

In the words of my favorite poet, “To live in this world / you must be able / to do three things: / to love what is mortal; / to hold it / against your bones knowing / your own life depends on … more

By SANDY LONG | 2/26/25

These two already look like pros jigging for fish through the ice.

Out on the ice

If you’re cold, they’re cold; bring those poor cold fish out of the freezing lake and warm them up in a skillet. It’s of mutual benefit since the feast would warm you up as … more

By HUNTER HILL | 2/26/25

Like the robin, eastern bluebirds feed on insects over the summer and feed on berries over the winter. One March, I watched as a small group of bluebirds picked off late-winter stoneflies on the snow. Bluebirds are considered medium distance migrators, but this region is on the edge of the eastern bluebird’s year-round range. Many wintering bluebirds seen here are year-round residents.

Winter birds in the backyard and beyond

Last week, in between the bouts of unsettled weather, I took a trip up Route 97 and stopped at the eagle-viewing pull-off just downstream of Lackawaxen, PA. There was a fair amount of ice on the … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 2/19/25

Reduce stormwater around the home

ONLINE — Penn State Extension will offer a five-part webinar series in February and March focused on reducing stormwater around the home. The Residential Stormwater Solutions series is aimed at … more

2/19/25

New trout management plan for Delaware River

ONLINE — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will hold a virtual public information session on Tuesday, February 25 at 6 p.m. to inform New Yorkers about the new … more

2/19/25

A modern dry fly hackle is seen here compared with a small India gamecock neck; improvements in quality have been dramatic.

Tying flies, then and now

While I don’t know the exact year, I do know that it was sometime in the mid-1950s. That’s when I started to tie flies. Compared with today’s fly-tying material and hardware, my … more

By TONY BONAVIST | 2/19/25

The community is invited to join the Master Gardeners on a bus trip to Philadelphia for the country's largest flower show.

Master Gardeners invite community to Philly flower show

MIDDLETOWN, NY — Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Orange County invites the community to join its annual tradition of the master gardener volunteer bus trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show. … more

2/19/25

Applying salt to roadways during winter storms improves safety for travelers, but also affects waterways, their inhabitants and drinking water quality. The salt used to treat this road in Pike County, PA will wind up in the adjacent lake and local groundwater. Take advantage of the links in this column to increase your water awareness of salt and its environmental impacts.

Salt savvy

With another whirl of wild winter weather in the rearview mirror and more weather to come on the horizon, it’s fair to say the Upper Delaware River region will be receiving additional rounds of … more

By SANDY LONG | 2/12/25

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread to people through the bite of blacklegged ticks.

Protect, check, remove

PENNSYLVANIA — Students in first through sixth grades in PA schools are invited to enter the 2025 Lyme Art Contest by creating a short video or poster focusing on the theme “Protect. … more

2/12/25

Don’t take your rocks for granite

When thinking of how I would crack into this subject I came to a bit of a cliff. Fortunately as I began writing, my sense of direction became boulder. Not to quarry, I found that excavating a train … more

By HUNTER HILL | 2/12/25

This ice formation resembles stalactites at Carlsbad Caverns, but this is just a small seep from a rock outcrop in the summer. Water doesn’t freeze as readily when it is in motion, and that allows water to exit the rock and run down an icicle before freezing. Some huge icicles can form at seeps and frozen waterfalls. You may notice icicles on the edge of your roof. Don’t let them get too big, or they may cause damage to the gutter system or something underneath.

Winter ice, naughty or nice?

The season of winter has slightly less than two months to go before it officially ends, and what will happen weather-wise? We could get anywhere between an inch and a yard of snow before winter … more

By SCOTT RANDO | 2/5/25

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Currently viewing stories posted within the past 2 years.
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