Seeing animals in the wilderness can be a breathtaking experience, but it’s not always easy to convey this beauty in the form of a photo. Dealing with fast moving animals or the “interesting” weather of the North Country can make it hard to snap a good picture. Luckily, practice, plus a few tips, are all it takes, and the North Country is an excellent place to practice. Whether you hail from the beautiful Adirondack mountains or reside in a bustling city, wildlife can be found anywhere - you just have to look for it; remember squirrels, birds, and bugs are wildlife too!

Since the beginning of Nature Up North ten years ago, four amazing, unique, talented Project Managers have graced the office of Bewkes 122, the Kip Trail and Wachtmeister Field Station, and many more local outdoor spaces.

The registration list has been recycled and the course flags have been hung up for now, but we're still thinking about how much fun we had with all participants of our 7th Annual Earrth Day 7k this past Saturday, April 22nd! The course followed the St. Lawrence University Kip and Saddlemire trails, starting and finishing at the Wachtmeister Field Station and covering 7 kilometers (4.4 mi) of mixed forests, fields, and wetland. Trail conditions were a bit muddy in places, but we were just happy that there was no standing water left on the trail!

This year April 22nd marks the 53rd anniversary of an important holiday, Earth Day! How did Earth Day start, and why is it important? The idea of having laws, policy, or rules to protect natural resources such as trees, fresh water, and clean soil started in the 1960s. At that time there were no environmental policies in place to protect the natural environment, and it was normal for humans and corporations to continue to deforest lands, destroy the soils, and pollute waters with chemicals.

Nature Up North is celebrating it's 10th Anniversary this year!

2013 marked the launch of natureupnorth.org (this very website) and the first year we hired a cohort of summer interns and hosted free events for the community all summer long! In the 10 years since that first summer we've hosted over 175 public events, hired and trained 95 St. Lawrence University students, launched 3 citizen science projects, and more! 

Nature Up North calendars are on sale at local businesses through early 2023! These printed calendars feature our favorite photos shared by community members as Encounters on natureupnorth.org in the past year. Calendars also include Nature Notes highlighting the phenological changes and happenings of flora, fauna, and more local to the North Country region.

September 8th through October 23rd

Calling all North Country nature photographers!

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.

Nature Up North has spent the summer getting back outside after a hiatus from summer activities due to COVID. We have really focused on being outside as much as we can and encouraged ourselves and other North Country community members to connect with nature this summer.