What's Your Nature?
Become a Nature Up North explorer to share your encounters with wild things and wild places in New York's North Country. Post your wildlife sightings, landscape shots, photos from your outings, and even your organization's events!
Just Our Nature Posts
X Marks the Spot! Exploring Nature with Letterboxing
By Krista Sonia on
Blog: Just Our Nature
“There is a park named after Chief Ahanton's daughter--find this park to begin your search,” the clue said. As an eager twelve year old, I could not wait to begin the search for real hidden treasure! Having visited that same park with my family for many summers it wasn’t hard to solve the hint’s riddle. Standing at the entrance, my mother read aloud from the “map”, a little sheet of clues we had…
Funtography Tips
By Justin Dalaba on
Blog: Just Our NatureKnowing Your Resources
There is no lack of access to cameras these days. Many of the electronic devices we carry on our person, including smart phones and tablets, have some sort of camera built into them. This can be to your advantage when you come across something that seems worth capturing. While shooting with a traditional film camera may be a skillful art, shooting with…
Lyme Disease Ecology Part One: A Ticky Situation
By Jacob Malcomb on
Blog: Just Our Nature
All year round we await the North Country summer – when the landscape is green and lush, the days are long, and shorts finally seem like a viable clothing option. In early summer we can easily tolerate a few mosquitos and black flies in exchange for the abundance of outdoor opportunities that our region offers. But over the last decade, Lyme disease has emerged as a serious concern for northern…
Sun Time and Screen Time: Infusing Technology in Outdoor Experiences
By Krista Sonia on
Blog: Just Our NatureTechnology has been around for ages!
The use of a fishing rod can be traced back to 2000 BC1, the first plows were used around 4000 BC, and a granary to store excess food was built in 6000 BC2. Even as far back as the Stone Age there is evidence that humans were applying knowledge and using tools to solve problems3. All of these feats can be filed under the overarching term technology …
Fight Those Late Winter Blues
By Jacob Malcomb on
Blog: Just Our Nature
Has winter weather got you down? Do you find yourself daydreaming about warm spring days? North Country folks may be known to embrace winter, but even the hardiest among us aren’t immune to the late winter doldrums. Fortunately for us, a growing body of evidence suggests that the cure for cabin fever may be just outside our (frosted) windows, in the snowy fields and forests across the…
Let's Talk Turkey!
By Erika Barthelmess on
Blog: Just Our NatureIn honor of Thanksgiving, I’m going to pause and give thanks for a North Country native, the wild turkey. Likely you’ve seen these large birds traveling in flocks along the side of the road. But did you know that they were once rare in these parts? And across the country? The abundance of wild turkeys across North America is a real conservation success story. And, oddly enough, the story of…
Sugar Maple Monitoring
By Jacob Malcomb on
Blog: Just Our NatureFew trees are as quintessential to our North Country character as the sugar maple. They are vital to our forests, providing habitat for many other species. In the fall we watch in admiration as sugar maple crowns turn to brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red. Maple wood is sought after by homebuilders and craftsmen for its toughness and the beauty of its grain. In…