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 - news, updates and insights

Lampson Falls Letterboxing - Women in Science Series

Lampson falls trailhead sign is brown with yellow lettering that says Grasse River wild forest forest preserve lampson falls parcel NYS department of environmental conservation lampson falls and points towards the trail
By Kayla Edmunds on
Blog: Just Our Nature
Try your hand at letterboxing! Whether this is your first time or you're a letterboxing aficionado, make your way over to Lampson Falls between now and the end of July to find our five-box series. Read on to learn more about what letterboxing is and the supplies you need, and find the Lampson Falls Letterbox clues below! First of all, what is letterboxing? Letterboxing is a treasure hunt that…

Adventure Tips for You and Your Pup!

Oak leaf and acorn collection
By Ilana Mirel on
Blog: Just Our Nature
Hiking isn't just for people. Many people are bringing their trusty companions with them on their adventures in the North Country environment and beyond. Hiking with your dogs is one of the most fun activities and a great way to get outdoors and bond with your beloved pets. We all want what is best for our dogs, which includes hiking safety! Knowing some plant identification could save your dog's…
English ivy

The Basics of Wildlife Photography

Small bumblebees on a white flower
By Julia Hahne on
Blog: Just Our Nature
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…

Where are the porcupines on the St. Lawrence University Kip Tract?

Image of coyote at night
By Peyton Schmitt on
Blog: North Country Wild
Growing up I enjoyed outdoor recreational activities from hunting and fishing to hiking and camping. I was introduced to these activities by listening to stories my father and grandfather told me about all the wildlife they experienced. As I walk through the same forests, it feels underwhelming compared to those stories. The question I have now is, what happened? As our global population grows,…
Image of raccoon at night Image of a fisher walking on snow

Past Project Managers: Where Are They Now?

Women with brown hair and green bandana holding three brown baby critters
By Kayla Edmunds on
Blog: Just Our Nature
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. To celebrate our ten year anniversary that their years of work helped us get to, we reached out to see where they are now and what they have been up to since leaving Nature Up…
man in black sweater and black hat with sunglasses in front of a mountainous landscape view Women with brown hair and black hat and green coat taking a selfie in front of a snowy background Women with brown hair and light blue sweater on a rock in front of landscape of green, orange, and red fall foliage

7th Annual Earth Day 7K Recap!

A woman in dark grey sweater and women in light gray sweater walking down a wooded trail and waving at the camera
By Kayla Edmunds on
Blog: Just Our Nature
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…
A group of three women running down a wooded trail A person in red and a person in gray walk down a wooded trail A group of people running down a wooded trail A racer running across the finish line! Large group of people who ran and walked the 7K standing outside of a white building

Happy Earth Day Activites

Coloring Page 1: Birds
By Aurora Hager on
Blog: Just Our Nature
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…
Coloring Page 2: Squirrel Coloring Page 3: Fish Word Search Bingo

Celebrate 10 Years of Nature Up North With Us!

background image of maple tree flowers with woods over it that say Nature Up North, 10-year anniversary, come celebrate with us this spring!
By Kayla Edmunds on
Blog: Just Our Nature
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…

Nature Up North 2023 Calendars For Sale!

wide river with trees on edges and man in green kayak with two dogs paddling into the setting sun
By Erika Barthelmess on
Blog: Just Our Nature
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. Proceeds from calendar sales benefit…
all featured photos for calendar

Ask A Fairy: Fall 2022 Answers

A small brown house with rocks on the roof sits in front of a tree with a poster that says the fairies are here!
By Thimble & Blossom on
Blog: Ask a Fairy
The leaves have all fallen and as the nights drop below freezing Thimble and Blossom are continuing on their journey south for the winter. Although they enjoy a few frosty mornings, they’re ready to bask in the warm sun rays again. But, before they left they made sure to write back to all of your wonderful nature questions! They wanted us to tell you that they loved answering your questions, and…
A brown-toned fairy house sits on a mossy log in front of a forest