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!
Community Campfire - Andy Goldsworthy Earth Art
Join us for another installment of our Community Campfire series! The topic for this campfire is Earth-based art.
Inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy, best known for his use of natural materials in temporary artworks, our Summer Naturalist Laine will be leading us in creating our own pieces of temporary artwork.
Join us at the Wachtmeister Field Station at 7pm for the start of our campfire, and stick around after the activity for s'mores!
Community Campfire - Wild Edibles
Join us for another installment of our Community Campfire series! The topic for this campfire is edible plants. Departing from the Wachtmeister Field Station, we'll explore nearby trails for a few identifiable and edible plants that can be found around the North Country. Following our exploration, we'll return to the campfire for s'mores, and for the brave, a taste of what they collected.
Stop by between 7:00pm - 9:00pm on Friday, June 19th!
Community Campfire - Finding Amphibians
Our summer community campfire series is back!
Our first campfire of the year will be investigating the world of amphibians! Early June is the perfect time to find frogs, toads, salamanders, and more! The Kip Trail is the perfect ecosystem as well, with seasonal vernal pools all over the place and the Little River right next door. We're bound to find all sorts of critters.
Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program Spring Partner Meeting
oin APIPP staff and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe to learn about invasive species in the Adirondack PRISM. APIPP will provide updates on upcoming field projects and highlight a water quality monitoring project. Our partners at the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Environment Division will lead a field trip to highlight their management work to protect ash stands from emerald ash borer. We will also be learning about the role black ash plays in basket weaving and how to pound a log.
Spring Wildflowers at ICNC
Spring ephemerals should be in full bloom and trees will be getting ready to leaf out at the Wildflower Loop; join botanist Anne Johnson at the East Entrance for an enjoyable springtime stroll around the loop and beyond.
World Migratory Bird Day - Every Bird Counts!
This program is co-sponsored by Northern New York Audubon, led by Mary Beth Warburton. The theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day is: “Every bird counts - your observations matter”. Join ornithologist Susan Willson, Eileen Wheeler, and Mary Beth Warburton for a morning of enjoying migrants and ICNC resident species. Meet at the main entrance. Bring your own binoculars or borrow them from the Center.
Leaders: Dr. Susan Willson, bird ecologist and SLU Assoc. Professor; Eileen Wheeler, birder and ICNC Board member; and Mary Beth Warburton, birder
Pileated Woodpecker (male)
This male pileated woodpecker is actually staring down the river otter that came out of the water while he was hammering on this tree with his mate. It was quite the unexpected experience. I wish I had captured the entire scene in one frame. I did not want to miss the otter.
Mirror Mirror on the lake - who is the most handsome drake?
I love when the lake is still and reflective. This wood duck drake just happened to appear in the most perfect light. I think he is the most handsome, don't you agree?
River Otter
I was watching a pileated woodpecker pair hammer away at a tree at the lakes edge when this otter came out and seemed to be disturbed by their noise. It was so cool to see the otter out of the water in the spring. I have only seen them out on the ice in the winter months.
Trout Lily and Carpenter Bee
The trout lilies are in bloom around Black Lake. I love these tiny blooms and the trout spotted leaves. The bees seem to enjoy them as well.