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!
The Story of St Lawrence's State Parks
The North Country is home to a rich set of state parks, but have you ever wondered how these beautiful, serene places came to be? Many of them sit on land that was once heavily used for logging, even before the timber industry dominated the landscape. These sites are the historical lands of the Mohawk and Iroquois, which are members of the Haudenosaunee.
Baby Great Horned Owl!
A baby great horned owl was moved from the grates in front of Newell Field House and into a nearby tree. This bird has just fledged from the nest, as it's too big to stay there, and can now start learning to fly. The owl's parents leave it hidden during the day and then return at night to feed the owl!
Sandstone: From the Sea to the Street
Join us on Friday, July 25th at 4:00 PM at the Sandstone Trail head in Hannawa Falls for Sandstone: From the Sea to the Street, an engaging evening of storytelling, science, and discovery. Together, we’ll explore the incredible journey of Potsdam Sandstone, from its origins beneath ancient Cambrian seas to the streets and buildings of the North Country. 🪨
Through a small exploration walk, local history, and close-up looks at real rock samples, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the landscapes around us and the stories embedded in stone. This free program is open to all! 🧱🔍
Growing Together Gardenshare Dinner Series
GardenShare is working hard to help people in our community with access to healthy, local food. With St. Lawrence County farmers markets in full swing, GardenShare is having an amazing season. Through the SNAP token program, as well as the Double Up Food Bucks program, we have been able to help facilitate several thousand dollars in SNAP transactions at our farmers markets. We have also given out over $15,000 in Bonus Bucks funds, which are matched by participants and help to provide them with healthy, local food.
Introduced Pest v Introduced control.
I spotted a Japanese Beetle out in the yard on a plant, at first it concerned me a little as I know they have no natural predators to keep them in check in the USA.
They eat leaves, leaving behind only the veins as adults, and consume roots as grubs.
Left unchecked they can wreak havoc.
But the introduced Winsome Fly will lay eggs on the beetle body, which when they hatch will enter the beetle and start consuming it, starting with the parts which give the beetle the ability to fly.
Discovering Pond Life
Join Nature Up North to explore the waters on Indian Creek Nature Center! Their summer naturalists will teach you how to catch and identify common macroinvertebrates that can be found at Indian Creek, and what they can tell us about the water quality at the nature center. Water shoes are recommended, and swim trunks are only needed if you're getting in the water with us. We may even have waders!
Blue Zoo - Catching and Examining Zooplankton
Come explore the micro-ecology of our local water bodies! Meet Marina at the Wachmister Field Sation from 10 am to noon on July 5th for a water sampling adventure. We will learn how to take water samples and then look through microscopes at the zooplankton swimming around! This activity is great for all ages and mobility levels. Come explore, sample, and learn with Marina! Stay tuned for possible location changes.
"share the same spirit as the water, and it will help you move."
We were sitting on a dock feeding fish and I saw the young deer at the far bank.
Believing it was trying to get a drink, I was concerned about it falling in.
Instead it gracefully entered, swam silently and calmly across and exited.
As graceful in the water as among the leaves.
Community Paddle: Birding
Looking for a Saturday evening activity? Well, come join Nature Up North as we paddle along the Little River in Canton looking for birds! By canoeing, we cross through different wetlands and terrestrial habitats that are home to a great variety of waterfowls, songbirds, and raptors. Binoculars are encouraged but not required as we will be getting up close to nature. So come join us on Saturday, June 28th from 6:30 to 8 pm! All canoeing equipment is provided.
Encounters on the Saddlemire Trail
I went for a walk on the Saddlemire Trail with my binoculars with the intention of looking for birds. I did find many birds (including American Redstarts, an Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow Warblers, and more) but I also saw a porcupine and a painted turtle! The porcupine was taking a nap up in a tree, and was still there when I passed by again on my way back. The painted turtle was on the side of the trail poking its head out of its shell near a patch of wild strawberries. These encounters were very special!