The artificial pond, about one meter deep, purifies runoffs from St. Lawrence University before discharging into the Grasse River. During winter, a layer of ice accumulated on the pond. This resulted in less sunlight available for phytoplankton photosynthesis. This may have affected the food chain within the pond. Phytoplankton are essential in the pond because they are a food source to other organisms such as zooplankton and planktonic bacteria that purify the runoffs. As it is getting warmer, the layer of snow on the pond is starting to melt.

Temperatures hit 70 degrees last Sunday, the spring melt was on in full force at Stone Valley. Despite being one of the most dammed rivers in New York state, the Raquette is wild and stunningly powerful through this section.

We were driving to Ogdensburg with the window down and you could hear the frogs so clearly just peeping away!

On December 20th, 2013 the North Country was hit with a devastating ice storm that resulted in massive amounts of snow and ice, along with the loss of power across St. Lawrence County. In specific, there was over an inch of ice in St. Lawrence County after the storm ended two days later. The ice accumulated on trees, forcing them to bend over, shed their leaves and in extreme cases, lose their limbs. This particular deciduous tree, located on St. Lawrence University’s campus, seems to have lost two of its front limbs.

This is a photo of an animal sign, and more specifically the tracks of a Fisher. The Fisher has a similar size to a domestic cat and has dark, thick fur which helps regulate the mammal's internal temperature in the winter time. Similar to a Lynx, the Fisher's paws are disproportionally larger than its legs, which help it walk easier on snow -- kind of like snow shoes. Although this photo does not depict it very well, the paws of a fisher have claws which also help it navigate through its environment.