This is the first of three photos taken at the Stone Valley Cooperative Recreational Area, and is of the Raquette River located that runs parallel to part of the Stone Valley trail. This picture is also of running water and depicts movement or implies movement. Natural History: Like much of the North Country the landscape of Stone Valley Park was formed by the movement of large land glaciers and ice sheets many thousands of years ago. Their movement has shaped the land and are responsible for the presence of large rocks and boulders in the area.

This is last of three pictures captured at Lampson Falls. It is of an animal sign that I believe to be the imprint in the snow of a cotton tail rabbit. I think it is a cotton tail and not a snowshoe hare because of the size and spread of the prints. The feet of a snowshoe hare would I think be larger than this, especially the hind-feet. This photo was taken off to the side of the trail away from the Grasse River. Natural History: The Grasse River is a tributary of the St. Lawrence and had formerly served as a power source for nearby towns.

This is a photo my friend took while we were skiing at Whiteface Mountain. In this photo we were not at the peak of the mountain, but were at the highest you could get while skiing. This photo captures some of the peaks of the Adirondacks and if you look to the left corner of the image a little bit of Lake Placid. Natural History: The shape and form of the Adirondacks is the way it is thanks in part to the movement of large ice sheets thousands of years ago. These sheets moved rocks and boulders and eroded some of the natural landscape with their movement.

This picture is the first of three pictures taken at Lampson Falls. This is landscape photograph that captures a small waterfall in the Grasse River. Natural History: The Grasse River is a tributary of the St. Lawrence and had formerly served as a power source for nearby towns. The Grasse River used to be littered with mills, but nearly no remnants of theses mills. However, the stone foundations of the mills as well as other aged sturctures can be found along its banks. Lampson Falls is located along the Grasse River, and contains many cuts and gouges in the rockface of the falls.

Type: Movement. Habitat: mixed hard and softwood forest by a river. Natural history information:
Stone valley is located in the towns of Colton and Parishville. The rapids of the river here create many waterfalls, gorges and rock islands that make for some beautiful scenery. The gorges have been formed over many years through the erosion of the water. I chose this photo because the woodland environment nicely frames the running water.

Type: Close-up. Habitat: mixed hard and softwood forest by a river. Natural history information: This is a nest to an unknown species of bird. Nests take incredible amounts of time and energy for birds to construct, so they must factor this into their energy budget in order to reproduce. Many birds only use their nests once in a lifetime for a brief amount of time, while they care for their offspring. I chose this picture because I was intrigued by the mystery of what could have once been living there.

Type: Landscape. Habitat Description: hardwood forrest by a river. Natural History information: The Red Sandstone trail lies along the bank of the Racquet River, south of Potsdam. The trail goes between the Hannawa falls and Sugar Island, both of which are known for their dams. The river is the source of 27 hydroelectric plants. I like this photo because I think the rushing water, melting snow, and small buds beginning to appear, are hopeful signs that spring is on its way.

Type: close up. Habitat: description hardwood forest by a river. Natural history information: Woodpeckers peck into trees for several reasons; they do so in order to create nesting sites, or in search of food. They also peck in a hard rapid motion in order to sharpen their bills. The holes in this tree were started by a woodpecker and have become enlarged over time. This photo intrigued me because the tree was so rotted it was hollow in some parts, and I think the angle made for a cool shot.

Type: Landscape/Misc
Habitat Description: Snowy Woodland

Natural History Info: These tapped maples are draining sap into a collecting mechanism for the processing of maple syrup. If the trees were to be tapped in too many places, the trees might die from lack of nutrients.

What drew my attention: The complex network of tethers and tubes to transport the sap was very intriguing.

Type: Movement
Habitat Description: Snowy Woodland

Natural History Info: As with the other pictures of bodies of water, this thawed, flowing body of water is still moving despite the rest of its surroundings being completely frozen. This is possible because a larger body of water will take more time and require colder temperatures to freeze completely. This contrasts to the surrounding snow that fell from the atmosphere above, as the water/snow particles are quite small as they fall and thus can more easily freeze.