Spring Peepers have began warming up for their mating choruses along the Beaver pond near my home in Split Rock Wildway. Wood Frogs began singing—if duck-like quacks be song—from vernal pools in the eastern Adirondacks even before the ice was all melted. Gray Treefrogs, … [Read more...] about Spring Song: Frogs of the Adirondacks
John Davis
Gratitude to Beavers
The beaver, our region’s largest rodent, is also one of its most important ecological players. Beavers are what ecologists consider a "keystone species", meaning they have disproportionate importance to their natural communities – effects far greater than their modest numbers … [Read more...] about Gratitude to Beavers
We Should Welcome Cougars Back
Many local residents insist the "big cats" – Cougars, Pumas, Panthers, Mountain Lions (multiple names for the same animal) – are already here, or were never fully eradicated. From my readings and observations, it seems the many reported sightings of Cougars usually fall into … [Read more...] about We Should Welcome Cougars Back
Misplaced Fear of Cougars (and Other Predators)
If ever there was a time in American history when we had reason to fear being eaten by bigger animals, it is past. The greatest dangers in our lives these days are self-imposed: fast cars, fast food, pollution… All the wild carnivores in North America combined do not kill as … [Read more...] about Misplaced Fear of Cougars (and Other Predators)
Adirondack Wild Holds Annual Meeting at Grange
Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve hosts its Annual Meeting of members and supporters at The Grange in Whallonsburg, Essex County, on Saturday, October 5, with registration beginning at 9:30 AM. The public is cordially invited to attend. There is no charge. The … [Read more...] about Adirondack Wild Holds Annual Meeting at Grange