There has been a lot of inclement weather lately! One good thing about all of the heavy rain and thunderstorms is that our waterways will be filled for reptiles, amphibians, odonates, and many other creatures. It may not make our work easier – for example, the Spiny Softshell Turtles are going to be a tough study for now – but it is certainly a far better fate than the droughts of places like California. Thankfully for them we have signs of a strengthening El Niño, the periodic warming of the Pacific Ocean’s surface temperatures, that may already be giving them slight relief with unexpected June rain. Will that also mean we end up with a powerful El Niño that gives us a dry and mild winter in the Northeast? It has been to known to happen…and it would be a refreshing break after the last two historically frigid and very snowy seasons.
Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
