Connecting with Our Forests
While old man winter seemed to have taken a break this past season, we certainly did not as there was much work to be done! As you likely saw, we spent much of this past winter season getting into the field to survey for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae), an invasive insect threatening our local hemlock trees (Tsuga canandensis) and forests. Throughout the course of our field work and educational outreach programs, we not only had the opportunity to spread the word about this pest in attempts to slow the spread of it into our area, but also had the opportunity to learn a lot more about...
Read MoreWinter Raptor Internship
There are a number of bird species that call Chautauqua County their home. In particular, there are two species, Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus) listed as ‘threatened’ and Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus), listed as ‘endangered’ in New York. The Roger Tory Peterson Institute is now in its third year of helping the DEC conduct surveys for these birds. The primary focus of these surveys is to determine where Northern Harriers and Short-eared Owls are spending their time to roost and feed during the winter months. The Northern Harrier is rather distinctive from a long distance with a slim,...
Read MoreHWA Training Tonight!
Tonight! Call For Citizen Scientists: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Training Do you enjoy the great outdoors and want to help protect it? Join us Thursday, January 7th at 6pm for a training session on the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), an invasive insect that is threatening our local forests. Find out what damage this bug is causing, what is being done to combat this unwanted visitor and how you can get involved! Questions? Contact Elyse Henshaw, RTPI Conservation Technician, at ehenshaw AT rtpi.org. This winter season we will have a series of field surveys in which the public is invited to join and...
Read MoreHemlock Woolly Adelgid Training & Surveys
Call For Citizen Scientists: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Training Do you enjoy the great outdoors and want to help protect it? Join us Thursday, January 7th at 6pm for a training session on the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA), an invasive insect that is threatening our local forests. Find out what damage this bug is causing, what is being done to combat this unwanted visitor and how you can get involved! Questions? Contact Elyse Henshaw, RTPI Conservation Technician, at ehenshaw AT rtpi.org. This winter season we will have a series of field surveys in which the public is invited to join and work...
Read MoreGIS Lesson
After spending some time getting familiar with a GPS system last week, JCC students took their data to the next level through their lesson in GIS with RTPI Research Associate Dr. Peter Beeson yesterday afternoon. Students mapped their GPS way-points and were able to incorporate other useful information in the form of layers into their maps. They got a little taste of what GIS mapping is capable of and saw how it is extremely useful in the field of environmental conservation. It was a great lesson for all and the students made some pretty snazzy maps by the end of the afternoon!
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