I Spy
I spy with my little eye, something brown. Not a big enough clue? How about, I spy with my little eye something with big eyes and a big mouth? Can you see it yet? Any idea of what it is? I’ll give you a hint, its a species not found in western New York or Pennsylvania. Give up? It’s a Shovel-nosed Salamander (Desmognathus marmoratus) poking out of a small opening within a damp rock face! This species is a common resident in the streams and seeps of the Appalachian mountains, including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I had the opportunity to visit the park and play a game...
Read MoreWild Center Natural History Museum
RTPI staff members Linda Pierce and Jane Johnson are at the Wild Center Natural History Museum in the Adirondacks checking out the Wild Walk – the Wild Center’s spectacular attraction which allows visitors to walk above the trees and enjoy breathtaking views of the mountains while enjoying the natural forest below. The museum, located in Tupper Lake, NY opens for the season in May, but was open this weekend for the MANY (Museum Association of New York) conference, which draws museum professionals from all over New York. As of today, Jane and Linda are winning in the...
Read MoreOur Own Alaska
Around this time last year I found myself boarding a plane with 10 other Houghton College students bound for the state of Alaska for a 15 day trip. Previous to getting on the plane, we had spent an intensive four days in class learning about the unique ecosystems, like none of our own here in New York, we would soon see. We left New York from Rochester, and a layover and seven hours of flying later we arrived around midnight in Anchorage. It was dark when we landed, but while we were waiting to be shuttled to our hotel we were able to peer over the buildings and see the peaks of several snow...
Read MoreMonarchs in Mexico
The following is a guest post from our friend Jack Voelker – our thanks to him for the tremendous contribution! Much has been written in recent months about the steep decline in the population of the Monarch butterfly and the potential end of their remarkable annual migration to the mountains of Mexico. We had seen an IMAX movie, Flight of the Butterflies, at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh this past summer. The documentary not only detailed the migration itself in stunning photography, but also the life of zoologist Fred Urquhart who devoted nearly 40 years to researching...
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