Coastal Adventure
The other week I had the opportunity to adventure out to Connecticut and Rhode Island for a week of learning. As you all know, we have a number of projects running in coastal Connecticut monitoring shorebirds and educating the public about the many federally and state listed species that reside there, and we have some wonderful RTPI staff stationed there as well. On my trip I was able to spend some time with Scott Kruitbosch, our Conservation and Outreach Coordinator, looking at several of the sites where projects for shorebirds, migrating raptors and coastal remediation are taking place. It...
Read MoreProject Wild America Wrap Up
It’s 7am and about 55° on the morning of our last turtle trapping day with our Project Wild America Youth Ambassadors. I roll up to the Riverwalk to find all our students ready to give things a final go. All of us are beat from a long couple weeks of intensive trapping efforts and exploration of various sites along the Chadakoin River. However, we each feel accomplished with how many different species we have found and the impact we have made on the local community through the sharing of our findings and experiences. There is a dwindling optimism as we deploy our 35 foot seine net,...
Read MoreSummer Forest Pests
While many are on summer vacation or are making their summertime plans, forest pests are making their plans too. Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and Emerald Ash Borer, both invasive species that are now present in Chautauqua County and beyond, are setting their sites on some summertime love and beautiful landscapes to destroy. As you may recall, this past winter we joined forces with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE) to establish an educational outreach project using bright yellow signs with information about these forest pests. Many of these signs were erected along the...
Read MoreSnowmobile Cell Phone Tour Wrap Up
For any of those that enjoy the winter season, many will say this past winter was a great one. The cold temperatures and consistent snowfall made Chautauqua County a winter outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, coating the trails and ski slopes throughout much of the blustery season. Thanks to all of the wintery weather the area received, the trails throughout Chautauqua County were open for snowmobile, ski, snowshoe and foot traffic throughout much of the designated season. Furthermore, the conditions created a great opportunity for people to get out on the trails and enjoy some of the...
Read MoreBird Extinctions
It’s not every day that we do photo shoots with organisms that have been dead for any length of time; however, on occasion the preserved bird skins in the Peterson collection still get a bit of use even though some of the birds themselves have been dead for over a hundred years, and their species extinct for decades. Many of the bird skins that lay in their likely final resting spot here at RTPI were part of Roger Tory Peterson’s collection that he used for reference while painting each species for his field guides. Nowadays they still serve a purpose for researchers and others...
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