ADIRONDACK NEWS

A trained master watershed steward through Penn State shares with us how invasive species could travel to water by way of lumber ship, home landscaping project and even wildlife traveling between ecosystems. Learn simple steps on ways you can protect our Adirondack lakes!

The Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) New York Harmful Algal Bloom System (NYHABS) is now active, providing New Yorkers the ability to send reports of HABs to DEC electronically via a simple user- and mobile phone-friendly form.

When it comes to HABs, DEC encourages community members to “KNOW IT, AVOID IT, REPORT IT.”

KNOW IT – HABs vary in appearance from scattered green dots in the water to long, linear green streaks, pea soup, to blue-green or white coloration.

AVOID IT – People, pets, and livestock should avoid contact with water that is discolored or has algal blooms on it's surface.

REPORT IT – If community members suspect a HAB, report it through the NYHABs online reporting form available on DEC’s website. Symptoms or health concerns related to HABs should be reported to DOH at harmfulalgae@health.ny.gov.

Evergreens are under threat from a tiny, invasive insect: the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.

This pest, no larger than the tip of a pencil, poses a major risk to the health of Adirondack forests. Without intervention, the loss of hemlocks could trigger a cascade of damaging consequences including destabilizing mountainsides, eroding river banks, and upending the ecosystems and communities that rely on them.

LJ Mills, and others, have been evaluating the ADK forest for nearly 50 years. The Adirondack Environmental Long-Term Monitoring Program (ADK-LTM) began in the 1970s to study acid rain. Now, the information-rich project is collecting vitals on the northern forest as the Earth experiences record-breaking temperatures. It’s one of many years-long monitoring projects in the park. 

Scientists planning a far-reaching survey of climate change want to take the temperature of Adirondack lakes — continuously and at different depths. See what Adirondack lakes can tell us about climate change.

Climate warming and lake browning – when dissolved organic matter from forests turns the water tea-brown – are making the bottom of most lakes in the Adirondacks unlivable for cold water species such as trout, salmon and whitefish during the summer.