Urban Wildlife

DEC accepting poster contest submissions for 5th graders

Submitted by Anna Didio on Wednesday, December 19th, 4:03 pm

CAPITAL REGION - The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is now accepting submissions for the annual Arbor Day Poster Contest. Following is more information:

Fifth grade students, especially in science and art, are encouraged to design an original poster depicting the 2013 contest theme, Trees Are Terrific in All Shapes and Sizes.
DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said, “Arbor Day is a national observance that celebrates the essential role trees play in our environment. By participating in the annual Arbor Day poster contest, students learn about trees and how they promote a healthy, balanced ecosystem.”

View Comments | Post a Comment

Applications available for DEC Environmental Education Summer Camps

Submitted by Emma Levine, WNYT Web Producer

Thursday, March 1st, 2012, 11:00am

Applications available for DEC Environmental Education Summer Camps

Applications are now posted online for the Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Education Summer Camps.

The DEC Environmental Education Camps offer campers experiences in sportsman education, games, lessons, hands-on activities, swimming, hiking, canoeing and other outdoor activities. Through these activities, campers will learn about forests, water quality, nature and more.

There are four different camps kids can attend, Camp Colby, Camp DeBruce, Camp Rushford and Camp Pack Forest. Campers will participate in discovery groups and will complete six lessons. These lessons include group dynamics, explorations of different habitats and human impacts on the environment. Science, problem solving, games, journal keeping and wildlife activities are also part of what campers will experience.

Camp starts on July 1, 2012 and goes until August 18, 2012. Campers can attend multiple times during the seven, week-long sessions.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Feds consider endangered status for 2 bat species

Submitted by Sophia Sofferman, WNYT Web Producer

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011, 2:15pm

Feds consider endangered status for 2 bat species

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the status of the eastern small-footed and northern long-eared bats to see if they warrant federal protection.

The status review announced Tuesday was launched after the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation group, filed a petition asking for Endangered Species Act designation for the bats and their habitat.

The wildlife agency says the bats have declined because of habitat destruction, disturbance of hibernation and breeding roosts, and white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed more than a million bats since its discovery in 2006.

The eastern small-footed bat is found from eastern Canada and New England south to Alabama and Georgia and west to Oklahoma. Northern long-eared bats live across the eastern and north-central United States and Canada.

View Comments | Post a Comment

Cold, snowy winter may give way to floating fish as ice recedes from ponds

Submitted by WNYT Staff

Monday, March 21st, 2011, 11:58am

Cold, snowy winter may give way to floating fish as ice recedes from ponds

Don't be surprised if you see a lot of dead fish when the ice melts off your local pond.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation says increased fish kills known as "winterkills" are expected this spring because of the unusually harsh, snowy winter.

Winterkills are the result of oxygen depletion in a water body that has been covered by ice and snow for an extended period of time. The layers of snow and ice block oxygen from entering the water from the air, and prevent sunlight from reaching aquatic plants that would produce oxygen.

The DEC says winterkills are rare in larger water bodies over 20 acres in size, occurring more often in small ponds. The agency says fish populations can often rebound a few years after a winterkill.

DEC says anyone noting a fish kill that they believe cannot be attributed to winterkill should contact their local DEC regional office.

View Comments | Post a Comment