Week of February 23, 2025 – March 1, 2025 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator Winter often feels like a mysterious, quiet time, especially at night. Fresh snow absorbs sound, but as it melts and refreezes sounds become amplified as their waves bounce off of icy surfaces. Unlike during warmer times, many nocturnal creatures are quiet. Frogs [...]
Week of February 16, 2025 – February 22, 2025 by Kaylen Iorio, Environmental Educator While wildlife certainly do not celebrate Valentine’s Day, this is a fun time to think about the captivating world of mating in the animal kingdom. Every species on Earth has a unique courtship ritual, each one more fascinating than the next. Some [...]
Week of February 9, 2025 – February 15, 2025 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator With frigid temperatures, frozen lakes, and very little bare ground, it seems like we’re finally having a real winter again in Central New York! I’m glad that the weather has been more normal, but as always in February, I really miss the [...]
Week of February 2, 2025 – February 8, 2025 by Catherine McLaughlin, Environmental Educator Many mammals hoard food caches or bulk up during this time of year. We can easily see animals moving around with the tracks they leave behind. But have you thought about what happens below the snow? There is a complex balance of [...]
Week of January 26, 2025 – February 1, 2025 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator With most leaves gone from deciduous trees during winter, this is the perfect time to appreciate tree bark. Without the distraction of greenery everywhere, you might notice the great variety of bark protecting the trees around us. It can be smooth like [...]
Week of January 19, 2025 – January 25, 2025 by Kaylen Iorio, Environmental Educator Here in Central New York we have many different species of animals, some more elusive than others. We often see White-tailed Deer grazing in open fields, Turkey Vultures soaring above a park, or Eastern Cottontails scurrying to get out of your way. [...]
Week of January 12, 2025 – January 18, 2025 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator The past few winters in the Syracuse area haven’t been very snowy, but this winter has been feeling at least a little bit closer to normal. The Syracuse Hancock International Airport has had 44 inches of snow so far this season [...]
Week of January 5, 2025 – January 11, 2025 by Catherine McLaughlin, Environmental Educator The new year has already arrived? What happened? I feel like we just ended summer camp not long ago. But here we are, new day, new month, and a new year, and I have been planning my garden since… October for this [...]
Week of December 29, 2024 – January 4, 2025 by Anna Stunkel, Environmental Educator These days, the weather can be rainy and in the forties one minute and freezing cold and snowy the next! Constant snow cover isn’t a near guarantee the way it used to be in the winter, but we can still search for [...]
Week of December 22, 2024 – December 28, 2024 by Elizabeth Suzedell, Environmental Educator How have you used water today? Maybe it was to wash your hands, brush your teeth, do the dishes, or fill your water bottle. Our water usage seems to be taken up by mostly mundane tasks, but its importance to our lives [...]
