The Nature of Things

Public forum on deer management

Mike Risinit — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:48:20 +0000

The Greenburgh Nature Center on Thursday will host a “Public Forum on Deer and Biodiversity in Westchester.” The event will look at and discuss ways deer are being controlled in Westchester County.

“Presentations by members of the County Deer Task Force will include details on the history and ecological context of local deer populations, and proposed ways of protecting biodiversity in the face of increased deer populations. Following the panel presentations, public discussion will be moderated by Fred Koontz, Executive Director of Teatown Lake Reservation. This free program is co-sponsored by the Lower Hudson Chapter of the Sierra Club; refreshments served.
Moderator: Fred Koontz, Executive Director, Teatown Lake Reservation
Panelists will include: Rod Christie, Executive Director, Mianus River Gorge; Beth Herr, Program Administrator, Conservation for the County of Westchester, Member of County Deer Task Force; Laura Simon, Field Director, Urban Wildlife Program, The Humane Society of the United States, Minority Report WCDTF; Dan Aitchison, Curator & Wildlife Biologist, County of Westchester.”

The county in late summer agreed to open 850 acres of parkland this fall to bowhunters in an effort to curb the deer population.

The forum starts at 7:30 p.m.

A Yorktown bear

Mike Risinit — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:08:07 +0000

A black bear was spotted Sunday morning on Turkey Mountain, a 125-acre preserve in Yorktown off Route 118. Jay Cohen, who was hiking with a friend, spotted the bear.

On Sunday, November 8th about 7.30AM, my friend and I were taking our weekend hike up Turkey Mountain (rt. 118). As we entered the white trail we saw several deer, which ran off into the forest. It was a lovely morning. When we got to the top of the mountain, we sat and spoke for a while. We then started down on the blue trail. After about 50 feet of walking, we both stopped and looked at this huge black object digging through the leaves to get to the underbrush. We thought it might be a huge dog. We noticed the tail did not look like a dogs tail. Also, the legs were massive. Suddenly, the animal lifted its head and turned and looked at us. It was not a dogs face, it was a huge Black Bear.

Information about the state’s black bears and living with them can be found here. If you’re wondering when bears bed down for a winter nap, a state Department of Environmental Conservation report (a .pdf is here) points out:

“Typically, female bears enter a den during October or November, and males enter their dens in November or December.”

Crickets and winter

Mike Risinit — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:39:52 +0000

Ever wonder what happens to crickets when winter gets here? Well, they die.

During these past couple of warm nights, I’ve heard one or two crickets still chirping from somewhere in my yard. It wasn’t so much a chorus of crickets but just a couple of solo performers, sounding off very slowly as if it was taking a lot of effort to push out the chirps.

“The number of chirps varies with the temperature with more and faster chirping at higher temperatures. Chirps vary from four to five to more than 200 per second.”

Here’s a video of a cricket doing its thing.

Better wildlife photos

Mike Risinit — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:54:45 +0000

Are your birds blurry? Do your wildlife photos give the impression of an ink-blot test? (Sounds like a tv pitch, doesn’t it?)

For some tips on better wildlife photos, check out DEC TV.

Lectures about living

Mike Risinit — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:47:16 +0000

The Westchester Land Trust is sponsoring a series of lectures and discussions titled “Food, Land, Sustainability: Five cutting edge lectures about the environment, the way we live today, and the way we’ll need to live in the future.”

The series starts in December and runs until April.

From December 2009 through April 2010, we’re offering the chance for you to hear and converse with experts who will talk about sustainability issues concerning food and agriculture, local farming, the Hudson River and our coastal waters, and energy.

In hopes of reaching more people in more places, we’re offering the lectures in locations around Westchester County.

For more information about locations and registering, go to the land trust’s Food, Land, Sustainability page.

Wondering about rabies?

Mike Risinit — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:32:19 +0000

For all those who wonder if rabid animals are crawling over the landscape, consider this: from Jan. 1 of this year until Sept. 30, the state Health Department tested 708 animals from Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties for rabies. Of those, only about 5 percent, or 37, were positive for rabies.

The discovery of a rabid skunk in Cold Spring sent me to the state DOH’s web site and its rabies section. There, you can find tons of data about rabies in the state and learn about how the virus spread across New York.

Rabies in New York State was initially a disease carried by domestic dogs, a problem brought to all of North America by European settlers in the 1700s. With the advent of record keeping in the 1930s, reported cases of animal rabies fluctuated between 20 and 600 annually. Most cases were recorded in domestic dogs although there was also some spillover to livestock. From 1925 until 1944 there were 10 human rabies fatalities, all linked to domestic dog contact.

Got mice?

Mike Risinit — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:22:12 +0000

If you do, a family of barn owls would be happy to stop by for a snack. According to the Audubon Society, researchers found that a family of barn owls (mom, dad and six kids) “ate 1,000 mice, shrews and rats during a three month period.”

Such are the Halloween-related facts and fun on the society’s “Tricks and Treats for a Green Halloween.” page. Tidbits about spiders, owls and bats are available there, along with tips for a more environmentally friendly Halloween.

Carry reusable candy bags such as pillow cases or canvas bags that you and your kids can decorate and use again next year. They are more sturdy than plastic bags too.

If you actually do have mouse problems, here’s a page of tips on getting rid of the critters.

Federal money for sewer and water pipes clears big hurdle

Greg Clary — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:23:57 +0000

New York communities moved a significant step closer to $322 million in federal money to rebuild crumbling water and sewer pipes, with Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, announcing that the money was included in combined House and Senate Interior appropriations bill.
“The federal government has stepped up to the plate to help localities break ground on many of these backlogged projects to maintain and upgrade the local water infrastructure and sewer system,”?Schumer said in announcing the $3.5 billion allocation nationwide. “Making these investments now will create jobs, ensure long-term economic competitiveness, and provide clean drinking water to residents in New York State and across the country.”
Schumer said no less than 30 percent of the funds will be made available as grants instead of loans, to lower local tax impact, and the money could be start to be dispersed by the end of the year.
An American Society of Civil Engineers report has detailed $20.42 billion in sewer and water infrastructure needs for New York.
New York communities outside New York City already have identified $3 billion in water infrastructure projects, according to loan applications to the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation. The Hudson Valley leads the list of regions, with $820 million.
The federal allotment roughly doubles the amount of money Washington approved in its current budget for the nation’s water needs.

Hudson River PCB dredging halts for season

Greg Clary — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:40:39 +0000

General Electric’s dredging of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) finished up for the season early Tuesday morning, with the company removing more than 285,000 cubic yards of sediment since last spring. The amount was well above the Environmental Protection Agency’s goal of 265,000 cubic yards for Phase 1. Barges will continue at work on the river for the next couple of weeks, delivering and placing clean backfill in the areas that were dredged. Then the equipment will be demobilized for the winter. Next spring, divers will be back in the Hudson, replanting the underwater vegetation that was removed through dredging.

A bobcat in Bedford

Mike Risinit — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:57:40 +0000

A reader from Bedford sent in this account—and a photo—about bobcats in her neighborhood. The photo, she said, was taken on Monday.

My name is Maria Kessel, and I live in a community called Hammond Ridge in Bedford Corners, NY. We are surrounded by a nature preserve, which provides us with a beautiful canvas, not to mention a variety of wildlife. In the past 3 years, many of my neighbors, including myself, have seen very large Bobcats roaming around our properties. Incredibly, my neighbor managed to take this photo just yesterday. We have e-mailed this picture to our immediate neighbors, but thought it was important for you to publish this picture as it’s rare to see such large wildcats in the lower Hudson Valley.
I have more photos of the same Bobcat, and another photo of a large reddish Bobcat that was taken last June in another neighbor’s
driveway!!!!

Here’s information about bobcats in New York.