You may have noticed many ash trees onsite have rapidly declined over the last few years. The invasive emerald ash borer beetle was first discovered in NY in 2009 and has since decimated once thriving ash populations. Environmental Stewardship staff are targeting these areas for tree plantings along the Earth Is Our Mother trail.

Every winter, staff from the Environmental Stewardship Team, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and volunteers brave the cold to track rare grassland species as part of the DEC’s Winter Raptor Survey Program.

This month the Environmental Stewardship Team took on a particularly problematic invasive species found at Ganondagan State Historic Site. Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is an invasive herb that thrives in full sun and grows along roadsides, fields, and fence rows.

Summer is underway and young wildlife is appearing throughout the parks. Fawns, baby birds, and other young wildlife may appear abandoned, but their parents are often close by.