Farmer Dillon Klepetar scratched his head through a wool cap, holding an oversized wrench in his other hand. He’d been retrofitting the farm’s tractor to run on diesel produced from pig and beef fat, making it the only one of its kind for miles.
Nature and Environment
Camera Shy
Ninety minutes after sunrise on a spring morning, I arrived at a High Peaks lodge with hopes of photographing one of the Adirondacks’ most delightful denizens. On the ground lay a light cover of snow over hard-pack, and red squirrels chattered in the trees. Camera at the ready, I waited.
On Bee-ing
In a picturesque corner of Upper Jay pasture, amid the languorous grazing of Sugar House Creamery’s brown Swiss cows, Bianca Braman is raising a more industrious kind of livestock.
Looking Up
It’s Erik Danielson’s 30th birthday. He strides purposefully, pack on his back, along a shoulder of Route 3 near Ampersand Mountain. He’s doing one of the things that makes him happiest.
Animal Crossing
When Maureen Clark and her husband, Paul Madden, volunteered to have trail cameras installed on their Forestport property for wildlife monitoring, they weren’t sure what to expect.
The Legacy of Fire: Creative Destruction in Adirondack Forests
When I was a kid, I thought I had discovered the perfect answer to the “What do you want to be when you grow up?” question. The long hike up the mountain, the snug little cabin and the crowning glory of a fire tower with a 360-degree view, plus an occasional hiker stopping by for a visit, seemed like an idyllic life. The network of fire observation towers was an important part of land stewardship in the Adirondacks, but by the time I was old enough to sign up, fire spotting was no longer a viable career. Today about 20 fire towers remain, nostalgic reminders of a time when our woodlands were frequently ablaze. They mark the story of a changing forest and changing culture.
Where the Land Is Teacher
On a typical summer evening the Cranberry Lake Biological Station has a quiet hum of activity: ecology students at work, a loon call and perhaps the thwack of volleyball. But tonight it echoes with the sounds of the water drum, the hiss of shakers, the clacking of...
Edible Education
“Miss Perkins, can I get seconds?” asked the kindergartner, raising her hand.
Up and Coming
Baby snapping turtles emerge from soft soil as summer ends and autumn begins.
A Ranger Problem
A s the first half of 2020 has shown, New York State Forest Rangers are blessed, and burdened, with a wide-ranging portfolio.
Winging It
Why do we find things in nature beautiful? Bright colors? Dainty grace? Awe? It’s probably different for each of us, but I know I’m not alone in my delight at the monarch butterfly.
The Big Chill
Imagine an environmental challenge to the Adirondacks harsher than acid rain, invasive species and global warming combined. Imagine something that would not merely damage every lake, forest and meadow but completely crush them, then grind and bury their remains under a mile-thick slab of sealant.
On Sale Now
October 2026
Lost hikers, splintered bones and wildfires—a forest ranger reflects on more than two decades of coming to the rescue. Plus the oldest tavern in the Adirondacks, a trip through James Bond’s Lake George, and new energy in Schroon Lake.
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