The northern Adirondacks has been cold and wet, with the region experiencing several snowfalls in late October. The snow isn’t sticking to the ground in the lower elevations yet due to above-freezing ground temperatures, but it’s been cold enough that ice has developed on some small ponds.
A look at Lake Champlain cormorants (photo gallery)
Crown Point bridge, Four Brothers Islands, and Rouses Point are a few of the places where you can find them in large numbers. The dark birds have also been showing up in interior Adirondack lakes. I noticed one myself in September on Mirror Lake. Explorer Editor Brandon Loomis noticed several cormorants on Raquette Lake during the same time period.
Fall foliage shots for paddlers
Former Explorer Editor Phil Brown shared some photos with us that he took last week from Newcomb and Long Lake. You can see them in the gallery above. Brown was out working on the new edition of his guidebook Adirondack Paddling, which will likely be available next year.
Rebirth at Flat Rock Forest (photo gallery and video)
Jack pines are dependent upon fires. Their cones remain closed until they are exposed to the heat of a forest fire. Walking around the forest, I noticed hundreds of small jack pine trees had already began to grow as a result of the fire. Two other plants – huckleberries and blueberries – were also sprouting up from the darkened forest floor.
A look at the trail to Algonquin Peak (photo gallery)
About 130 miles of trails in the High Peaks region need rerouting or maintenance, according to a preliminary assessment done by the Adirondack Council.
Monarch starting their big migration (photo gallery)
As the days are getting cooler and shorter, more and more monarch butterflies are starting their big migration to Mexico, where they will spend the winter before starting their migration northward in the spring.
Crews work to remove Rome Dam (photo gallery and video)
Located less than two miles upstream of Ausable Forks, the Jay town board voted in March of 2017 to remove the Rome Dam after an engineering study found that it posed a threat to residents downstream because of its potential to fail. The engineering study found that it was structurally unsound and would be especially vulnerable during a flood.
Rome Dam on the West Branch of the Ausable River (photo gallery)
Photos of the Rome Dam in May 2017 on a rainy day. The dam is currently being removed because it was found to be structurally unsound in an engineering study. The removal started in August and is expected to be completed by mid-November.
