It is an otherworldly sound – it both belongs and doesn’t. At once it instills a fear that renders you motionless, but also attracts you with a deep rooted thrill fueled by adrenaline. Rattlesnake. I remember my first wild Pennsylvania rattlesnake. Black phase female, basking on a rock ...

Drive slowly by a farm pond, a lake, or a wetland on a warm summer evening, and you’re likely to hear two distinctive voices. A deep, booming, “Jug-o’-rummm!” betrays a male bullfrog. On a lake the sound can travel up to a mile across open water. As darkness falls, dozens of bullfrog ...

The lakes and streams in Chautauqua County have been impacted for decades by human uses in the landscapes which “shed” water to them. These waterways are some of our most valuable assets, and they need your action to protect them! How is your community managing your watershed? Is your ...

At this time last year, I found myself ready to leave one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. We had just found what appeared to be the last parking spot in Zion National Park and were walking to what looked like a never ending line for the tram to go into the valley. And it was ...

This weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer. That means little league games, swimming pools, and maybe some beach time. But summer also brings sunburn, sweltering heat, and biting/stinging insects. Today, however, let’s focus on the botanical scourge called poison ivy, which ...

May is a season of fast changes. Storm clouds boil up over the hills to the west and sweep rain across the region. Days of baking sun are followed by mornings where winter coats are more appropriate. Most of the changes, though, are quiet. The forest fills slowly with life. Ferns ...