Albany, NY, Oct 18, 2012 — State officials in New York say they've adopted a new five-year plan for managing the state's population of bobcats. The plan calls for more hunting of the animals in new areas of New York state, including central and western New York.

The move comes as biologists say the bobcat population has grown to more than 5,000 animals. According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, planners received more than 1,600 comments about the plan, many critical of state's intention to expand hunting opportunities.

State biologists say they expect the changes to result in fewer than 150 additional animals being harvested by hunters each year.  Go to full article

Apr 20, 2012 — When black bear hunters head back into the woods this fall, they'll face new regulations that require them to document any parts of the animal that they plan to sell.

The new law went into effect this year. It's designed to help state and Federal officials crack down on black bear poaching.

It's still legal for hunters in New York to sell bear parts for use in Asian medicine and cooking, but the trade will be much more closely monitored.

Brian Mann has our story.  Go to full article

Dec 16, 2011 — This has been one of the busiest and most stressful weeks of the year for students at area colleges. It's finals week, right before the holidays. Faculty and staff at St. Lawrence University took some time recently to share their dogs' love with students to help ease the stress.

Golden labs, beagles and mixed-breed mutts were among the canine therapists on campus last Friday. They performed simple tricks, chased toys and enjoyed occasional treats with the students. Our intern, Roger Miller, is a senior at St. Lawrence. He mingled with the pack of dogs and students in Gunnison Chapel during a study break for today's "Heard Up North."  Go to full article

Ogdensburg, NY, Dec 09, 2011 — Getting your kids' pictures taken with Santa Claus has been a longtime holiday ritual for many. In recent years another group has begun vying for Santa's attention--pets...and a picture of an awkward dog or an annoyed looking cat in Father Christmas' lap has become a fairly common site on the mantle.

In Ogdensburg on the day after Thanksgiving, Amvets Auxiliary post 19 invited people to come out to Tractor Supply with their pets to meet Santa. The event was a benefit for St. Jude Children's research hospital. Nora Flaherty's dog gets nervous in crowds, so she stayed home--but Nora did bring her recorder for this Heard Up North:  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, Nov 25, 2011 — Nestled amongst the trees along the western edge of Parliament Hill in Ottawa is a small spot reserved for the residential feral cat population. Their ancestors arrived in the early 1900's to help control pests in nearby government buildings. The Canadian government and local volunteers have provided a place for them to take shelter and receive food and water since the 1970's. This cat sanctuary even has the Queen's blessing.

Today, the complex includes neat rows of tiny kitty condos, built by cat lover Renee Chartrand. Renee, dubbed the "Cat Man of Ottawa", is 90 and still lives in the city, although he's not able to make the daily trek up Parliament Hill. A team of friends and volunteers have cheerfully taken up his cause. Todd Moe recently played tourist on Parliament Hill and met some of the cats and their caretakers.  Go to full article

Nov 22, 2011 — Back in September, faculty and staff at St. Lawrence University got an e-mail from English Professor Peter Bailey - "adopt a Bentley" it said.
Bentley - a big friendly puppy -- needed a home.

In October, Peter Bailey repeated his request, and a couple weeks ago, he emailed again.
Attached to the third note were a couple pictures...soon Bentley's cause spread. Word about the Boxer-St. Bernard mix reached into the Adirondacks and south to Syracuse.
There's no happy ending, yet, but Bentley has attracted friends and visitors to the St. Lawrence Valley SPCA in Ogdensburg.

Nora Flaherty spoke with Peter Bailey about Bentley's cause:  Go to full article

Cobleskill, NY, Jul 16, 2010 — Mostly gone are the days of the neighborhood butcher. They may never come back. They've been replaced by vast meat processing plants putting out shrink-wrapped cuts for supermarkets. But foodies and locavores are fueling a demand for meat raised, killed, and butchered closer to home. The problem in the North Country and much of the Northeast is there aren't enough slaughterhouses or meat cutters. David Sommerstein visited New York's only certification course for the next generation of butchers.  Go to full article

Potsdam, NY, Dec 23, 2009 — In these last few days before Christmas, adoptions are up at North Country animal shelters. It's a hectic time as kittens and puppies are in high demand.

Some shelter workers fear they'll see these same animals come back in a few months when they're too big or too much to handle. Others are actively discouraging people from giving pets as gifts. Jonathan Brown reports.  Go to full article

Nov 16, 2009 — A new coalition wants to set up an early warning system for diseases that pass between animals and humans. Samara Freemark reports some research institutions and conservation groups are launching the PREDICT program.  Go to full article

Elizabethtown, NY, Oct 01, 2009 — For a lot of people in the North Country, a hike in the woods wouldn't be the same without a dog. A new guidebook published this summer offers a great list of trails in the Adirondacks that are dog-friendly, along with good advice for taking your pet into the woods. Brian Mann hit the trail this week with the book's editor, Libby Treadwell, and sends this audio postcard.  Go to full article