Altamont, NY, Mar 29, 2010 — The deadly bat disease known as white-nose syndrome was first identified in upstate New York three years ago. It continues to spread fast, with outbreaks now confirmed as far away as Ontario and Maryland. Researchers still don't know how to stop the fungus from reaching new caves. Here in the North Country, biologists now say the disease has already wiped out 95% of the largest bat colonies. Brian Mann traveled recently with a team of biologists returning to the cave near Albany where the first bats infected with white nose were discovered. He sent this audio postcard.  Go to full article

Washington, DC, Feb 10, 2010 — The invasive Asian carp and its potentially devastating impact on the Great Lakes were the focus of a Congressional hearing in Washington yesterday.

The agressive fish has already infested the Mississippi River basin, and traces of its genetic material have been found in Lake Michigan for the first time.

Illinois temporarily closed navigational locks near Chicago to keep Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes. Representatives of the states surrounding the lakes are pressing the federal government to do more, faster. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Clayton, NY, Feb 02, 2010 — Invasive species - from zebra mussels and round gobies to the bloody red shrimp discovered three years ago - are one of the top threats to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. They've done billions of dollars in damage to the region's economy and environment. Most entered the Great Lakes through the ballast water of foreign ships on the St. Lawrence Seaway. Jeff Alexander has reported on invasive species for 25 years. He's also written a book about how most of those critters got here - hidden in the ballast of foreign ships on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The book is called Pandora's Locks: The Opening of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway. Alexander is the keynote speaker at the Save the River Winter Weekend, Saturday, February 6 at the Clayton Opera House. Alexander told David Sommerstein he first training his reporting in invasive species in 1989, when zebra mussels shut down the municipal water system in Munroe, Michigan.  Go to full article

Washington, DC, Dec 09, 2009 — Last week, the US Fish & Wildlife Service issued preliminary guidelines urging roughly two-dozen states to prepare for the arrival of "white nose syndrome." That's the deadly fungal disease that has wiped out bat colonies across northern New York and Vermont. White nose was first discovered in a cave near Albany. Some of the hardest hit sites are in the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains, where researchers estimate that hundreds of thousands of animals have died. Brian Mann spoke yesterday with Jeremy Coleman, with the Fish and Wildlife Service. Coleman is the national coordinator for the hundreds of scientists working to develop a response to white nose syndrome.  Go to full article

Clayton, NY, Dec 08, 2009 — For decades now, invasive species have been one of the biggest threats to the health and economy of the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes regions. More than 180 invaders have snuck into the watershed, most hidden in the ballast tanks of foreign Seaway ships. Things like zebra and quagga mussels, the round goby, and the sea lamprey crowd out native species, disturb the ecosystem, and have cost the region billions of dollars. But scientists and shippers are cautiously optimistic they're on the right track to keeping new invaders out of the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Dec 08, 2009 — Earlier this month, DNA of the Asian carp was discovered downstream of a multi-million dollar electric barrier designed to repel the giant fish from the Great Lakes. The barrier was built in a canal in Chicago that connects the Mississippi River with Lake Michigan. Asian carp have been swimming up the Mississippi for years. The DNA discovery set in motion a frantic response from state and federal agencies. The canal was poisoned with rotenone last Friday when the barrier had to be turned off for maintenance. Thousands of fish were killed, but only one asian carp was among them. The governor of Michigan has vowed legal action to have shipping locks closed to seal off the canal. Jennifer Nalbone is with the regional environmental group, Great Lakes United. She told David Sommerstein the Asian carp will crowd out native fish and devastate the recreational fishing industry, and damage the entire ecosystem.  Go to full article

Massena, NY, Nov 17, 2009 — The head of the St. Lawrence Seaway is doing a blitz through the North Country. U.S. Administrator Terry Johnson met with local media. And yesterday he visited the offices of Save The River in Clayton for the first time since being appointed three years ago. The environmental group has often been at odds with the agency that runs the shipping lanes that link the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. Johnson says he was disturbed by questions over Seaway expansion during the 23rd Congressional race. He says he wants to set the record straight: digging deeper channels in the St. Lawrence River is off the table. "It's a non-issue," Johnson says. "It's just not gonna happen." Yesterday, Johnson spoke with David Sommerstein at Seaway headquarters in Massena. Later this week, we'll hear their conversation about the economics of the Seaway and why traffic has dropped off over the years. Today, Johnson talks about invasive species, shipping during springtime icy conditions, and the history of mistrust many North Country residents have toward the Seaway.  Go to full article

Ray Brook, NY, Oct 09, 2009 — Adirondack Park Agency commissioners were given a status report yesterday on what's considered to be the biggest threat to the ecology of the Adirondacks. Martha Foley has more.  Go to full article

Aug 13, 2009 — If you've driven almost anywhere in the North Country this summer, you've probably seen those purple boxes hanging by the side of the road. They're traps for an invasive bug that threatens to decimate New York's ash trees, about 8% of the state's forests. The emerald ash borer was found in New York two months ago, in the western New York town of Randolph. Federal and state environment officials destroyed that stand of ash trees. And they've hung more than 5,000 of the purple traps, half in the North Country, to see if they find any more emerald ash borers. So far, they haven't. Russell Martin is a forest technician for the Department of Environmental Conservation. He lives in Newton Falls and he's logged more than 12,000 miles in a Chevy Venture van setting and checking on the purple traps. David Sommerstein joined Martin on an expedition off Route 11 between Canton and Potsdam.  Go to full article

Aug 13, 2009 — Listen to the DEC's Russell Martin describe research about a kind of wasp that eats emerald ash borers, and may be used in the fight to save ash trees.  Go to full article