Waddington, NY, Jun 16, 2010 — Take a nature walk with Nancy Eldblom and you'll learn that there's much to appreciate beyond landscape and wildlife.For Eldblom, what most of us ignore as just grass or weeds are botanical obsessions. She and colleague Anne Johnson have hiked fields and forests and paddled waterways in St. Lawrence County for decades to document some 1,347 native and alien plants. They're out with a new book, Plants of St. Lawrence County, NY -- An Annotated Checklist of Vascular Flora. Eldbloom says the user-friendly guide to the county's plant life is designed for amateur and professional naturalists alike. Eldblom now lives in California; Johnson, near Waddington. Todd Moe went for a walk with Nancy Eldblom in the meadow and along the pond behind his home. It's a field of green this season, splattered with yellow, white and purple wild flowers.  Go to full article

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

Saranac Lake, NY, Mar 02, 2010 — We'll say goodbye now to a friend. Chuck Brumley, of Saranac Lake, was 70 years old. He passed away last week.

Chuck was an avid outdoorsman, and a guide. He was a musician and a writer. He wrote often about his love for the Adirondacks and his adopted hometown of Saranac Lake. His books include "Guides of the Adirondacks: A History," and a collection of stories: "Ripples from the Paddle."

He also wrote and recorded commentaries for North Country Public Radio -- always with a touch of humor. In 2003, Chuck wrote this -- about guiding tourists in the Adirondacks.  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

Watertown, NY, Aug 17, 2009 — For the next two weeks, the Department of Environmental Conservation will open normally closed-off refuge areas in three North Country Wildlife Management Areas. Todd Moe has more.  Go to full article

Mar 30, 2009 — Spring weather came early this year in the North Country, but there's still plenty of snow in the higher elevations of the Adirondacks. Brian Mann spent a recent weekend snow-shoeing and climbing in the mountains near Keene Valley. He sent this audio postcard.  Go to full article

Holland Patent, NY, Oct 07, 2008 — Artists will hit the trail in the Tug Hill region this Saturday to capture their favorite spots along the Trenton Falls Gorge on canvas. Privately owned by a power company, the trail is only open to the public on a few weekends each year. Todd Moe previews the "Tug Hill Paint Out '08."  Go to full article

May 20, 2008 — Last weekend was Victoria Day, a holiday across Canada. Like Memorial Day weekend in the US, it kicks off the summer state of mind, as flowering trees festoon the breeze with pink and white petals and growing things compete to create the most vivid shade of green. Ottawa correspondent Lucy Martin was on side roads, snapping photos of Watson's Mill in Manotick, Ontario on a bright Saturday morning, when her eye was caught by a shiny green tractor neatly parked in a short residential driveway. Homeowner Jim Bauer happened to be nearby. It was one of those out-of-the-blue conversations as Bauer shared the work of a lifetime.  Go to full article

May 12, 2008 — North Country Public Radio is celebrating 40 years on the air. Over the weekend, more than fifty runners and walkers gathered for a 40k/20k race at the Paul Smiths VIC north of Saranac Lake. Brian Mann signed on for what he calls his "20k speed-mosey" and sent this audio postcard.  Go to full article

Mar 28, 2008 — A pair of North Country Assemblymembers say one way to cut the state budget -- and generate new revenue -- would be to sell off dozens of campgrounds, golf courses, and marinas run by New York state. Those recreation facilities now face a backlog of repairs and improvements with a price tag of hundreds of millions of dollars. The lawmakers say some state-owned sites no longer serve a public service and are competing with private businesses. But state Parks officials say campgrounds and other facilities are a valuable asset and actually deserve more taxpayer investment. Brian Mann has our story.  Go to full article