Nature

Fog!

Nothing makes me jump out of bed faster than a long blast from a ship’s horn. I look out the window and see nothing but – FOG . . .

Volume 19, Issue 3, March 2024
Larry Asam

Oh Snap!

When I first spotted the giant turtle at the side of the road, I have to admit that my first thought was that it had a face only a mother (turtle) could love . . .

Volume 19, Issue 3, March 2024
Patty Mondore

Ice Boats of the Thousand Islands

The frozen St. Lawrence River has been a means for safely transiting from island to island in winter . . .The ice also gave birth to iceboats as a means to safely cross the frozen body of water.

Volume 19, Issue 3, March 2024
Rick Casali

Driving On Ice

Ssshhhh!! Don’t tell anyone! Especially not my Mother! We were teenagers and figured that we were sneaky enough that no one would ever notice. (uh huh, right – you believe me, don’t you?!)

Volume 19, Issue 2, February 2024
Sarah Telfer

Episode 2: How Roscoe Fish Got His Name (Part l)

Roscoe’s story began in a place far away from the Thousand Islands. His parents were not St Lawrence River fish at all. He was spawned in the pristine waters of the Willowemoc River in upper New York State, near Trout Town, USA . . .

Volume 19, Issue 2, February 2024
Sarah Bodine

My ‘Wanderful’ Journey

When we lived here the first time, Brian and I were Macsherry Trail Steward volunteers. It was awesome! Our “job” was to hike the trail on a fairly regular basis . . .

Volume 19, Issue 2, February 2024
Kate Breheny

A Bird in the Hand

I was paddling back to shore after a lovely morning kayak ride. I was not too far from home when I noticed a strange splashing motion in the water a little way downstream.

Volume 19, Issue 2, February 2024
Patty Mondore

Duped: We Thought We Knew Seagulls!

I dislike hordes of seagulls as much as anyone. When my partner, JBJ, and I went to see a movie in Kingston last summer, we were accosted and disgusted by dozens of seagulls in the parking lot . . .

Volume 19, Issue 2, February 2024
Raymond S. Pfeiffer

The St. Lawrence Valley Primitive Snowshoe Biathlon

Each year, on the first weekend in March, the Fort La Presentation Association hosts a Primitive Snowshoe Biathlon where participants snowshoe along a 1½ mile trail through the woods.

Volume 19, Issue 2, February 2024
Dallas Robinson

Caution Swans Ahead!

Have you ever had an altercation with a swan? I have and so has another TIA member whose story I am sharing here.

Volume 18, Issue 12, December 2023
Janet Smith Staples

Letter to the Editor: A Resident's Lament

Over the last eight years, however, this beauty and serenity has been horribly disrupted by the ever expanding industrialization of our neighbour, Kehoe Marine Construction.

Volume 18, Issue 10, October 2023
Roswitha Baker

Trapping Beaver, a Photo Essay

Jan Brabant photographed local Clayton trapper Don Marshall as he made his way out to his traps, collected his catch and then processed them.

Volume 18, Issue 10, October 2023
Jan Brabant

Mint and Maple: Nature’s Memory Medicine

Eating ice cream on a regular basis helps combat Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, according to recent studies. At least that’s how I interpret the results.

Volume 18, Issue 10, October 2023
Paul Hetzler

Dock Master Goes Fishing

Our Dock Master, a great blue heron, is checking for fish before plunging into the water and returning to the dock. It caught its fish on the first try. . .

Volume 18, Issue 9, September 2023
Winifred McGowan

Blind Bay and CBP's Proposal

Even to the casual observer, Blind Bay is an environmentally sensitive area. It is extremely disturbing that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) appears solely focused on establishing a large facility specifically in this fragile area . . .

'Volume 18, Issue 8, August 2023
Larry Asam

Fly Research Yields Possible Trauma Treatment

All about new research on fruit flies - with surprising results - on flies dropping like flies when they see dropped flies . . . (Editor says: There may be help in my summer kitchen!)

'Volume 18, Issue 8, August 2023
Paul Hetzler

TILT Conserves Garlock Bay, Protects Water Quality, Rare Habitats

Though not officially labeled as Garlock Bay on navigation charts or USGS topo maps, the scenic embayment behind buoy “205” claims its name from decades of ownership and diligent stewardship by the Garlock family of Alexandria Bay . . .

'Volume 18, Issue 8, August 2023
Jake Tibbles

White Pines: Colossal in Many Ways

The eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) isn’t really a crop-bearing tree, but it has borne priceless “fruit” for American democracy.

Volume 18, Issue 7, July 2023
Paul Hetzler