Continuing the Valley’s Long Maple-Tapping Traditions
Maple syrup has a rich and storied history in the Hudson Valley. Where the age-old tradition of tapping trees and the modern adaptations of the final product boil down into a true taste of Americana. Iroquois peoples are considered the...
From Freedom to “Twelve Years a Slave” to Liberation
Editor’s Note: This article contains mentions of slavery that, while not graphic, may be disturbing. Few could describe the horrors of enslavement more vividly than Solomon Northup, author of Twelve Years a Slave. Published in 1853, the year Northup secured...
As Temps Warm, Can the Hudson Valley Salvage Snowy Fun?
A snowflake is a complicated thing. The shape that makes each one unique is also a sensitive record of the changing conditions that occur as an ice crystal forms in the cloud and falls to the ground. For instance, atmospheric...
The Hudson Valley’s Biggest-Ever Blizzard
Nobody saw it coming. After all, it was your typical mid-March — cool temperatures, but with a hint of spring in the air. Trees were showing signs of budding, and river ice was fast disappearing, raising expectations that steamboats soon...
How to Get Outside and Embrace the #WinterIsWarm Mindset
Everyone loves the long summer days, which make favorite activities like hiking, biking, and running easy (and inexpensive, with less clothing and gear needed). But as the air cools off and daylight hours get shorter, too many people start to...
Forget Forecasting — Appreciate What Groundhogs Can Actually Rock
Will he or won’t he? That will be the question on everyone’s mind on Feb. 2, Groundhog Day, when Punxsutawney Phil surfaces to check for sunshine and forecast the likelihood of spring’s early arrival. (As a reminder, legend has it...
Three Reasons This Land Save is a Plus: Bontecou Wildlife Conservation Preserve
Thanks to the conservation vision of generous landowner Gayle Bontecou and her late husband Jesse, 1,250 spectacular acres of woods, wetlands, and farmland in the Dutchess County towns of Washington and Stanford have been permanently protected. The property was donated...
#FlightWatch: Why Cardinals Rule
Northern cardinals have become a familiar and welcome sight to New Yorkers, particularly here in the Hudson Valley. The iconic scarlet males and rosy-beaked females bring color to the region’s yards, parks, and forests during the coldest and iciest months. ...