ESF Newcomb Campus

05/12/2026

Training opportunity!

Calling all naturalists, educators, guides, and anyone interested in improving their interpretation skills! The Adirondack Interpretive center is hosting the National Association for Interpretation's Certified Interpretive Guide training May 25-28. In this program you will learn how to develop and lead interpretive programs like the ones given at the Adirondack Interpretive Center. To register visit the NAI website.

04/13/2026

Tomorrow 4/23! Interested in how art can be used to communicate STEM concepts?

Join us in Syracuse, NY for a panel Thursday, April 23 with 2025 Artist in Residence, Anicka Chaffey (author of Journey to the Hudson), ESF Visiting Instructor and comic artist, Jon Cairns, and Grad Student and Science Illustrator, Audrey Tamasy.

Anicka and Audrey will continue their work at ESF Newcomb Campus this summer!

Panel discussion will be led by AEC co-director Paul Hai. Earth Week cookies and lemonade will be provided and no pre-registration is required. Panel begins 11:00AM on ESF main campus in Gateway Center, Syracuse.

04/13/2026

April 23 is the ESF Day of Giving! Did you know we offer * four * Adirondack-focused fellowships and apprenticeships? Please consider donating to support students and young professionals. The Porter, Cross, Sage and Webb recipients conduct original research, learn from scientists and contribute to scientific knowledge! Earth Week is a great time to support these life-impacting programs - thank you: https://www.esf.edu/aec/research/funding.php

04/10/2026

Newcomb Campus lakes are still covered in ice, but not for long!

The Survey of Climate Change in Adirondack Lake Ecosystems (SCALE) is a multiyear lake biology, chemistry and physics assessment across the Adirondack region by several universities. ESF's Arbutus and Wolf Lakes are part of SCALE.

Though Adirondack lakes and streams are recovering thanks to national reductions in pollutant concentrations, new issues threaten the region's waters. A 2 degree warmup in surface waters in the past 40 years was shown in a remote sensing study of 135 lakes (Azarderakhsh et al. 2025).

SCALE may provide insights on habitat for brook trout, potential for harmful algal blooms and other freshwater phenomena. Scientists are measuring water quality, weather, eDNA, macroinvertebrates (larger aquatic insects) and more in the SCALE project.

Read more: https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/environment/climate/major-adirondack-lake-survey-ready-for-first-full-field-season/

Photo credit: Phil Snyder, Ausable Freshwater Center

Reference: Azarderakhsh, M., C. Mossel, A. R. Bah, A. Malik, F. Khanom, J. Borrelli, P. McIntyre, H. Norouzi, and K. Rose. 2025. Validation and trend analysis of satellite-derived surface water temperature observations over Adirondack lakes. Environmental Advances 21:100662.

04/09/2026

The Adirondack region had deep snowpack all winter - and 4 inches of fresh snow fell this week in Newcomb. But forest fire is still a risk in spring when dead, dry vegetation combines with windy and dry weather. Here's a statewide map of fire risk from the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation that you can check all year, from spring greenup to the end of the growing season: https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/wildfires/fire-danger-map. ESF's Newcomb Campus is near the "k" in Adirondack in western Essex County.

04/08/2026

Experimental thinning at ESF's Pack Forest near Lake George is testing if silviculture that boosts sunlight can give Eastern hemlock an advantage over an invasive insect killing trees in the southeastern Adirondacks.

Hemlocks provide summer habitat for songbirds, shade for trout streams, and winter wildlife cover, and they are threatened by the invasive hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA).

SUNY ESF alumni working on this project include Mike Federice (ESF Adirondack Forest Properties, pictured), Andrew Cortese (NY Natural Heritage Program), Bud Mayfield (US Forest Service), and Amanda Dillon (NYS DEC Forest Health Research Lab).

Pack Forest is private land located along the Hudson River about an hour south of the ESF Newcomb Campus; forest harvest is allowed here, unlike on state Forest Preserve.

Read more on the research: https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/environment/invasive-species/hemlock-invasive-species/

04/06/2026

ESF's Dr. Jamie Shinn will speak on "Bridging the Social and Ecological Sciences through Community-engaged Research: Insights from Appalachia" at the Adirondack Research Consortium Conference on April 15-16, 2026. Much of Dr. Shinn's research focuses on flooding — how people prepare, adapt, and recover — a highly relevant topic to northern New York and beyond. Learn more about Dr. Shinn at https://www.esf.edu/news/2025/meet_the_faculty_jamie_shinn.php and ARC here: https://www.adkresearch.org/annual-conference.

03/27/2026

The New York State Ranger Academy is in session at ESF Newcomb Campus! The 25th Basic School is preparing the next generation of stewards of New York's public lands, wildland search and rescue and more. Recruits will train in Newcomb and later at the Ranger School in Wanakena: https://www.esf.edu/news/2026/esf_hosts_nys_rangers_basic_school.php

03/25/2026

Science in the Snow! Dr. Stacy McNulty's Winter Ecology class spent their spring break exploring the Adirondacks. Hands-on outdoor learning, guest talks from AEC scientists, DEC biologists and Cornell wildlife veterinarians, close-up looks at winter-active birds, mammals and other species, and delicious food at the Rich Lake Dining Hall made for a great week! This course is just one example of the enriching learning environment at SUNY ESF.

03/23/2026

ESF is wrapping up a successful American marten project for 2025-26.
The objectives are to 1) place GPS collars on adults to better understand movement and habitat use and 2) collect samples to assess animal health.

This project enables researchers across the country to understand martens’ exposure to avian influenza, parasites, and other environmental and disease factors.

Martens are in the weasel (Mustelidae) family and are only found in the Adirondack region of New York State. With large, fur-covered paws and sharp claws, these carnivores are very active during winter hunting above and below the snow and are excellent tree climbers.

Our wildlife health and science team includes ESF's Drs. Paul Jensen and Stacy McNulty working with Drs. Jenny Bloodgood and Taylor Haefs of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab (partnership with NYSDEC) and AEC biologists.
Thanks to all; it’s a lot of work to operate marten traps through a snowy winter!

A dozen students, residents and staff from Cornell’s veterinary program and wildlife hospital joined us in field and lab work and discussions of wildlife ecology and health.

Photo captions:
1: The fully recovered marten gets a sweet treat: ferret food and jelly on a stick!
2: A sedated male marten is monitored for temperature, respiration and more.
3: The setup of equipment needed to care for a marten under sedation.
4: Visiting Cornell students in the veterinary program observe marten health data collection and collaring.

* All marten are handled by trained professionals with approved permits and animal handling protocols. Photo credits: Dr. Nina Schoch and Christy Bresnahan.