Celebrate ‘Salamander Saturday’ on May 5th!
Seven-hundred unique species; ranging in size from 1 inch to 6 feet long; residing on 5 out of the world’s 7 continents; filling important niches while rarely being seen… These are salamanders! RTPI will host a special “Salamander Saturday” event on May 5th from 10am-2pm. This celebration of all things slimy, inspired by the annual international Salamander Saturday event initiated by the Foundation for the Conservation of Salamanders, is aimed at raising awareness of our local and regional salamanders, their habitats, and their importance to the ecosystems in which they reside....
Read MoreAdvocating for Amphibian Awareness
RTPI’s Conservation Technician, Elyse Henshaw, paid a visit to Houghton College http://www.houghton.edu/ this week to deliver a presentation on the Eastern Hellbender, North America’s largest salamander species. Hellbenders are declining at an alarming rate due in large part to deteriorating habitat quality, but RTPI is working with partners to raise awareness of the plight of these iconic amphibians, and to take measures to conserve remaining populations. Houghton students and faculty also had the opportunity to meet RTPI’s resident hellbenders, Oneka and Tweeg, who came to RTPI from the...
Read MoreBaby Snapping Turtle
It’s ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ Monday! Here we have a baby Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) – photographed by RTPI president Twan Leenders in Jamestown, NY. Most folks are at least somewhat familiar with these short-tempered freshwater turtles, but have you ever seen one so...
Read MoreOctober Orbweavers
It’s ‘Meet Your Neighbours Monday’! With the arrival of autumn, you are likely to notice a distinctive suite of spiders around your home. The species shown here is the Marbled Orb Weaver (Araneus marmoreus). The appearance of spiders like this one during the month of October has earned their group the nickname “Halloween spider”. Orb Weavers come in several different colors and patterns, so you might say that they wear a variety of costumes! Marbled orbweaver (Araneus marmoreus) photographed by Twan Leenders....
Read MoreField Sparrow
Chautauqua County certainly has an abundance of old farm fields, but we should be hearing more Field Sparrows (Spizella pusilla), and other grassland birds, singing in the fields and other open areas across our region. The prairie habitat that once covered our landscape is long gone, but old, overgrown fields and hay fields provide a decent substitute for grassland birds. Even though their substitute habitat provides most of what these animals need, management practices can be challenges for them. Timing the mowing of these fields is important to protect nesting birds, and cutting in early...
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