News stories tagged with "water"

(12/28/11) It's been a wet, warm December and that's tough news for skiers and snowshoers. But the long autumn has extended the hiking season. So Brian Mann set off last week to explore the trail to Roaring Brook Falls just outside of Keene Valley.

It's one of the shortest, easiest hiking trails in the Adirondacks, and the pay-off in views and scenery may be one of the most spectacular. Here's Brian's audio postcard.

(12/20/11) Over the fall, North Country Public Radio was one of a group of public radio stations that partnered in a special series from WBEZ in Chicago. The ongoing project, called Front and Center, looks at the Great Lakes, from a variety of angles. This week, we're sampling some of the Front and Center stories.

The Great Lakes contain 20 percent of the world's fresh surface water. But can this precious resource can be harnessed to help reverse the region's economic decline and put people back to work. Brian Mann led off the series near Lake Ontario. more

(12/05/11) Advocates for clean water are concerned about proposed Congressional spending cuts. The program that helps communities afford expensive water and sewer projects is expected to be cut in half. Julie Grant reports many local governments won't be able to afford them. more

(11/15/11) The U.S. has worked to get lead out of gas and out of paint, but the biggest source of lead in a consumer product is still on roadways. It's in the form of wheel weights, used to balance the tires on our cars. The Environmental Protection Agency says about 1.6 million pounds of lead falls off of vehicles each year, and winds up in the environment. New York is among a handful of states that is leading the effort to ban lead wheel weights. Julie Grant reports. more

(09/15/11) New York state has created a new emergency loan program for local governments. The Hurricane Emergency Loan Program, or HELP, will make loans to communities whose wastewater and drinking water facilities were damaged by Irene or Tropical Storm Lee. more

(07/26/11) Our occasional series, "Moving the World" continues with a conversation with two St. Lawrence county men who are producing a documentary about water relief in Uganda.

Ben Hull and Joshua McGrath leave for Africa this week to begin filming the documentary that will focus on efforts to install rainwater collection tanks on community buildings to provide safe, accessible drinking water. Todd Moe spoke with them earlier this summer as they prepared for the trip.

(05/13/11) The new exhibit, Paddling to Perfection, opens at noon today at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association as part of the weekend celebration of the 50th Anniversary Rushton Canoe Races in Canton. Boatbuilder J Henry Rushton built his first boat, a canoe, at his Canton boat shop in 1873. Within ten years, his boats, canoes and paddles were on display at world's fairs and expos.

The new exhibit explores Rushton's involvement with the American Canoe Association meet in 1886 at Grindstone Island on the St. Lawrence River and Rushton's award winning canoes at the 1893 Columbian World Exposition in Chicago. St. Lawrence County historian Trent Trulock told Todd Moe that the "Paddling to Perfection" exhibit includes photographs, books, and artifacts related to these two events.

(03/10/11) Martha Foley's recent discovery of an old Golden Book on pond life inspires this discussion of some new discoveries that Dr. Curt Stager has made in the same Adirondack pond that he's been researching for 20 years.

(10/06/10) A New Jersey woman spent most of this summer paddling from the Adirondacks to Maine. Cathy Mumford is the first woman to solo through-paddle the entire 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail. During her 62-day kayak odyssey she passed through 22 rivers and streams, 56 miles of lakes, 55 miles of portages in 62 carries and three national wildlife refuges. The trail crosses northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Quebec. NFCT officials say fewer than 30 paddlers have completed the full length of water trail in a single trip, since it was completed in 2006. Mumford grew up along the shores of a reservoir in Colts Neck, New Jersey. With her children grown, and after being laid off from her job, Mumford wanted to take a long-distance kayak trip that would allow for some soul-searching. Now, she plans to share the challenge of wilderness tripping with young women, and write about her experiences. Todd Moe spoke with Mumford about the summer trek, celebrating her 50th birthday on the water and relying on her 9-foot plastic kayak, nicknamed "Sparky".

(09/28/10) An Old Forge couple spent most of this spring and summer outdoors. Catherine and Ryan Thompson paddled the Northern Forest Canoe Trail from Old Forge to Maine, and then hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. They began the nearly 3,000 mile journey from the Adirondacks to Georgia, by canoe and foot, in April. They finished their trek last Thursday. This was their fourth backpacking adventure together. Todd Moe talks with them about life on the water and trail.