Gillian Scott

Members set to meet and vote on whether to merge with larger Albany chapter on Sept. 11

Our teen daughter draped their wet cooling cloth over their neck as we walked. Then, over their head. Next, across their face. Have you noticed it’s been really hot lately? The main trail at the newly opened Big Bend Preserve at Moreau Lake State Park, just north of the main part of the park, winds between pretty wetlands and flower-filled meadows, and is mostly open and sunny. Last weekend, that meant it was scorchingly hot. Our feet kicked up the dry, sandy soil, and the dust clung to our swe…

At last, Mohawk River State Park is in the loving care of local residents

When you think of spring wildflowers, you probably don’t think of an urban setting. Yet there it was: an abundant patch of bloodroot on a small hillside overlooking the Schenectady Technology Park. On one side was the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail, where I was riding my bike. On the other was the tech park entrance road and utilitarian brick buildings. Do the workers there know the small beauties are hiding just out of sight of their parking lots? Would they go searching for them if they did? B…

It has been almost eight years since the outdoors child joined our family. Those eight years have seen a lot of changes. Nikk, as they now prefer to be called, went from a kindergartener in a pink parka and pigtails to a 14-year-old in big black boots. Nikk’s first outing with us was a walk on the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail to Lock 7, where we looked for eagles with binoculars. This past summer, we all spent a week biking about 120 miles from Innsbruck to Salzburg in Austria. I decided to ch…

A few short paragraphs in the Times Union earlier this week announced that John Boyd Thacher State Park in Voorheesville has been named a National Natural Landmark. I’ve heard of National Parks, of course, and National Historic Monuments. But what’s a National Natural Landmark? Here’s what I found out. What’s a National Natural Landmark? According to the National Park Service, which bestows the National Natural Landmark designation, the program started in 1962 and “recognizes and encourages the…

Occasional dips into local green spaces perfect cathartic workday visit for those looking to keep puppy occupied

Latest trip to Ferris Lake Wild Forest replaces bad memory of smoldering pine tree

I’ve climbed Buck Mountain, a popular hike on the eastern shore of Lake George, from both the west and the north. Until a recent weekend, though, I’d never climbed it from the east. From where it starts on Hogtown Road, the eastern approach on the Butternut Brook Trail also leads to Inman Pond. The hike to the pretty little pond is just less than a mile one way. After all the rain, the woods were damp, and mushrooms of all shapes, sizes and colors sprouted near the trail, much to our 13-year-old…

The Capital District is rich in natural areas, but community members without transportation — and without the funds to pay for transportation — may struggle to reach them. To make the most of green spaces, nature preserves and state parks are most often located away from urban areas and highways. That makes them quieter and wilder, but also off the routes provided by public transportation. The Albany Nature Bus, started in 2021 as a partnership between the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy and CDTA…