Students compete in a tug of war at the annual Mud Tug event held at Rochester Institute of Technology in Henrietta, N.Y. on Oct. 1, 2022.
Helen Draper sits with baby chicks to get them adjusted to people at Homesteads for Hope in Spencerport (CQ), NY on Friday, April 22, 2022.
Men’s Soccer RIT vs. Skidmore on the RIT campus in Henrietta, N.Y. on Oct 15, 2022. RIT wins 2-0.
Picture Stories
Sturgeon Restoration Project
Dawn Pittman, with USGS, explains that identifying tags are being that are being inserted into the sturgeon raised at Seneca Zoo before they are released into the Genesee River in Rochester, N.Y. on Oct. 1, 2022.Sturgeon raised at the Seneca Zoo before they are released into the Genesee River in Rochester, N.Y. on Oct. 1, 2022.Dawn Pittman, with USGS, tags a sturgeon, raised at Seneca Zoo before it is released into the Genesee River in Rochester, N.Y. on Oct. 1, 2022.Dawn Pittman, with USGS, weighs and measures a sturgeon raised at Seneca Zoo, before it is released into the Genesee River in Rochester, N.Y. on Oct. 1, 2022.The Seneca Zoo, USGS and local residents releasing sturgeon raised at the zoo into the Genesee River in Rochester, N.Y. on Oct. 1, 2022.A sturgeon, raised in the Seneca Zoo, is released into the Genesee River in Rochester, N.Y. on Oct. 1, 2022.Sudan Gordon and Neftali Colon Jr., Seneca Zoo Urban Ecologists, release sturgeon raised at the zoo into the Genesee River in Rochester, N.Y. on Oct. 1, 2022.Eliecer Angulo releases a sturgeon raised at the Seneca Zoo into the Genessee River in Rochester, N.Y. on Oct. 1, 2022.The Seneca Zoo, USGS and local residents releasing sturgeon raised at the zoo into the Genesee River in Rochester, N.Y. on Oct. 1, 2022.
The Seneca Zoo, US Geological Survey, and NY Department of Environmental Conservation released sturgeon into the Genesee River in Rochester, N.Y. on Oct. 1, 2022. The zoo has been raising sturgeon since 2003 as part of an initiative to reintroduce them to their native habitat after the effects of decades of pollution and overfishing nearly caused their extinction.
Barbara Hull, a volunteer at Homesteads for Hope, helps farm assistant Helen Draper plant shallots on April 15, 2022 in Spencerport (CQ), New York. Hull has been a frequent volunteer since the summer of 2021.
The Mia Foundation
Sue Rogers created the Mia Foundation in 2012 to rescue animals born with birth defects from being euthanized. She works out of her home in Hilton, N.Y. and has saved the lives of 3,000 animals. Breeders who intended to sell the animals cannot profit from the “defective” stock so when there are any physical disabilities present, the animals are typically put down. Often the medical conditions are treatable with corrective surgery or physical therapy. That’s where Sue comes in. Veterinarians from across the country call and email her, then she coordinates with her network of foster families to connect the animals with a good home. She shares posts on Facebook to 170,000 followers to find the animals permanent homes once they are rehabilitated and strong enough to thrive. She personally fosters as many of animals as she can, most recently 4 puppies born with cleft palates, a common defect among overbred dogs that can lead to starvation or aspiration of fluid in the lungs. “It takes a few months of tube feeding but they should live full lives after that,” Roger said. She is also treating a puppy with “swimmer’s legs,” a condition that causes the front paws to splay out. This is also highly treatable, requiring leg adjustments and swaddling everyday until the legs straighten and the dog is able to walk on their own. Rogers has 10 “forever” dogs at her home that are a kind of mascot for the Mia Foundation. They provide extra care and affection to new arrivals who have been removed from their mothers at birth. They also attend school programs (in Pre-Covid times) to help children learn about disabilities, seen and unseen. Rogers hopes that with increased awareness of the risks associated with overbreeding that breeders will limit the number of litters that their animals endure. She has rescued many “unsellable,” “defective” animals but she knows that the problem is far from over and largely unseen.
Threatened Forests
White cottony masses from an invasive insect called the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid were detected on the needles of several trees in Highland Park in Rochester, N.Y.
The healthy underside of a branch of eastern hemlock located about 100 feet away from a stand of infested trees.
Naturalists from Seneca Zoo explain the devastating effects invasive species have on native tree populations during an identification hike at Highland Park in Rochester, N.Y. on Nov.13, 2022 where several Hemlock trees have early signs of insect damage. These insects will extract nutrients from the tree causing it to defoliate and die within a 4 – 10 year span.
Video Stories
Built to Last: A Couple Spends a Lifetime Building Canoes
Dave and Carol Curtis have hand-built canoes for nearly fifty years. Soon after getting, married they realized their passion for building and began developing models; specializing in custom built single-person canoes. Since the Covid pandemic began in 2020, they’ve been busier than ever. The popularity of outdoor recreation has been increasing, driving up the demand for canoes. As the Cutis’s enter their golden years (Dave is 83 years old), business is thriving and won’t allow them to slow down. Help has not been easy for them to find. Only retirees come to assist. They have no one to pass their business down to and have no clear path to retirement. They have hopes to get some time to themselves and enjoy some travel but their love for their work will not allow them to simply close up shop so they continue to work hard every day, hoping that someone will come along to learn the operation and take over the craft.
Often Wondering 