The snow is here, our students are back, and we're ready for a full schedule of nature outings, workshops, and community science. Head over to our events page to see what we have coming up! Make your own cardboard sled for the races on Feb. 8th. Start training for the Earth Day 7k on April 19th. Start scouting camera locations for our NOCO Wild Trail Camera project. The possibilities are endless!

Are you ready for the 7th Annual Cardboard Sled Races on Febryary 8th?

Build a sled of your own at our sled-building workshop on February 1st. Design your sled for speed, style, or both. Compete with your friends to see who can build the best sled and win fantastic prizes! Cardboard, tape, glue, paint, and plastic are all permissible materials.

Register ahead of time or the day of for free. We'll have a sled parade and judging at 10am, with races kicking off at 10:30. Warm up with hot cocoa as you watch the racers compete too!… Read more ...

Dan points at squirrel tracks next to the trail, with girl scouts looking on. Just Our Nature

The North Country has been blessed (or cursed depending how you look at it) by a blanket of white gold this winter. Several winter storms accumulating several feet of standing snow shows that Punxsutawney Phil might not be that unreliable of a winter predictor after all.

Corgi and Sasquatch sleds square off Just Our Nature

The 7th Annual Cardboard Sled Race this past Saturday, February 8th was better than we could have hoped and a great way to kick off Canton's Winterfest! It was a balmy 25 degrees and sunny morning, perfect for speeding down SUNY Canton's sledding hill. Competition was fierce, with many racers fighting their way to the finish line by dragging, flipping, rolling, or getting a boost in their sled from a teammate. Participants competed 1 v.

Basswood leaf and flower. Just Our Nature

After receiving my first pocket knife at age eight, I wasted no time in launching my career as a sculptor. How hard could it be, I thought, as I gathered 2x4 scrap-ends from behind the garage. To warm up before producing my masterpiece, which I figured would be done by supper, I set about to carve a fish.

Porcupine eating a carrot in rehab Just Our Nature

One of our more unusual native residents has an adorable face, makes welcome mats out of their own poop, openly carries weapons, and plows snow all winter. If you snowshoe or ski in the backcountry, you’ll likely come across its furrows. Often, these trails will dead-end at a large tree, and if you look up, you might actually see the rascal itself, a ball of fur and quills sleeping among the branches.

Rusty patched bumble bee on anise hyssop, Dawn Marsh/USFWS Just Our Nature

What would catch your eye more – a photo of a bald eagle or a photo of a freshwater mussel? If both were asking for funding for important conservation work, which would you donate to? For many people the bald eagle is the easy choice. This comes down to the species’ charisma, and some human psychology. Charisma might be something you associate with the recent pop culture term “rizz,” but it can also be considered an attribute of many species.

Events Up North

April 05, 2025

Spend a morning in beautiful Heritage Park in downtown Canton learning about Nature Up North's North Country Wild (NOCO Wild) community science program!

April 19, 2025

Nature Up North's annual trail run is back!

May 03, 2025

Spend a morning in beautiful Heritage Park in downtown Canton learning about Nature Up North's North Country Wild (NOCO Wild) community science program!