What's Your Nature?

Become a Nature Up North explorer to share your encounters with wild things and wild places in New York's North Country. Post your wildlife sightings, landscape shots, photos from your outings, and even your organization's events!

Just Our Nature Posts

Adventure Tips for You and Your Pup!

Oak leaf and acorn collection
By Ilana Mirel on
Blog: Just Our Nature
Hiking isn't just for people. Many people are bringing their trusty companions with them on their adventures in the North Country environment and beyond. Hiking with your dogs is one of the most fun activities and a great way to get outdoors and bond with your beloved pets. We all want what is best for our dogs, which includes hiking safety! Knowing some plant identification could save your dog's…
English ivy

The Basics of Wildlife Photography

Small bumblebees on a white flower
By Julia Hahne on
Blog: Just Our Nature
Seeing animals in the wilderness can be a breathtaking experience, but it’s not always easy to convey this beauty in the form of a photo. Dealing with fast moving animals or the “interesting” weather of the North Country can make it hard to snap a good picture. Luckily, practice, plus a few tips, are all it takes, and the North Country is an excellent place to practice. Whether you hail from the…

Past Project Managers: Where Are They Now?

Women with brown hair and green bandana holding three brown baby critters
By Kayla Edmunds on
Blog: Just Our Nature
Since the beginning of Nature Up North ten years ago, four amazing, unique, talented Project Managers have graced the office of Bewkes 122, the Kip Trail and Wachtmeister Field Station, and many more local outdoor spaces. To celebrate our ten year anniversary that their years of work helped us get to, we reached out to see where they are now and what they have been up to since leaving Nature Up…
man in black sweater and black hat with sunglasses in front of a mountainous landscape view Women with brown hair and black hat and green coat taking a selfie in front of a snowy background Women with brown hair and light blue sweater on a rock in front of landscape of green, orange, and red fall foliage

7th Annual Earth Day 7K Recap!

A woman in dark grey sweater and women in light gray sweater walking down a wooded trail and waving at the camera
By Kayla Edmunds on
Blog: Just Our Nature
The registration list has been recycled and the course flags have been hung up for now, but we're still thinking about how much fun we had with all participants of our 7th Annual Earrth Day 7k this past Saturday, April 22nd! The course followed the St. Lawrence University Kip and Saddlemire trails, starting and finishing at the Wachtmeister Field Station and covering 7 kilometers (4.4 mi) of…
A group of three women running down a wooded trail A person in red and a person in gray walk down a wooded trail A group of people running down a wooded trail A racer running across the finish line! Large group of people who ran and walked the 7K standing outside of a white building

Happy Earth Day Activites

Coloring Page 1: Birds
By Aurora Hager on
Blog: Just Our Nature
This year April 22nd marks the 53rd anniversary of an important holiday, Earth Day! How did Earth Day start, and why is it important? The idea of having laws, policy, or rules to protect natural resources such as trees, fresh water, and clean soil started in the 1960s. At that time there were no environmental policies in place to protect the natural environment, and it was normal for humans and…
Coloring Page 2: Squirrel Coloring Page 3: Fish Word Search Bingo

Celebrate 10 Years of Nature Up North With Us!

background image of maple tree flowers with woods over it that say Nature Up North, 10-year anniversary, come celebrate with us this spring!
By Kayla Edmunds on
Blog: Just Our Nature
Nature Up North is celebrating it's 10th Anniversary this year! 2013 marked the launch of natureupnorth.org (this very website) and the first year we hired a cohort of summer interns and hosted free events for the community all summer long! In the 10 years since that first summer we've hosted over 175 public events, hired and trained 95 St. Lawrence University students, launched 3 citizen science…

Nature Up North 2023 Calendars For Sale!

wide river with trees on edges and man in green kayak with two dogs paddling into the setting sun
By Erika Barthelmess on
Blog: Just Our Nature
Nature Up North calendars are on sale at local businesses through early 2023! These printed calendars feature our favorite photos shared by community members as Encounters on natureupnorth.org in the past year. Calendars also include Nature Notes highlighting the phenological changes and happenings of flora, fauna, and more local to the North Country region. Proceeds from calendar sales benefit…
all featured photos for calendar

2023 Calendar Submissions Are Open!

Foggy sunrise over green hills and valleys with a lake in the middle
By Kayla Edmunds on
Blog: Just Our Nature
September 8th through October 23rd Calling all North Country nature photographers! Got your camera at the ready? Nature Up North is once again hosting our annual calendar contest for nature photos that will be featured in our 2023 wall calendar. At Nature Up North we hope to inspire exploration and appreciation of the North Country environment. One way we do this is through the Encounters feature…
Back cover of 2022 calendar featuring the 12 months

Tree Sign Language: Early Fall Color

a rainbow of maple leaves on a gray stone
By Paul J. Hetzler on
Blog: Just Our Nature
Deciduous trees, ice-cream stands, and marinas close each fall for the same reason: as daylight dwindles and cold creeps in, they become less profitable. When income dips down to equal the cost of doing business, a wise proprietor will turn out the lights and lock the doors until spring. Some enterprising holdouts stay open longer. Perhaps they have less competition, or a better location.…

North Country Summer: A Photo Essay

By Abigail Lateer on
Blog: Just Our Nature
Do you know which nature center in the North Country is home to this (and other) spooky and beautiful tree carvings? As a summer naturalist intern for Nature Up North, one of the things I was most excited about was getting to live in the North Country for the summer. I feel so lucky I got the chance to explore this beautiful place, and I made this photo essay to capture some of my favorite…