Most people have heard about insect declines, with recent headlines like “The Insect Apocalypse Is Here” and “The Great Insect Decline: Why Scientists Are Sounding the Alarm.” Bumble bees and butterflies are the best-known examples of declining groups, but there is a growing body of evidence documenting downward trends in other insects. Fireflies, famous for their impressive lightshows in the eastern US, are one such group.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the global authority on the status of the natural world. It collates data and classifies the extinction risk of species as Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, or Extinct. In 2021, the IUCN Red List Firefly Specialist Group assessed the extinction risk of North American fireflies.
At the western edge of Hamlin Beach State Park, beyond a row of trees, is Yanty Marsh Trail. The trail loops through a deciduous (broadleaf) forest along the lake, pausing to overlook a large marsh and winding beneath the canopy of a white pine grove. In the fall, beech leaves paint the sky in their wistful yellow hues as the birdsongs of spring and summer slowly grow fainter. Chipmunks gather their last nuts for the winter and the mystical great blue heron observes overhead. The white pines stand stoic among the falling leaves. As chilly mornings and early sunsets lure the marsh into slumber, the world stalls. The 65 acres of Yanty Marsh are released from the sweltering days of summer, the balance of the seasons returning.
The beauty of Yanty Marsh.
A hundred years ago, this scene looked different. With each freeze and thaw of the marsh, the stories of its past fade alongside time. An area once deforested and at risk of disappearing, the marsh and surrounding land have transformed over the past hundred years into the deciduous trail and marsh so many enjoy today.
You’re looking at one of the world’s rarest snails:the Chittenango Ovate Amber Snail, found only at Chittenango Falls State Park in central New York.
First discovered in 1905, the Chittenango Ovate Amber Snail (known to its friends as “COAS” or “Chitt”) is what scientists call an endemic species, meaning it’s found in only one place. While this makes COAS a very special snail, it also makes it a very vulnerable snail. Flooding, drought, climate change, invasive species, and human activity threaten the small snail colony and its habitat. Never very numerous, the colony numbered only about 70 individuals during the 2023 census.
Close your eyes and picture this: You’re visiting your favorite New York state park, and as you drive along park roads or walk pathways near the visitor center, you notice tall grasses swaying in the breeze, bees and butterflies flitting between flowers, a chorus of young birds chirping in the distance, and a peaceful quiet without the hum of constant landscaping machinery.
Sound like a dream? Well, it’s become a reality! Through the ongoing implementation of the Reduced Mowing Policy—part of the New York State Pollinator Protection Plan—grow zones have become a staple at all state parks and historic sites. These zones, where native grasses and wildflowers are allowed to grow tall, continue to benefit the environment and local wildlife, proving to be more sustainable than traditional mowed areas and enhancing visitor experience in new ways.
These signs greet visitors at many of the reduced mowing sites at our parks and historic sites in an effort to inform them of our work.
Just over a year ago, at the conclusion of the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club outside Rome, Italy, there was a Silver Putter Presentation to the host of the next Ryder Cup. That silver putter plaque now hangs inside the clubhouse at Bethpage State Park where the 45th Ryder Cup matches will be contested in late September 2025.
The Silver Putter hangs in the clubhouse at Bethpage State Park.
You have a few months left to view that silver putter up close before 24 of the world’s best players bring their own prized putters – and the rest of their golf bags – to Bethpage Black for the 2025 Ryder Cup. The countdown is officially on for a competition at what is considered one of the best, and hardest, courses in the world.
New York State Parks and Historic Sites Blog 