Established in 1985, the New York Natural Heritage Program is a partnership between the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. The program’s mission is to determine the location and status of New York’s plants, animals, and ecological communities and provide this information to public agencies and scientific and educational institutions to facilitate conservation. Today, they count multiple non-profits, local governments, federal institutions, and state agencies among their partners — including New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites. You may have heard about their long-term firefly study at several of our parks. Ecologist Julie Lundgren shares more highlights from their year of work in New York State Parks.
Continue reading A Year in the Field With the NY Natural Heritage ProgramCategory Archives: Research
Moths: Friend and Foe
What’s your first feeling when you hear the word moth: irritation or wonder? Anyone who’s gotten an unpleasant surprise when taking winter wools out of storage will agree that moths can be a menace to clothing and bedding. But at the same time, the varied species of moths lend beauty and majesty to nights outdoors and play an important role in our ecosystem.
As a textile conservator, Sarah Stevens works with historic site staff to prevent moth damage and respond to it when it occurs. As a wildlife biologist, Kelsey Ruffino facilitates the study of the moth population in New York State parks and ensures it has the support that they need to thrive. Both share their professional perspectives on these winged insects.
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25 National Register Sites to Know in New York
We’re showcasing some of the stand-out, unusual, and noteworthy New York State listings in the National Register of Historic Places in honor of the milestone 200th meeting of the New York State Board for Historic Preservation (on September 10, 2025). There are around 130,000 resources in New York listed in the National Register, either as individual sites or as parts of historic districts.
Our list recognizes decades of work by historic preservationists. They are listed here in no particular order, but rather by characteristic or region to give a flavor of the different types of listings on the register.
The Board – which was established in 1972 and expanded by the New York State Historic Preservation Act of 1980 – works with the New York State Historic Preservation Office to review nominations to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. You can learn more about the State Review Board online.
Let’s start exploring!
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Dark Skies for Fireflies: Searching for New York’s Rare Nighttime Wonders
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.
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The Lavender Hill Commune and LGBTQ Liberation in Central New York
The Stonewall Inn, a State Historic Site in our system, is the most well-known place in LGBTQ American history. In June 1969, following a routine police raid, patrons at the Mafia-run Stonewall Inn, as well as young queer and trans people who lived or regularly congregated in Greenwich Village, spontaneously erupted in multiple nights of protest. The event was a turning point in the ongoing LGBTQ rights movement and sparked its growth in New York City, New York State, and across the nation. Organizations and groups formed around the country to promote LGBTQ rights, and thousands of people became active in the movement.
LGBTQ history often focuses on large coastal cities like New York and San Francisco. However, the gay liberation movement that emerged in the wake of Stonewall reverberated in small towns and rural settings as well. One such example is the Lavender Hill commune in central New York, listed in the New York State Register of Historic Places on December 5, 2024, and in the National Register of Historic Places on February 3, 2025.
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New York State Parks and Historic Sites Blog 