The Moose Is Back 
Moose have been present in the northern tier of New York since the Pleistocene. However, by as early as the 1860's overexploitation and habitat degradation had extirpated moose from New York. In response, a handful of small-scale moose restoration efforts were undertaken between 1870 and 1902, but none proved successful. Over the next eighty years there were periodic moose sightings, but none seemed to suggest an established population. It wasn't until 1986 that NYSDEC staff documented a small population of resident moose in the Adirondacks that may have immigrated from Vermont, Massachusetts, or Quebec. By the turn of the 2010's, it was thought that the population that started with only 6-11 individuals had grown to many as 400, but a thorough population census had yet to be undertaken. Over the past eight years, NYSDEC has partnered with Cornell University and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to monitor New York's moose population. A series of research projects have been conducted to assess several factors that contribute to the overall health and stability of the population. Some of the findings from these projects determined that there were approximately 700 moose (as of 2019) located within the Adirondack Park, with many of these individuals located on private industrial forest lands in the northern and western portions of the Park. An evaluation of forage availability suggested that there was enough food on the landscape to support a larger population. An associated study of GPS-collared adult cows (females) found that there was limited dispersal of these individuals to other areas, suggesting that these cows had enough local resources to establish home ranges, breed, and produce calves. Collectively, these findings suggest that New York's moose population is stable or potentially growing. The first two years of a moose's life can be the hardest due to winter energetic demands and an increased susceptibility to pathogens and parasites. Because of this, over the past two winters DEC partnered with Cornell University and Native Range Capture Services to catch 30 calf and yearling moose. All captured individuals were outfitted with GPS-tracking collars, which will self-release after two years of data collection. This study will help assess how many calves and yearlings are surviving to breeding age. 
Overall, there's reason to be optimistic that New York's moose population is back for good. But moose aren't out of the proverbial woods yet. There are still questions regarding the long-term survival of calves and the impacts of climate change, parasites, and pathogens on New York's moose population. NYSDEC will continue to monitor the population and potential threats to hopefully give moose the best chance of maintaining a healthy and viable population in New York into the future.
It's a boy! And a girl! 
If bears had birthday parties, they'd all be in January and February. That's when winter dens across the country turn into nurseries as most pregnant bears give birth to cubs weighing in at less than a pound that would easily fit into your hands. Human moms would probably envy a mother bear's ability to give birth to one, two, or three or more tiny cubs while half-asleep. Even though cubs are born with their eyes closed, unable to hear or smell and weak and uncoordinated they instinctively find their mom's nipples and start nursing. Soon the den will be filled with mom's snores and the happy sounds of cubs humming and purring while they snuggle up to mom and their siblings and fill their tummies with a steady diet of rich, warm milk. Bear's milk has a fat content around 33%, so nursing cubs have no problem gaining weight. 
Over the next several weeks, cubs will keep eating, sleeping and growing and eventually start cautiously exploring their winter quarters. As winter slowly gives way to spring, their eyes will open, their teeth will come in and the fine hair they're born with will be replaced by fur coats. To find out how many cubs are usually born, what a very large litter could mean and more fascinating facts, keep reading at BearWise.org! Article courtesy of BearWise® Photo of three cubs by Emily Carroll of Pennsylvania Game Commission. Photo of Bear biologist Adam Hammond examining a newborn bear cub courtesy of Georgia Department of Natural Resources. | 
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