The first stage is a leader that advances towards earth in 150-foot stages at 93 miles per second. Once the leader strikes the ground, it is followed by a second return stroke that travels upwards at 31,000 miles per second. The human eye can t distinguish between the two stages, thus we see the entire bolt as being one. The total energy in a thunderstorm exceeds that of an atomic bomb. Although lightning is incredibly powerful, it is of such short duration that its energy cannot be harnessed for practical use.
Maine is the only state on the eastern seaboard with more black bears than New York.
An estimated 4,000 black bears live in New York, with the vast majority residing in the Adirondacks. According to one of the earliest books on Adirondack wildlife, Mammals of the Adirondack Region by Clinton Marriam, published in 1884, harbor or common seals once flourished in Lake Champlain. The majority of state campgrounds in the Adirondacks offer wheelchair-accessible camp sites.