An alligator roams the swamp on Jan. 9, 2025 in Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida.
John Bateman, Wildlife Professor at Finger Lakes Community College, helps a spotted salamander cross a road Friday, March 28, 2025, in Honeoye, N.Y. Each Spring, salamanders leave their underground winter burrows and migrate to vernal pools in whats known as the Salamander Migration. (AP Photo/Maryel Pryce)
A four alarm fire took place in a commercial building on Canal St. in Rochester, N.Y. on Nov. 18, 2024. The building's roof had collapsed, and a nearby apartment building was evacuated.
Peaches lays in the sun at Harkness Edwards Vineyards while visitors have a picnic in the grass on Oct. 21, 2026 in Winchester, KY. “In my business, you have to have an experience,” Nini, the owner of Harkness Edwards Vineyards, said. “That’s why I do picnics and cooking classes. That’s the biggest area I have had to adapt in, that people are coming out to experience my brand as opposed to buying wine.”
Margie Pryce stands at the edge of the frozen Niagara River on Feb. 5, 2026 in Lewiston, N.Y.
Harvey Chenault fixes a bike at his repair shop in Winchester, KY, on Oct. 20, 2026. "People say I've got a head full of useless information," says Harvey.
Chefs Rosalia and Jenna eat ice pops while working their closing shift at Babz Bistro in Maysville, K.Y. on Oct. 24, 2025.
Nini Edwards tastes wines and writes down notes about the flavor on Oct, 24, 2026 in Winchester, KY. “I’m a worker bee, just like my parents,” Nini says. “We’re all worker bees.”
The annual Rochester Cyclocross race at Genesee Valley Park in Rochester, N.Y. on Sept. 22, 2024.
Nini Edwards closes the door of the scale barn at Harkness Edwards Vineyards on Oct. 21, 2026 in Winchester, KY. Built in 1910, the scale inside of the barn was used to weigh the tobacco produced on the farm. Now, it is used to weigh the grapes harvested each fall.
John Bateman hands a spotted salamander to Robert, Friday, March 21, 2025, in Mendon, N.Y. (AP Photo/Maryel Pryce)
John Cerro looks over the Ranger Tower at Smith Point Beach in Shirley, NY, on July 27, 2024.
On Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, voters place their "I Voted" stickers on woman suffragist Susan B. Anthony's headstone in Rochester, N.Y.
The Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, N.Y. sits lit up against the backdrop of an abandoned factory parking lot. Niagara Falls used to be one of the biggest cities in the United States but now sits rundown due to a decline in manufacturing jobs and failed urban renewal projects.
During Soldier's Through the Ages at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, N.Y. on May 24, 2026, a reenactor rests in the chapel inside of the French Castle.
Margot Fass poses for a portrait Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Rochester, N.Y. Fass is the owner of A Frog House, a center for local amphibian advocacy. (AP Photo/Maryel Pryce)
Lauran Hardin waits as friends Babz and Al Nartowicz come over for dinner in Mays Lick, K.Y. on Oct. 23, 2025.
Jeffrey Morrow, owner of The Book Corner in Niagara Falls, N.Y., stands amongst rows of books on Feb. 1, 2025.
Vada Zoda walks across Bald Mountain in Old Forge, N.Y. on Nov. 12, 2022.
Pemaquid Lighthouse in Pemaquid, Maine on Aug. 4, 2024.
Kelly fishes in the Ohio River in downtown Maysville, K.Y. on Oct. 24, 2025.