Riverkeeper organizes Seneca Bluffs Tree Planting!

On Saturday, November 8, 2008, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper staff members organized 22 volunteers from D’Youville College, the University at Buffalo, and Citigroup to plant trees at South Buffalo’s Seneca Bluffs Park. Trees were donated by Re-Tree Western New York and technical partners included US Fish & Wildlife and Erie County Department of Environment and Planning. This group worked together through the chilly weather and less than ideal soil substrate to plant 22 trees of various varieties and re-mulch trees and shrubs from a previous planting. Some of the day’s highlights included the discovery of a hibernating frog, which was delicately relocated and buried, and the naming of a certain tree ‘Mr. Woods’ by our volunteer girls from D’Youville College. All the participants had a wonderful time helping the Buffalo River habitat and are looking forward to returning to see the fruits of their labor in the more favorable weather of Spring.

Underwater Fish Habitat Enhancement in the Upper Niagara River!

The New York Power Authority has announced that work has been completed on placing four artificial reefs between the Grand Island and Tonawanda shorelines. The projects are located upstream and downstream of the south Grand Island bridges, off the west shore of Motor Island and off Gratwick Park in North Tonawanda. They are outside of commercial shipping channels and will be monitored with underwater cameras. Populations of various species of fish, including muskellunge, walleye, northern pike and large-and small-mouth bass, are expected to be able to use the structures as areas for safe rest and to forage. This attempt to enhance the Niagara River's ecosystem is the result of terms within the power authoritie's recent 50-year re-license agreement which requires the authority to provide money to local not-for-profits and governments for various greenway projects. Other planned habitat improvement projects include restoration of Strawberry Island and wetlands restoration at Beaver Island State Park.

RiverKeeper's newest intern!!!

Good Afternoon Riverwatch captains and volunteers!!!

My name is Jerry Krajna and I am a political science / environmental studies student at Buffalo State College interning for the fall semester and maybe even longer. I have recently completed my training on proper water sample & e. coli collection methods and am looking forward to helping out wherever I may be needed. In addition to my sample collection duties I have also been asked to help the organization out with data entry, from all those reports you supply our office with, at various community outreach events and with new captain trainings. I am looking forward to meeting you all at some of our upcoming events and if there is anything I can do to be of help just ask!!! I can be reached through Robbyn or Tom... and don't worry, there is no cat & mouse games played with this Tom & Jerry team!

RIVERKEEPER Ecotours - Niagara Gorge Trail #8 Hike

On sunny and humid Saturday, July 19th, 11 guests joined me on a hike, starting from Artpark in Lewiston, along Niagara Gorge Trail #8. As we prepared to leave, hiker Judy Kaleta made friends with a particularly bold young starling who actually started walking alongside us as we began the hike. About 100 yards into the hike and apparently tiring from walking, the starling then jumped up onto a couple human shoulders for a free ride.

This hike is short and not very strenuous but allows people to view the gorge at its deepest and travels right to the base of the Niagara escarpment where the Falls began 12,000 years ago. Ending just a little upstream of the Lewiston-Queenston bridge, we talk about: how the River and gorge were formed; the river's physical dimensions and its place in the dynamic Great Lakes hydrology; the Power Trail--the development of modern hydroelectric power in its birthplace, Niagara Falls; flora and fauna and the unique gorge ecosystem; and the issues facing the Niagara River today. Besides the magnificent gorge from a perspective few people see, other sights on Saturday's tour included turkey vultures and herons fishing, and lots of beautiful wildflowers.




(bird and butterfly photo by hiker Jean Russo)




It takes about 2 hours and, so far, everyone that's taken it has enjoyed it and given us positive feedback. We're doing it again Saturday September 27th at 10 a.m.; for more details and to register (required), please visit our website http://www.bnriverkeeper.org/fbnr/membership/ecotours_over.htm or call our office, 716-852-7483. We also have a hike along Scajaquada Creek August 30th, four more bike tours (various routes) and four more canoe/kayak paddles on the Scajaquada & Cayuga Creeks and Buffalo River the rest of the season. Please visit our website for details and a complete schedule.

The Newly Launched Pipewatch Program

Riverkeeper is pleased to announce the creation of yet another program to help clean up our waterways!

Have you ever been paddling in, or walking along, a waterway and noticed pipes along the banks that seem to be draining directly into the water? Those outfalls are point sources of pollution and it is imperative that we locate them and find out what is being dumped into our streams.

The Pipewatch Program aims to locate, inspect, and monitor all of the outfalls in the Niagara River Watershed. We are in the first stage of the program where we need to locate all of the outfalls. Once the outfalls have been located we will begin to test the water that is being discharged in order to determine their potential for harming our waterways.

Our dedicated volunteers began paddling our waterways in early June and we have already begun to receive information about the outfalls. As outfalls are discovered and inspected, we will be mapping them so that you can see their locations. This link will take you to our googlemaps page < http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=111647279894937938118.000451841c66d5cfe5511>. Each “balloon” represents one outfall and clicking on the “balloon” will allow you to view a photograph of the outfall.

While our volunteers have been working diligently since the program began, we are still looking to recruit new volunteers. There are thousands of miles of streams in the watershed and the more volunteers we have out there, the faster we will be able to identify the points of potential pollution. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact Robbyn Drake at rdrake@bnriverkeeper.org or by calling (716)852-7483. New volunteers will need to take a short introductory course to familiarize themselves with the program.

Rain barrel surprise

Our demo barrels are now in the office if you would like to come by and check them out. Robbyn has kindly inspected them from the inside & out!

Rain Barrels Now Available!

Rain Barrels are now available through Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper! We are excited to announce that we are selling rain barrels to help citizens to reduce stormwater runoff from their homes and to save water.

Riverkeeper rain barrels are $99.95 plus tax. Order by August 1! There is a 10% group discount for purchases of 10 or more - so we encourage you to a place group order with your friends, neighbors or block association. There is also a special membership offer - only $10 with the purchase of a rain barrel. Cash, check or credit cards are accepted. The 60 gallon barrels come in brown, gray, and green. Great gift idea for the environmentalist or the gardener in your life.

Visit our website at www.bnriverkeeper.org for more info or to order online. You are also welcome to contact me at kbentkowski@bnriverkeeper.org if you have any questions. Help us to KEEP THE RAIN FROM THE DRAIN!!!

Scajaquada Creek Exploration

Scaj Creek, June 19, 2008. A photo essay.

Kate and Tom embark among tall "tree trunks" on a water testing and monitoring mission.

We are enveloped by lush, verdant shores in this little-known stretch of the creek. The warm water gently ripples in the breeze and overhanging trees are alive with birds.

Navigating the cool drippy caverns beneath the overpasses, our voices echo from the damp concrete.

I befriend the natives, in this case a large Painted Turtle. On a sunny day, we often see half a dozen of these guys lazing together on floating logs.

A week-old Mallard duckling, recently deceased, brings us down with worries of botulism. The deadly bacteria, inhabiting sediment from sewer overflow, has killed hundreds of Mallards in die-offs on the Creek in past years. A female Mallard skulks nearby with one living duckling of the same age in tow, probably this fella's mom and sibling.

Invasive Japanese Knotweed on the right bank makes a picturesque reflection, but crowds out higher quality native species and degrades the precious shoreline habitat. We will return another day to fight this knotweed.

Crashing down the bank into the water comes Scajaquada Bob, a massive Beaver who never fails to make his presence known to other paddlers. Bob has been single and cranky since his girlfriend was hit on the expressway early this year. I swear he's in the picture, 'cause right after I took it he dove under my kayak.

Stormwater dirty with car fluids runs directly off the expressway, through pipes like this one, and into the creek. Yes, there is a better way to do this, and yes, we will ask NYSDOT for it as a part of the expressway reconfiguration coming up in the next few years.

A wild blue iris peers out from the shore.

I catch the Scajaquada Canoe Band playing live!! Kate rocks the house with a killer Hendrix impression.

This creepy problem outfall is dry today, but in the rain it discharges nasty grey water.

Barn Swallows glue their nests to the nice dry beams under the Niagara Street bridge. They flick about over our heads, shouting at us and to one another.

Tom recruits DOT employees to the cause while Kate looks on.

Long live Scajaquada Creek! We will soon return.