Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper is undeniably our community hero. Their advocacy and projects have impacted the region tremendously. Join us and them for the September Scajaquada Sweep. Events are fun and meaningful.
We recently learned that the Army Corps of Engineers will be initiating a project on Broderick Park that will slow the velocity of the current along the sea wall on the southern edge of the island. This will make it possible for the bitty fish, Emerald Shiners, to be more sustainable. Another benefit will be the reinforcement and repair for much of that seawall that has been deteriorating and causing erosion on the island. Baffles will be installed as seen in the illustration. Work will begin this summer and plans are for completion by the end of 2021.
For more information about Emerald Shiners, check out Buffalo State’s webpage.
Army Corps Engineer Timothy Noon:
The Emerald Shiner Passage Structure Demonstration Project seeks to improve habitat connectivity for the Emerald Shiner between the Niagara River and Lake Erie, adjacent to Broderick Park in the City of Buffalo. This project is being undertaken in partnership with the US EPA as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The Emerald Shiner plays a critical role in the Lake Erie food web, and the fish and bird populations that depend on them. The Niagara River velocity currently causes a barrier to the Emerald Shiner, however this project seeks to demonstrate innovative technology to allow for fish passage into Lake Erie. The intent is to help restore fish and wildlife populations in the Niagara River and Lake Erie, while sustaining and improving the unique features of our local environment, and more specifically Broderick Park.
We’ve been collaborating with lots of partners to Brush Up Broderick Park. Can you spare a little time on Saturday, April 24? We’ll be there beginning at 10:00 am, weeding and spreading mulch. It’s looking so good and we want to make it shine for the summer season! Covid has shown how essential this park is to our community. Please help us make it better than ever!
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Shoreline Sweep includes Broderick Park as part of their clean up on May 1st. If you missed signing up for that, join us on April 24th!
Remember: masks and safe distancing is still necessary! Contact us at: info@visionniagara.org if you have questions!
By the way, Friends of Broderick Park has plans for summer events, including Food Trucks! Stay tuned.
Because of the 1% for public art policy in Buffalo, the Niagara Street reconstruction project includes some funding for public art. We’re very excited that the Buffalo Arts Commission selected Shasti Soudant for this project. She is an eminent, local artist who has created amazing sculptures and art installations around the country. Ms Soudant designed a series titled Flora and Fauna for Niagara Street. The designs will be cut from steel, attached to the light poles and will face the bike lane. The image above represents one of at least six different sequences. Each sequence will be a different color. Over 90 light poles will be part of the project.
There are a number of aspects about this proposal we find thoughtful and exciting. Within the limited scope of the project, the artist has put together a subtle yet expansive answer to the RFP. The images depicted represent arrival, new beginnings, growth, taking root and other associations symbolic of our corridor. They will offer a bit of animation and color as one traverses the corridor by foot, bike or vehicle.
This walk will provide an introduction to the resurgence that has been taking place on historic Grant Street in the past 10 years. Here are some highlights:
Start at the WEDI offices at 436 Grant St, to learn about their work on the West Side and in the greater Buffalo area
Stop at the Gypsy Parlour for an update on their fun activities
Stop at Blue House Collective a shop of women’s handmade objects and art. Why did they choose Grant St.?
Stop at Global Villages, Louise Sano’s eclectic shop and learn about her history with WEDI and her success as a businesswoman who arrived here from Rwanda
Visit JJ’s BBQ – How did he get his thriving restaurant started?
Stop at The Meating Place, a long time business on Grant
Other stops at new businesses as appropriate
Finish at the West Side Bazaar for a discussion of the Bazaar’s past and bright future
We’re offering a Covid-safe free lunch inside the West Side Bazaar for the first time since March 2020 to two lucky registrants, drawn at random. Registration must be received by Wednesday, May 5 at 11:59 PM to be entered.
Led by: Carolynn Welch and Bonnie Smith of WEDI
Meeting place: WEDI offices at 436 Grant St, Buffalo, NY, 14213
Scope: We will walk from WEDI offices to the West Side Bazaar at West Ferry Street
Experience the Peace Walk Discovery Trail, a mosaic art project on Unity Island along Buffalo’s Shoreline Trail. Only a few minutes west of and parallel to Niagara Street runs the newly improved shoreline trail north, along the Niagara River. This mosaic art project won the City of Buffalo’s competition in 2016 and was realized in 2017. Learn about some of the local history of that stretch between Broderick Park and Unity Island Park, how it was a last stop of the Underground Railroad (UGRR), how Native Americans interacted with the island. Hear about artist Cornelia Dohse-Peck’s vision for Peace Walk Discovery Trail, the symbols used and how this public art project came to be.
Led by: Walk will be led by artist Cornelia Dohse-Peck (Visual Artist) and by Will Peck, collaborator and husband, who worked together on this public art commission.
Meeting place: at the north end of Broderick Park near the fish consumption signage; near the Riverwalk connection. How to get there: go west on West Ferry and continue over the bridge onto Unity Island, turn right and find parking.
Scope: Approximately 1 3/4 hours (a leisurely walk with about six stops) along the beautiful Niagara River
Notes: This Jane’s Walk is inclusive and wheelchair accessible – no stairs. Please wear sunscreen, and dress for outdoors.
Scajaquada Creek is a significant waterway in Buffalo History, but today it is one of the most degraded in the region. It has been abused by generations of urban development – stripped of its wetlands, polluted by heavy contaminants, sewage, plastic and other household chemicals, channelized and rerouted, covered by a highway, and buried underground. Join Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper for a walk along the Scajaquada Creek path to discuss this history, current health, and explore what the future could hold for the creek and surrounding communities. We will begin at the Peter Street Park and walk along the Jesse Kregal Trail to the mouth of Scajaquada Creek at Niagara Street.
Led by: Lauren Darcy, Ecological Planner
Meeting Place: Peter Street Park (1 Peter St, Buffalo, NY 14207 – approx. 42.937990, -78.886764)
End Place: 1660 Niagara St
Distance: Roughly 2 Miles (including return to Peter Street Park)
Join us for a tour of Hamlin Park. A beautiful neighborhood, filled with tree-lined streets and large number of architecturally interesting and significant homes. Learn more about its history as a Carriage Driving Park which was transformed into a residential neighborhood in the late 19th century. In 1999 Hamlin Park was designated an “Historic District,” the largest African-American community in the nation to be so cited. The tour will begin at 60 Hedley Place, home to the Hamlin Park Taxpayers Community Association, a vibrant community group that advocates for neighborhood preservation.
Led by: Dr. Mary Rockwell, Director, New Buffalo Institute, Canisius College Meeting Place: 60 Hedley Place in Hamlin Park
Based on the groundbreaking history Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold, this 3-mile walking tour will examine the ways lesbians shaped Buffalo’s public spaces from the 1930s through the early 1960s. We will also explore how urban renewal policies affected lesbian space in the 1960s, laying the groundwork for a more confrontational gay rights movement in the 1970s.
Meeting Place: In front of Central Library (1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo)
Urbanist and preservationist Chris Hawley will be your guide to Broadway Fillmore only one day after he becomes a full-time resident. This bicycle tour will start and end at Eugene V. Debs Hall, 483 Peckham Street (corner of Clark Street). Always keen on the history, present conditions, and future possibilities of Buffalo neighborhoods, Hawley will highlight the landscape of this venerable neighborhood—its buildings, businesses, and landmarks. This includes his own corner tavern, closed in 1991 and soon to be reborn as a nonprofit social hall. Tour participants will receive a free replica pin from the Eugene V. Debs 1920 presidential campaign.
Led by: Chris Hawley Meeting Place: 483 Peckham Street
