We have exciting news as we have started preparing the design phase of our latest Buffalo Blueway site!
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper is working with South Buffalo Charter School to create a public access site on the Buffalo River from the school’s parking lot. There’s still a lot to do for this project before it’s ready for public access. We’ve already started work to mitigate invasive species, and have released an RFP to complete design work.
The school has said a portion of the parking lot would be open all the time for people to access the Buffalo River, and the school officials see this as a way they can also create opportunities for students to have a better chance to visit and learn about the waterway.
The Buffalo River as seen by the South Ogden Street Bridge and near South Buffalo Charter School.
Here are some of the project plans:
- Convert a portion of the current parking lot into a parking area for Blueway site users.
- Create of a new, removable kayak launch point on the shoreline.
- Develop a sustainable trail system to access the paddle sport launch area and natural areas along the shoreline.
- Plant native vegetation while increasing shoreline stability.
- Add signs, benches and a Blueway marker.
With the ground frozen, we had a contractor out to begin efforts to knock back Japanese Knotweed, an invasive species. A forestry mower was brought in to chip and mulch the dead growth from last year.
A forestry mower works to mulch last year’s Japanese Knotweed growth to try and make it easier to manage this invasive species in spring and summer.
This will allow the contractors to return in the spring to treat the invasive species that start to germinate. The frozen ground at the end of January meant we didn’t disturb the soil structure.
We’ll share more details as work progresses and we fully enter the design phase! #BuffaloBlueway #BuffaloNiagaraWaterkeeper
