Recent Events

RestoreCorps planting at the Winkler property in Wheatfield (October 4th 2011)

Common Serviceberry, Silky dogwood, Redosier dogwood, Common Elderberry, Red Maple & Gray Birch were just some of the native species planted along the Niagara River by 8 volunteers on the first Saturday in October.

Photos from the event can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnriverkeeper/sets/72157627746456347/

RestoreCorps planting at Forest Lawn Cemetery (September 17th 2011)

Freshmen students from Villa Maria College helped RestoreCorps volunteers plant 800 Barren Strawberry plants (Waldsteinia Fragarioides) along the banks of the Scajaquada Creek where it runs through the cemetery opposite Mirror Lake. This planting was a continuation of the work done at this very site within Forest Lawn last spring. The Barren Strawberry plants will help reduce the need for mowing between the plants we placed last spring. The plants are hardy, do well on shady banks and form a dense, weed-smothering carpet that will help protect the trees, shrubs and flowers planted last spring.

Photos from the event can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnriverkeeper/sets/72157627598772037/

RestoreCorps planting at RCR Yachts in Buffalo (September 14th 2011)

RCR Yachts is located along the City Ship Canal, just off Fuhrmann Boulevard. Volunteers planted native trees and shrubs along almost 300 linear feet of bank!

Photos from the event can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnriverkeeper/sets/72157627713726804/

RestoreCorps planting at the Longin Property in Wheatfield (September 3rd 2011)

Twelve volunteers gathered early on the first Saturday in September to plant native trees and shrubs at the Longin Photography Studios in Wheatfield. As well as hand tilling an area 20 ft by 40 ft to spread native grass and wildflower seed, volunteers planted 2 Redosier Dogwood shrubs; 5 Common Buttonbush shrubs; 3 Silky
Dogwood shrubs; 3 Common Elderberry shrubs; 3 Gray Birch trees and 3 red maple trees. The owner of the photography studio treated everyone to fresh fruit, cookies and muffins!

More photos from the event can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnriverkeeper/sets/72157627493583375/

Japanese Knotweed Removal at Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association (August 3rd and 4th 2011)

Volunteers from YouthWorks, the ConservationCorps and RestoreCorps all joined together to cut back Japanese Knotweed at Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association. This is the second time the weed has been cut at this site this season. Any further re-growth will be sprayed with herbicide in September and then volunteers will be planting native trees and shrubs at the site in October.

Photos from this event can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnriverkeeper/sets/72157627260228677/

RestoreCorps at Eastern Park in the City of Tonawanda (July16th)

Volunteers signed up through the United Way’s Family Day of Caring joined RestoreCorps volunteers to plant native trees, grasses, shrubs and wildflowers on the banks of Ellicott Creek in Eastern Park.The kids had great fun digging in the dirt and then watering all the plants afterward. Volunteers put a total of 146 native plants into the ground in less than 3 hours! A lady from Hawaii had an assignment from to work to go somewhere new and try something you have never done before. So she came all the way to Tonawanda to help out with this planting! Thanks everyone.

Photos from the event can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnriverkeeper/sets/72157627115218085/

Special thanks for their help with this event go to Suzette O’Brien, Beth Sullivan and Emi Anazimu.

Painting over Graffiti at the Scajaquada Creek Bike Path (July 6th and 7th)

Youth works volunteers came to help us pick up trash in Niawanda Park on Wednesday and paint over graffiti along the Scajaquada bike path on Thursday. They picked up yet more trash along the Scajaquada as well, and cut back some Knotweed! They had a very busy two days!

Photos from both days can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnriverkeeper/sets/72157627047308711/

Japanese Knotweed Removal at the Scajaquada Creek Bike Path (June 29th and 30th)

Teenagers from Youth Works came from Virginia and Indiana to help Riverkeeper remove trash and Knotweed from the Scajaquada Bike path. They got rid of about 10 bags of trash, including a broken fishing pole, an old babies car seat and a broken skateboard. In places, the Knotweed was so thick the path was only 3 – 4 feet wide, but the teens cut it right back, much to the appreciation of passing cyclists! The thought of food from nearby fast food restaurants definitely helped to keep the kids motivated despite the very hot weather.

Photos from both days can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnriverkeeper/sets/72157626966759707/

Japanese Knotweed Removal at Harlem Road DEC Fishing Access Site (June 22nd and 23rd 2011)

On June 22nd, 37 volunteers from AmeriCorps and Hands on Greater Buffalo came out to the DEC Fishing Access Site on Harlem Road in Kaisertown to remove Japanese Knotweed. On June 23rd, 7 teens from Youth Works carried on the great work. The Youth Works group were from London, Ohio and were in Buffalo for a week to engage in numerous voluntary community service projects.

Photos from both days can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnriverkeeper/sets/72157627031181518/

Special thanks to Adam Bartoszek from Hands on Greater Buffalo and Lisa Drake from Youth Works for their part in co-coordinating this huge number of volunteers!

RestoreCorps at the Hoke Property in Niagara Falls (June 18th 2011)

Volunteers from United Health Care brought to us through the United Ways ‘Business Meets Community’ program helped RestoreCorps volunteers plant native trees and shrubs at a private site on the Niagara River in Niagara Falls.

Photos from the event can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnriverkeeper/sets/72157626912053533/

Japanese Knotweed Removal at Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association (June 16th 2011)

Youth Works volunteers came out to BSRA on the Buffalo River to cut back, by hand, the highly aggressive invasive plant Japanese Knotweed. Volunteers were aged between 14 and 17 and were from North Carolina, Tennessee and Kansas and they traveled to Buffalo specially to engage in a number of community service projects with various organizations! In 4 hours, these hardworking teens cleared a quarter of an acre of Knotweed and almost filled a 30 cubic yard dumpster! The kids compared our problem with the Knotweed to a problem faced in the south by a plant called Kudzu. Apparently, goats eat this plant and keep its growth in check. Maybe we should try unleashing the wrath of a goat or two at our next Knotweed battle…!

Photos from this event can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bnriverkeeper/sets/72157626890981843/

RestoreCorps at Ellicott Creek Park (May 27th 2011)

In the morning, dedicated staff members from the Harkness Career Center in Cheektowaga brought 21 students to Ellicott Creek Park in Tonawanda to help pick up trash and plant wildflowers. The kids had a lot fun getting muddy and learning about the natural world around them.

In the afternoon, RestoreCorps volunteers were joined by staff from Nixon Peabody to plant 4 Paper Birch trees, 71 shrubs and 30 live steaks of Streamco Willow and Red Osier Dogwood. Volunteers had to dig 4 holes, each with a diameter of 7 feet in which to plant the trees.

A photo from the event was published in the Buffalo News! To see it, please visit:

http://galleries.buffalonews/photo.php?gname=gallery_1306531656.txt&item=7