It’s a great green weekend in Buffalo

Workers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been dumping mud into former industrial docks at the Port of Buffalo — but this time, it’s clean mud.

The agency is embarking on a $14.2 million project to create wetland habitat by depositing about 285,000 cubic yards of sediment dredged from the Buffalo River into the seven-acre area along the Lake Erie shoreline, The News’ Mackenzie Shuman recently wrote.

The project is located just south of the mouth of the Buffalo River and its goals are ambitious: to create important habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife that have suffered since humans industrialized the area.

It was not always possible to use the sediments for this purpose: for decades they were contaminated with industrial waste and chemicals. Today, thanks to years of restoration, these sediments are clean.

The project exemplifies Buffalo’s ongoing commitment to environmental recovery and sustainability.

River cleanup shows promising resultsThere is growing evidence that the Buffalo River is getting cleaner.

As Shuman also reported, “Fish swimming in the Buffalo River sediment today no longer have elevated rates of tumors.” This news comes from researchers from the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey who made the discovery.

Of 50 fish collected during sampling in 2021, only three had tumors, according to a report published by the DEC.

The 6% tumor rate represents a dramatic decrease from previous studies and is not statistically higher than the number of tumors found in fish from a comparison site, Long Point Inner Bay in Ontario.

“This is one of those exciting, hopeful moments,” said Julie Barrett O’Neill, regional director of DEC Region 9. “We can show that an ecosystem can recover after a significant amount of abuse that the Buffalo River has endured over a long period of time.”

The health of the Buffalo River has improved greatly since the turn of the century thanks to pollution reduction and aggressive rehabilitation efforts. It has come a long way since it was considered biologically dead in 1967. Intensive restoration work was undertaken after the river was declared an “area of ​​concern” in 1987 under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada. Those efforts continue.

Reginald Douglas’ patented Big Daddy Garden Co. garden cart provided him with a much-needed solution to his own aches and pains. It could also provide relief to other similarly stressed gardeners.

In The News’ Next section, Douglas describes a situation several years ago when his scoliosis and back pain began to bother him while gardening. He had “spent hours bending over to work and having to connect several extension hoses to reach the faucet at the back of the house.”

The 57-year-old former mental health counselor created a prototype garden cart that would carry water, soil and tools and even provide seating for the gardener. Things took off after Douglas teamed up with Merry Constantino, founder of consumer product design firm ProductLogic LLC, and the University at Buffalo Cultivator Program. He commercialized his invention in February.

Although Douglas admits that the garden cart was “a complete disaster at first,” he managed to create a device that could make it easier for gardeners to pursue their favorite hobby.

Speaking of gardening, it’s time to join GardenWalk Buffalo, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this weekend. Considered by many to be the largest garden tour in the United States, this free, self-guided urban exploration showcases the love and dedicated care of more than 300 Buffalo gardeners.

In addition to this weekend’s major event, a significant number of regional and neighborhood garden walks have already taken place in Western New York, including last weekend’s East Side Garden Walk. Much has been written about garden walks and the history of the area, but the vibrant colors and sweet scents emanating from these lovingly tended gardens must be experienced in person. Then it all becomes clear.

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