Fish Orders Due Soon
Pond stocking order
forms are due August 25th, while Grass Carp order forms are due September 1st.
All Grass Carp order forms require us to get all three copies of your DEC Grass
Carp Permit with your order.
A BIG Thank You!
Thank you to all of
the presenters and teachers/schools that participated in the Environmental Field
Days. Despite the rain, everyone had a great time at this educational event. See
everyone next year!
Environmental Field Days
CALLING ALL
TEACHERS! If you are interested in participating in our Field Days on June 6th
(rain date June 7th), contact us immediately. This event for 5th and 6th grade
students, has classes rotate through Royalton Ravine park to learn about topics
ranging from water quality, forestry, conservation law and outdoor hobbies.
Tree Order Pickup
If you ordered trees
from our 2017 Tree and Shrub Program please pick them up on Friday, April 21st
or Saturday, April 22nd. If you have any questions feel free to contact us by
phone at 716-434-4949 Ext. 4.
Come order your trees
Every year the district comes out with an annual tree sale. Be sure to download
an order form from our website or get more information from our
Tree and Shrub tab.
It's that time of year again...
If
you own land that is being used for agriculture make sure to talk to your town
assessor about getting an agricultural assessment completed. If qualified, that
could mean saving money on your property taxes. Call our office today for more
information. Our office completes the Soil Group Worksheets that your town
assessor uses in the agricultural tax break. More details on our
Programs page.
Congratulations to the 2016 Regional Envirothon Winners!
The Niagara County winning team included students from the Niagara Career and
Technical Center, Conservation program in Sanborn, NY.
If
your school is interested in participating in the Envirothon in 2017, please
contact Darcy at (716) 434-4949.
Be on the lookout for Japanese Knotweed!
Niagara County Soil and Water Conservation District is looking to apply for
funding to control and eradicate a highly invasive plant within the Eighteenmile
Creek Watershed. Japanese knotweed resembles bamboo, and can reach 10-15 feet
tall. It is adapted to a wide variety of soil types and pH levels, and can be
found growing along riverbanks, wetlands, disturbed areas, roadsides, woodlands
and grasslands. If you suspect you have Japanese knotweed on your property,
please call our office at 716-434-4949 Ext. 4.
Eighteenmile Creek Progress Updates
Since being listed under the National Priorities List (NPL) in March of 2012
progress has been slowly picking up speed, and 2014 has been a year of
advancement towards the cleanup of Eighteenmile Creek. This past summer, EPA
contractors completed the demolition of the old Liberty Building on 89 Mill
Street. With the equipment and contractors already in place, EPA began the
demolition of the former Flintkote building. The Flintkote building and its
surrounding property are likely the source of the major contamination to
Eighteenmile Creek. Demolition will continue and be finished in the spring,
where the next steps will be to sample the soil beneath the basement of the once
inaccessible building. Actual cleanup and remediation of the contaminated soils
on the site will follow when all different options are thoroughly investigated.
The changing of the seasons has also brought progress to another part of
Eighteenmile Creek, Olcott Harbor in the Town of Newfane. The town has embarked
on a harbor dredging project to increase the navigability of the western part of
the harbor, near West Main Street. The town was hoping to “piggyback” on to the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) dredging project between the navigational
channels, but this scope of work was too small for the contractor selected.
Without using the USACE contractor, the Town of Newfane has hired Wendel
Companies to assist them with their project. In preparation for the dredging,
the town has dug a large pit near East Lake Road and West Washington Street. The
dredged soil will be placed in this pit, allowing the water to slowly drain over
winter before being covered back up with clean fill from the site.
Niagara County Soil and Water Conservation District at the 2014 Niagara County
Fair
LAKE
LEVEL DECISION DRAWS IRE
The International Joint Commission announced this week Plan 2014 is its
preferred option for regulating water levels and slows of lake Ontario and the
St. Lawrence River. And local leaders don't like it. The plan controls the water
level in Lake Ontario by adjusting the flow of water through a dam in the St.
Lawrence River, creating higher and lower water levels than before.
LEARN MORE
CHANGING
FACES IN THE DISTRICT
Mike Clifford-
Mike joined the staff as our Natural Resource Technician this past September.
Mike was the USDA-NRCS District Conservationist in Walton, NY. He recently
relocated to WNY where he continued to work part time on conservation efforts as
a subcontractor to the NRCS and an Earth Team Volunteer. Mike brings years of
knowledge and experience to the office and he will be busy using his talents on
AEM, barnyard projects, wildlife habitat, and soil health. He enjoys hunting,
fishing, and other outdoor sports.
EPA REJECTS BAN ON LEAD SINKER AND AMMO
A
call for a ban on lead fishing tackle and ammunition was recently rejected by
the Environmental Protection Agency, which said there was no proof that it would
protect the environment.
Environmental groups petitioned the EPA in August to prohibit “the manufacture,
processing, and distribution” of lead in bullets and fishing gear. In response
to the American Bird Conservancy, EPA Assistant Administrator, Stephen Owens,
cited steps already undertaken to curb lead use: limits on federal land, state
regulation, education efforts and the increasing availability of non-lead
alternatives.
LEARN MORE
SCALING BACK OF ASIAN CARP STUDY
DRAWS FIRE
More than three years after Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
to explore ways to separate the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins in
order to "prevent the spread" of nuisance species like Asian carp between the
two grand water systems, the Army Corps is now embarking on what it says likely
will be a four year study.
LEARN MORE |
Winter '18- Niagara Nature News 
Winter '15- Niagara Nature News
