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Great Lakes
Article:
State Effort Launched to Repair Wetland Area
By
SHARON LINSTEDT
Buffalo
News Staff Reporter
5/3/2002
The Buffalo River, Scajaquada Creek and Beaver Island
State Park will see shoreline improvements and habitat
restorations as part of a statewide $4.5 million watershed
improvement program announced Thursday.
"We are
committed to protecting and improving the quality of these
majestic waterways for the benefit of future generations,
and this additional funding for watershed restoration
will help us to achieve that objective," said Gov.
George E. Pataki in announcing the grant awards.
The projects
are made possible through the state's Great Lakes Coastal
Watershed Protection and Restoration program.
Nearly $1 million
of the environmental matching grants will benefit seven
projects in Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus and Genesee counties.
Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island is on the receiving
end of the largest portion of the local grants, getting
$400,000 for wetlands protection and enhancement.
A 15-acre wetlands
area along the Niagara River will be restored to repair
erosion damage caused by boat wakes, fluctuating water
levels and invasive plant life. Another 2.5-acre section
will be upgraded to protect over-wintering fish.
About $118,000
also has been earmarked for the Buffalo River. The funds
will be used to restore 15 acres of mixed floodplain habitat
in the Seneca Bluffs section, reducing erosion of the
bluffs, as well as treating storm water runoff. Stream
bank stabilization and other measures to reduce sediment
and temperature fluctuations are also part of the effort.
Scajaquada Creek
will see nearly $16,000 in bank stabilization and erosion
control work through the program. Efforts will include
installation of rock rip-rap and revegetation to shore
up banks.
Other Western
New York creeks slated for work include: Eighteen-Mile
Creek in Niagara County ($392,000); Cattaraugus Creek
in Cattaraugus and Erie counties ($20,025); and Oatka
Creek in Genesee County ($43,500).
The $4.5 million
for the statewide watershed and wetlands work was made
available to New York State through $30 million appropriated
by the federal government for Great Lakes coastal restoration.
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