Creating a Paradigm Shift...Putting the Buffalo River First!!

Presented to 7th Annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference by Healing Our Waters-

Great Lakes CoalitionOctober 14, 2011

Jill Jedlicka, Habitat Restoration Project ManagerCraig Forgette, Great Lakes Regional Sediment Manager

Kris Erickson, Ecologist and Project Manager

E & E’s Corporate Commitment

• Company founded on the goalof solving environmental problems in a holistic, multidisciplinary manner

• Company philosophy translates very well to the complex ecosystem problems found at Great Lakes AOCs

• 30 year history of public involvement in the Great Lakes and Western NY region

Opportunities for Involvement and Establishing Partnerships in the Buffalo River Watershed

Maintaining Multidisciplinary Resources

Great Lakes National Program Office

Commercial and Industrial Businesses

Maintaining Enduring Relationships with Stakeholders

Tuscarora Nation

Tonawanda Band of Senecas Western Region – State Parks WNY Land Conservancy

Active Commitment to the Watershed and CommunityVolunteering to Support Environmental Awareness and Restoration

• Long-term staff participation at BNR’s annual river clean-ups

• Buffalo River Paddle with NETO• Co-sponsors for Buffalo River

organizations• Sponsor of Earth Day water resources

exhibits• Exhibited at the Great Lakes

Experience Festival

• Participation in the statewide effort for identifying strategy for ISCMP in NYS

• Acting Director of the Western New York PRISM

Professional Knowledge Transfer/EducationProviding Technical Information Sharing and Training

• Guest Lectures– Treatment wetlands– Invasive species– Habitat restoration

• Field Visits– West Seneca Oxbow– Seneca Bluffs– Buffalo River Tours

• Professional Organizations– AWMA– SAME– BAPG– NYS Wetlands Forum– SER

Professional Knowledge Transfer/EducationProviding Technical Information Sharing and Training

• College and MastersLevel Programs

– ERIE/IGERT Program– Buffalo State College

Great Lakes Environmental Science Program

• Technical Instructionand Training

– Stream Restoration Design– Ecological Restoration Planning

and Design– Invasive Species Control and

Management

Project Planning, Design, and ImplementationBuffalo River Support – Local Stakeholders

– Seneca BluffsHabitat Restoration–Erie County

– Analytical and Data Management Support for312 Study and GLLA Project 2005/2007 – NYSDEC and BNR

– West Seneca Oxbow Restoration – Town of West Seneca, BNR

– Depew Landfill Remediation and Restoration – NYSDEC

Project Planning, Design, and ImplementationBuffalo River Support – USACE

– 312 Report - Multi-disciplinary Review of Existing Conditions

– Data Review and Visualization of Contaminated Sediments to Support Strategic Dredging

– Data Support for ERDC Modeling– Buffalo River BUI Delisting Strategy– Section 204 Beneficial Use of Dredge

Material Factsheets

Project Planning, Design, and Implementation Buffalo River Support – USEPA

• Region 2– NYS AOC coordination for BUI Delisting– Public Involvement Support– Buffalo River RAC Facilitation

• Great Lakes National Program Office– Field Investigation for Feasibility Study– Data Management– Pre-design Investigation– Integrated Habitat Restoration with

Dredging design– Remedial Design for GLLA Dredging Portion– Property Owner Coordination– Buffalo River Baseline Study– Buffalo River ERMP– Community Involvement

Project Planning, Design, and ImplementationBuffalo River ERMP

Buffalo River ERMP Field Investigations

Buffalo River ERMP – Habitat Restoration Sites

Buffalo River ERMP Site Restoration Plan

• Partnerships Count!

• There are many – and seemingly intangible – ways to make a contribution

• Regional knowledge and expertise can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and facilitate addressing issues

• Diversity of partners helps to keep things moving during various stages of investigation, remediation, restoration, etc.

• The river and surrounding communities matter – not any single player

Benefits to Buffalo River: Perspective Summary