Captains complete Coast Guard Spill Response Training

On Thursday, April 9th, about 15 Riverwatch Captains completed the 1st Responder Awareness Level, formerly Hazwoper, training at the US Coast Guard Base at the mouth of the Buffalo River. U.S. Coast Guard Marine Science Technician Scott Wakefield led a great program on how to recognize spill incidents, conduct initial identification & assessments to provide to spill response authorities. Some of the things we learned included how to properly protect yourself from possible contamination, how to proceed to a spill location, and how to use spill response reference materials, such as a chemical's MSDS or the emergency response guide, and what information to relay to the spill response authorities; such as the Coast Guard, DEC, or even emergency personnel.

At the conclusion of the training we were all certified at the Awareness Level (notify authorities and observe spill until they arrive) for Chemical Spills and as a 1st Responder (notify authorities and take defensive measures) for Oil Spills. While this training was great for those captains that want to take their waterway vigilance to a new level we are also providing help to the Coast Guard if the need ever arose. In an incident of a massive spill of some sort Riverwatch Captains could be called into action to help relieve the initial 1st responders and continue remediation efforts.

Thank you very much to all the captains that attended, Robbyn Drake for setting up this unique educational opportunity, and specialist Scott Wakefield for his time and knowledge.

A New Season Is UP ON US!

This guy was the youngest on site....and the most inspirational. I took this photo laying on the ground, telling him it will make him look like a giant (sneak Physics lesson). Coincidently, Louis correctly modified the Tee shirt. Love OUR water is the lesson the upcoming generation gave me on Saturday. Althoug he was the youngest volunteer, due to his exceptional dad, this is his second cleanup. Teach them young!

Many firsts at this cleanup. Dead deer found.....smelly!!!! No Picture. Pictures don't smell.

An exchange student from China

Dr. Robin Harris joined us on site. Incorporating The Bailey Peninsula (and surrounding area....like anywhere in our watershed) into high school classrooms is my masters project under her guidance. If you have watershed ideas for a classroom.....If you like to write......I can pay you in pizza.

We tried a new material in combating knotweed.

The South Park Green Team logo and tee shirt went for a test ride. On sale soon at a school near YOU!

RIVERKEEPER IS GREAT

Twenty years....of hard work. Thanks for the hat. South Park is signed on in red paint (sorry...can't do the blood thing). But, Red Paint is also thicker than water.

For a complete slideshow visit http://www.buffaloschools.org/webpages/ahovey/pictures.cfm

The Water Monitor Team's St. Patrick Parade float

Five members of the Valley Community Association's Water Monitor Team rowed in a float that was a boat in the great Old Neighborhood Parade on Saturday March 14th. The streets were lined with green people eager to catch candy and to say that they knew what they were drinking. They said that because the banner on the float asked the question, "Do you know what you are drinking? - referring to the contaminants that flow down our streams to end up in Lake Erie, the source of our drinking water.

The Water Monitor Team is sampling the Buffalo River at three sites on a monthly basis and sending their data to BNR. Water Monitor Team member Kayla Hardy (a student at DaVinci High School) designed and painted the Team's banner. It was rigged on a mast in the center of the boat so that it could turn in a full circle to display on the reverse side the banner of Buffalo-Niagara Riverkeepers.

The Team members riding in the float were Kayla Hardy, Kayla Carpino, Ashley Luna, Eric Prentice, and Jordan Kulesz. Team member Chelsea Locke was marching with another VCA contingent. They were joined by Green Team members Angelo Rosati, Samantha Hayes, and Teresa Vanloan. Our camera person was South Park High School teacher (and Green Team coordinator) Adam Hovey. Ashley, Eric, and Jordan are students from South Park are Green Team members. The Green Team's major project is the restoration of the habitat of the Bailey Peninsula.

The Water Monitor Team is led by the Valley's Science Firsthand program manager, Jennifer Pigeon. The Team is one-third of the VCA's "In Our Backyard" project, a DEC-funded program to increase environmental justice in the Valley Community through gardening, composting, recycling and water monitoring programs. For more information contact Lori Overdorf or Jennifer Pigeon at 823-4707 x 4.

Ice Jam 2009

February's spectacular Ice Jam on Buffalo River and Caz Creek!
Posted at Captain Mark K's request, with great thanks to Jerry the Intern for the daytime (Feb 10) pics. Night pics are from the eve of Feb 11. Captions follow the photos.

Caz at Leydecker bridge, W Seneca, looking upstream.

Caz at Leydecker, looking downstream.

Caz Creek at Parkside & Willowdale, W Seneca, looking upstream. Just starting to buckle and crunch.

Caz at Stevenson St bridge, looking upstream.

Caz Creek at at Caz bridge, looking upstream and to the left bank.

Caz Creek at Caz bridge, looking upstream.

Caz Creek at Caz bridge, looking downstream.

Confluence of Buffalo River and Cayuga Creek, looking upstream from Harlem bridge.

Buffalo River, looking downstream from Harlem bridge.

Buffalo River, looking upstream from Harlem Rd fishing access site.

Buffalo River under thruway overpass, downstream from Harlem Road fishing access site.

Buffalo River at Ogden bridge, downstream side.

Buffalo River at Ogden, looking downstream.

Caz Creek at Bailey Bridge, looking upstream.

Caz Creek at Bailey, looking downstream towards the confluence with Buffalo River.

Buffalo River, looking upstream at Seneca bridge.

Buffalo River, looking downstream at confluence with Caz.

The Cotter ramming ice at Babcock St.

High water at Seneca Bluffs as the ice jammed at Buffalo River & Caz confluence.

Big jam at Buffalo River confluence with Caz; looking downstream from Mongovan Park.

Riverwatch Intern Update!

(Cazenovia Creek @ Mill Rd. Bridge looking upstream)

Good Day Riverwatch Captains and H2O concerned citizens,

I just wanted to give a little update as to what I, the intern, have been up to. With January being an extremely brisk month, and waterways being frozen over, I have spent a bunch of time working on our databases and streamlining data collection for web posting pourposes. With that said you may have noticed a slightly different look to the pages that contain the data collection charts.

First we have added a link to Google maps where you are able to see exactly where each water testing site is located. Many of them also have pictures of the exact site with some of our captains in action! I was hoping to be able to add a link to each site that would take me to their exact location, without having to save individual maps, but I wasn't successful in figuring that one out. If any of you have any ideas feel free to share them with me!

Another change you may notice is that we have seperated the data witnessed in the charts into more manageable pieces. I did this so that it would be easier to read the data, as well as manage it on a year by year basis, meaning we have seperate links for data from the beginning of a sites testing data to the end of 2008 and a new graph for 2009. If anyone has any problems with the size of the graphs just let me know and I'll make them bigger for you.

When was the last time you checked out the e.coli data graphs? Beginning with 2009's data you will see multiple graphs when you click on a specific site's e.coli link. The first you will see is the usual graph tracking data on a monthly basis for the entire year. The new graph is a merging of the data you have collected for us with the daily precipitation totals. We did this to help show how precipitation can correlate with the e.coli readings that we get.

Does anyone remember Robbyn mentioning the Icewatch Program in the January Captains Report? If not the US Army Corp. of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in New Hampshire asked for Riverkeeper's help in monitoring the Buffalo River and Cazenovia Creek for ice conditions. Recently I went around to 25 different sites between the two waterways taking pictures of the ice conditions and forwarding them on the Army Corp. If anyone else would like to participate that would be GREAT! Just give Robbyn a call at 716-852-7483. Here is a link to view current conditions on Cazenovia Creek as seen from an Army Corp placed camera!

Well I hope everyone is well and looking forward to seeing you at the upcoming Volunteer Appreciation Party!!!

Fish Cleaning Demo on Martin Luther King Day

Fish Cleaning Demo
at the Buffalo Museum of Science

Join Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper on Martin Luther King Day, January 19th, at the Buffalo Museum of Science for a fish cleaning and cooking demonstration! Admission is free and there will be lots of other community oriented activities. Other organizations involved in this event are The Wellness Institute, Environmental Education Associates, BlueCross and BlueSheild of WNY, UB Dental School, and many more. For more information, click here.

The first of two fish cleaning and cooking demonstrations is scheduled from 11am to 12pm and the second will take place from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Each demonstration will begin with a short presentation followed by a 20 minute fish cleaning demonstration, 30 minute fish cooking demonstration, as well as time for taste testing and questions.

By the end of the session participants will have learned the proper way to clean and cook a fish caught in the Buffalo and Niagara Rivers. This is especially important because of the potentially dangerous heavy metals and pollutants that have been found in Buffalo and Niagara River fish species. To read about fish advisories issued by the New York State Department of Health, click here.

If you have any other questions about this event please contact AmeriCorps members, Sheila Saia (ssaia@bnriverkeeper.org) or Krissy Ingleman (kingleman@bnriverkeeper.org).

Fish Pictures were taken from NYSDEC Website at:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/269.html

Now Reqruiting for the 1st Annual Great Niagara Boat Dance!

Calling All Canoes, Kayaks, and Non-Motorized Small Craft!

Happy New Year! Canadian and U.S. municipalities along the Niagara River have declared 2009 as The Year of Our Shared Waters because, in this region, our water is so important to us. We depend on it for our food, transportation, energy, and enjoyment.

Why is 2009 so special?
The year 2009 is special because the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 established the International Joint Commission--a binational body that manages the quality and quantity of water in the Great Lakes and the Niagara River. One hundred years later, we still need to take better care of our waters and find creative new ways to connect people with the water. Because when citizens connect to the water, they are more likely to protecting our valuable natural resource in the future.

What is a boat dance?
In hopes of inspiring citizens to be involved in the protection of their water, the First Annual Boat Dance will be held on June 12, 2009 to celebrate The Year of Our Shared Waters and the 100th Anniversary of the Boundary Waters Treaty. We are looking for people who enjoy canoeing, kayaking, and sailing and who want to be involved in this synchronized boat dance. All skill levels are welcome to join! Choreographer, Gerald Trentham will combine the movements of our small vessels with music and song. The final performance will take place at dusk and lights on the vessels will allow the boat dance to be seen from the shore.

How can I join?
If you want to be involved in this event, please sign up on the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper website (www.bnriverkeeper.org) or call 716-852-7483. Our first meeting is on February 9th at the Riverkeeper offices on 1250 Niagara Street. There will be at least four on-land rehearsals in April and May, and an in-the-water rehearsal in early June to prepare for the two final performances. The first tentative performance will be held at the Canoe Club in Canada on June 9th, 2009 and the second performance is scheduled to take place at the confluence of the Buffalo River and City Ship Canal right in front of the Erie Canal Harbor on June 12th, 2009.

For more information feel free to contact Lynda Schneekloth (lhs1@buffalo.edu), Richard Butz (butzra@yahoo.com), or Robbyn Drake (rdrake@bnriverkeeper.org).