Although we had hoped that the weather for the Emerald Beach meet-up would have been five degrees warmer, we accomplished everything we set out to do. Amazingly, the day started off when Darren Cotton (Sandman) discovered a seagull with a double-hook fishing lure stuck in its beak and wing. The bird’s head was literally stuck to it’s wing – it took us half an hour (using wire snips) to wrestle the hooks out of the exhausted bird.
Believe it or not, rescuing the winged creature set the tone for the rest of the day – it wasn’t long fore a Canadian goose arrived with only one paddle. Could it be that Emerald Beach was the easiest access point in Downtown Buffalo for injured birds to get ashore to rest? It looked that way – no walls, no rocks, a sandy landing… a perfect bird sanctuary. *Thanks to Deborah Lavell and her friend Kevin (Buffalo United Scooter Club) for helping with the gull.
As the day progressed, people arrived to enjoy the beach in many different ways. Of course, setting out the beach towel or chair was the first priority. The second was the cooler. Before long, people broke out the Kadima paddles – Brian Reilly, The City’s Chief Economic Development Officer, not only made it to the gathering, but set the record straight when it came down to who was the King (Kadima) of the Beach. Councilmember Mickey Kearns and Assemblyman Sam Hoyt also took some time out of their day to show their support for the new waterfront amenity. Midday there was a sandcastle building competition and the winner proudly walked away with a kid-size Sessions beach-pack donated by Urban Threads on Elmwood Avenue. You should have seen the look on Olivia’s face when she won… I wouldn’t be surprised if she wore the pack to bed last night.
I’ve taken the liberty to add one final photo to the mix here. I doctored an image of the beach to show what it would look like if it were doubled in size. By leaving plenty of the large rocks in place along the Erie Basin Marina, there is still plenty of opportunity to create a crescent-shaped beach. If the rocks were removed to complete this addition, I would suggest that they be dropped out at the point to add another ten-feet of protection from the wind and the waves, thus creating an even better sand-filled bay. Essentially, the wall of rocks is replaced by a gradual sweep of sand… oh, and I added an extended boardwalk above (thanks to Beach Chair Darren Cotton for pointing out the benefit). And thanks to Beach Chair Nathan Mroz for making it down for a short while with his family.