Authors: Jill Jedlicka, Executive Director, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Climate change is already here, and protecting and restoring the lakes and our communities is more complex than ever. The landmark UN report calling the present situation a “code red” for humankind was not unexpected, as uncomfortable as the reality must be. For decades, our Great Lakes have desperately needed infrastructure investments in antiquated sewers, crumbling drinking water systems, ports, and ecosystems. These investments are starting to increase, but let’s be very honest with ourselves about why. It is not merely coming from a sense of moral obligation to the generations of…
Author: Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
Author: Stephanie Crockatt, Executive Director at Buffalo Omsted Parks Conservancy Who would have imagined that 2020’s health pandemic would illuminate Buffalo’s lightbulb overhead as an “ah-ha moment” on why parks and access to healthy outdoor environments are absolutely essential? At the same time, a second humanitarian crisis commanded our focus for accountability, respect and decency for equity and the diversities of life. Was fate already in motion that 2020 would indeed become a year for both hindsight and vision on health and humanity? And what does the future hold as we reimagine our urban living-infrastructure in the wake of such…
Author: Luke Medina and Justin Booth , GObike I’m a first-generation Buffalonian. I grew up on Rounds Avenue on Buffalo’s northeast side, near University at Buffalo’s south campus. My parents were the first generation in their families to grow up in the contiguous United States. My father was raised in East Harlem, and my mother grew up in Brooklyn, primarily in the Flatbush area. After meeting at Syracuse University, my father accepted a teaching position in Buffalo while my mother completed law school at the University of Buffalo. My parents bought our home on Rounds Avenue for its highway access,…
Author: Bradley J. Bethel Jr., ROCC Research Associate See Part 1 Buffalo was built upon a series of natural and man-made resources that for much of the city’s history have shaped a cohesive urban ecosystem. Many city neighborhoods were established around their proximity to such natural resources as parks and waterways. Scajaquada Creek is a prime example of how multiple communities were given birth from the same source, in this case along an inward waterway weaving a path to the Niagara River. The biggest threat to Scajaquada’s ecosystem has been the New York Route 198 (Scajaquada Expressway), one of several…
Author: Jill Jedlicka, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Executive Director This is the first in a four-part, guest author series, highlighting what is possible through the vision of a restored Scajaquada Creek corridor. This series shared over the next two weeks, will place a priority focus on a community-inspired vision for Scajaquada’s waterway, park system, trail and transportation networks, and community revitalization. Defining moments don’t come around very often – but here we are. The year 2021 will provide the last, best chance in a generation to reclaim our creek and community. Why the urgency? Many decisions are on the horizon for infrastructure…