The Niagara River/Lake Erie Watershed in New York State contains 1.5 million acres of land and has more than 1.1 million people living in it. Today's show looks at how the region can be protected by working together.

The watershed covers 116 municipalities, 5,543 miles of rivers and streams and 1450,000 acres of state and federally listed wetlands. Many people and groups work to protect this watershed, which is a large undertaking. An organization supporting this effort is the Lake Erie Watershed Protection Alliance (LEWPA). The group coordinates efforts between Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Erie counties to address water quality issues in this region.

Learn more about them here: https://www3.erie.gov/environment/lake-erie-watershed-protection-alliance

For our ongoing Coastal Resiliency podcast series, we spoke with Cassandra Pinkoski with the Chautauqua County Soil & Water Conservation District. We met in Dunkirk to learn about shoreline resiliency work along the Lake Erie coastline.

Continue learning about how we are building a resilient coastline at https://bnwaterkeeper.org/climate-resiliency/

This the kickoff to our ongoing Coastal Resiliency series. We're talking about how we and our partner organizations are working to create a resilient coastline for Lake Erie and the surrounding communities.

This episode highlights how Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper is defining coastal resiliency, what challenges are out there and future steps towards improvement.

It's a vast project we hope to make easier for people to understand and know why this is such an important time to look at these issues and what it means for the Western New York community. Continue learning about how we are building a resilient coastline at https://bnwaterkeeper.org/climate-resiliency/

Music on today's show is from Snowbelt. Listen to them here: https://snowbelt.bandcamp.com/

The answer: not big, but this plastic item can be a big problem when looking at its impact on the environment.

Today's show looks at how Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper is trying to understand nurdles, how we train volunteers to look for them and how having the information about what's out there helps us in our advocacy efforts. The guest today is Elizabeth Cute, senior program manager at Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper.

Be a part of the solution, learn more about plastic pollution here: https://bnwaterkeeper.org/plastic-pollution/

Thanks again to the band Snowbelt. Listen to them on bandcamp: https://snowbelt.bandcamp.com/

Tell everyone you know: New York is a Great Lakes State. Our Legal Director Margaux Valenti stops by to share what this means. And after you listen to this episode, you'll understand the importance of that message and why we are spreading it far and wide. Now all together: New York is a Great Lakes State!

Music from Snowbelt, a Buffalo based band.

How did we get those awesome shoreline plantings to take root? Good chance it involved a rock sock. This fun name for a tool used in living shoreline projects has been used in various ways around the country, and we've been able to work with partners to take advantage of it for our own restoration projects.

This episode we talk with Charles Oddo, project manager and senior designer at Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, about living shorelines, healthy ecosystems, and what makes a rock sock.

See a video of the rock sock creation and learn more about our volunteer opportunities at https://bnwaterkeeper.org/restorecorps/

Artist and fly fishing guide Alberto Rey talked to us about his current exhibit focusing on the Niagara River and how the art can reflect the importance of the river's natural heritage and challenges.

This is Part 2 of a two part interview.

Alberto Rey's art exhibit, Biological Regionalism: Niagara River, Western New York, is on display until Feb. 25, 2024 at the ⁠Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University⁠. You can learn more about Alberto at https://albertorey.com/

Music in this week's show is from Snowbelt. You can stream their music here:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0fM7g40BsQRxtS8XepPuZF?si=zTPaYdIyQSGc5tpML7JO2w

Artist and fly fishing guide Alberto Rey talked to us about his current exhibit focusing on the Niagara River and how the art can reflect the importance of the river's natural heritage and challenges.

This is Part 1 of a two part interview.

Alberto Rey's art exhibit, Biological Regionalism: Niagara River, Western New York, is on display until Feb. 25, 2024 at the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University. You can learn more about Alberto at https://albertorey.com/

Music in this week's episode is from Snowbelt. You can find their music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0fM7g40BsQRxtS8XepPuZF?si=zTPaYdIyQSGc5tpML7JO2w

Did you know Scajaquada Creek is 13 miles long and begins in Lancaster? Did you know there are sections of it buried, including under the Walden Galleria Mall?  

On this edition of Between Two Great Lakes, we're going to take you along a tour of Scajaquada Creek, giving a bit of a history of it as well as some plans Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper has for the future. As a note, this is the audio only version. We collected drone footage of the creek and used that during our Scajaquada September Lunch and Learn series. You can view that video tour on our website, www.bnwaterkeeper.org and search for the Lunch and Learn series. Or watch through our Spotify account.   Music in this show is from Snowbelt and their latest album, Norris Ave.

Did you know Scajaquada Creek is 13 miles long and begins in Lancaster? Did you know there are sections of it buried, including under the Walden Galleria Mall? To showcase what we and others are trying to restore, we have drone footage that starts at the headwaters of the creek and continues right to the mouth at Niagara River. Here we’ll showcase drone footage and talk about what is being viewed along the way.

Music in this show is from Snowbelt and their latest album, Norris Ave.

Our latest edition will take you on a trip to Harlem Road in West Seneca to learn more about plans to enhance a future Buffalo Blueway site. This one is basically at the start of the Buffalo River, where Buffalo Creek and Cayuga Creek merge together. Today's show features Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper's Jeanne Beiter to discuss the upgrades at a current fishing site and kayak launch.

This episode talks about Harmful Algal Blooms, often called HABs. These blooms form on certain waterways and can create toxins that are harmful to humans and dogs, while also posing an environmental risk to aquatic life.

If you think you have spotted a HAB, let us know by calling 716-852-7483 or emailing Robert Coady at rcoady@bnwaterkeeper.org.

Additional information at https://bnwaterkeeper.org/harmful-algal-bloom/ or at https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/77118.html.

On this edition, we talk about the scientific data we collect regarding our waterways at Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, including who does the work, how it's done and what we do with the information.

By the end of summer, the entranceway into Red Jacket park along the Buffalo River should see an upgrade as work begins to find an artist to paint a mural on old train abutments. Learn more about this Buffalo Blueway site, what it offers people and how we're seeking input on the process. Artists and community members have until April 30 to provide feedback or apply for the work.

For Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper's first edition of Between Two Great Lakes, we talk to staff about those "forever chemicals" known as PFAS and what people should know about them. We also share news about our upcoming Spring Sweep, a huge volunteer effort to clean trash and litter from around our waterways on Earth Day.