A richly diverse ecosystem, the headwaters of Eighteenmile Creek are a precious resource for our region.
Eighteenmile Creek Ecosystem
A richly diverse ecosystem, the headwaters of Eighteenmile Creek are precious resources for our region as they produce, filter, and contribute to local drinking water.
Within this creek system, there is a 230-acre community forest hidden within a larger 1,000-acre matrix of protected lands. This unique and precious resource provides critical habitat—home to 158 species of birds, over 31 species of trees, 14 species of shrubs, 113 species of herbs, and various mosses, fungi and ferns—and exemplifies how beautiful and complex our natural areas are. To learn more about Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper’s research about this land, we invite you to read the Niagara River Habitat Conservation Strategy Project Overview.
In 2015, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper developed a unique partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry to protect this land for perpetuity. Together with our partners, and generous support from individual donors and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we were able to raise the necessary funds to acquire this property and transform it into a publicly-held forest land.
Eighteenmile Creek Ecosystem at a Glance
158
Species of Birds
31
Species of Trees
14
Species of Shrubs
113
Species of Herbs
