Community–Driven Scajaquada Restoration Plan

Here’s what we’ve been up to since the beginning of 2024: 

Community Advisory Group – At the end of 2023, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper opened “interest forms” for the Scajaquada Creek Restoration Plan Community Advisory Group (CAG). We had 94 candidates submit interest forms!! With the help of our community partners, BNW reviewed and offered a position and stipend to 25 candidates in January 2024. On Feb. 1, a truly diverse and representative group of partners, collaborators, and CAG members met for the first time together at the Parkside Lodge to get to know each other and the project. The energy as folks left was awesome and we are looking forward to the next steps in the process.

Literature Review – We’ve been hard at work pulling together historical documents from across the watershed, including planning, restoration, and remediation projects and work that has identified existing & historical conditions along the creek. We have reviewed the 2002 Scajaquada Creek Watershed Management Plan to identify gaps and what information needs to be updated. We will continue this research throughout 2024 and we look forward to sharing our progress when we have it further along!  

Coordinating with agencies, elected officials, and municipalities. BNW has begun coordinating with agencies, elected officials, municipalities, and other local nonprofits regarding this project. BNW met with GoBike Buffalo (a non-profit that is leading the development of a bike path over the buried section of Scajaquada Creek), the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Department of Public Works in the City of Buffalo, the Buffalo Sewer Authority, a zoning officer with the Town of Lancaster, the Town of Cheektowaga Supervisor, Clean Air Coalition (a non-profit that leads the community to organize a remediation site above the buried section of Scajaquada Creek), a member of Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust (a non-profit landowner along Scajaquada Creek), and the Watershed Coordinator at Erie County. BNW has continued coordinating with the Scajaquada Corridor Coalition (a coalition of community partners advocating for the downgrade of the 198-expressway adjacent to Scajaquada Creek), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) on our background research for this project, and the United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) (which is leading a Feasibility Study for ecosystem restoration in the Town of Cheektowaga).   

The Spring Sweep – Behind the scenes we’ve been planning, coordinating, and executing our biggest volunteer event of the year – the Spring Sweep!! This year the Spring Sweep was held on Saturday April 20 and we cleaned up trash at five locations along Scajaquada Creek. 

Outreach and Engagement Strategy – Following the first CAG meeting, BNW CAG members to fill out a worksheet about an Outreach and Engagement Strategy we are creating for this project. The worksheet asked each CAG member “What strategies for building public and community support and for creating community awareness and interest in Scajaquada Creek Restoration would you like to see as part of our outreach and engagement plan for this project?” As we have processed CAG feedback received since the first meeting, the Outreach and Engagement Strategy for this project has evolved beyond what BNW originally anticipated. BNW has decided to not just list all the methods and general schedule of events and opportunities but also thoughtfully describe our approach, the context for the need for successful outreach and engagement, and the specific things the community influenced up to this point. BNW hopes it will help clarify our goals and be a guiding star over the next two years of this project. We anticipate the strategy will be finalized after the next CAG meeting and we will share it on our website.