Waterkeeper Wednesday

photo from Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper website

Today for Waterkeeper Wednesday I’m highlighting the importance of Waterkeeper Weekend, the “Un-Gala Fundraiser” and Shoreline Sweep which are all coming up next weekend - May 10th-May 12th, 2019.

Let’s begin with Waterkeeper Weekend as a whole, I want to provide you with some facts. Since 2017 thanks to the help of BN Waterkeeper’s donors 7,845 linear feet of shoreline has been restored. 2,200 volunteers have been engaged and donated over 9,000 hours of their time and $10 million has been launched for the Buffalo Blueway Project with Empire State Development. 40 tons of trash has been cleaned out of the river thanks to the help of people like yourselves in the local community participating in the shoreline sweep that Waterkeeper hosts, and while there has been great progress its not done yet. Monthly cleanups like the one being held on May 11th are vital in efforts to restore our waterways.

The Great Lakes are one of the world’s largest surface freshwater ecosystems. 84% of North America's surface fresh water comes from the Great Lakes - right in our backyard…

photo courtesy of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper

Before rolling up your sleeves and helping at one of the 50 sites for Shoreline Sweep Waterkeeper is hosting an “Un-Gala Fundraiser” at Lakeward Spirits at the Barrel Factory on May 10th to celebrate advocacy and access to our water. It’s a fun evening with food, beverage, raffles, distillery tours and live music supporting a wonderful cause. Tickets for the event can be found here

photo courtesy of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper

Whatever you choose to do, try to be a part of the celebration of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper’s 30th anniversary.

-B

As part of the Shoreline Sweep I’m raising money for Waterkeeper, if you feel generous no amount is to big or small, please consider donating to the cause - Just a Blonde In Buffalo’s team page

Waterkeeper Wednesday

It’s officially spring and with that people are leaving there homes and heading outdoors. Over the course of the next few weeks I’m going to be sharing information about a great organization in town who has and is continuing to do amazing things for our waterways.

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper protects and restores our water and the surrounding ecosystems and helps prevent new pollution from forming. Getting the community involved and connecting people to the water through the variety of programs they lead inspires those involved to do more.

PROTECT. RESTORE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.

I sat down with Chris Murawski, Director of Community Engagement from Waterkeeper to learn more about the organization, programs and events that are coming up and just general information we should all know as we head to our waterways as the warm weather approaches.

One of Chris’s roles is to educate the community on issues with our waterways and how we can help. His role is also about listening to the community and addressing what the community needs, the problems we face and inspiring people to do more, get more involved and help with hands on activities Waterkeeper hosts.

photo courtesy of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper

As most are aware this past Monday was Earth Day and Waterkeeper spent the day planting trees at Ellicott Creek Park. Why are trees important to us? “They help 1. Reduce pollution that goes into our waterways. 2. Provide habitat for wildlife. 3. Improve water quality along shorelines. “ - BN Waterkeeper

In case you missed out on Earth Day festivities, don’t worry this coming Saturday, Waterkeeper is hosting another tree planting event from 1-4 p.m. at Ellicott Creek Park. You can register for the event here - Ellicott Creek Planting

Image courtesy of BN Waterkeeper

And if that’s not enough you can join Waterkeeper (and myself) on May 11th for their Shoreline Sweep from 10-12 p.m. There are multiple locations you can chose from and can find a complete list here - Spring Shoreline Sweep 

Next week I’ll be diving more into information on the Shoreline Sweep and why it’s so important to the region, the “Un-Gala” Fundraiser and Waterkeeper Weekend, so stay tuned!

-B