Island Dispatch, 1997-04-18

              Island DISPATCH AW§mfm\ a Q "XTfCLEANERS C 282-2381 ) FREE Pick-up & Delivery $20 OFF CLEANING With Customer Sign-Up j | WEEKLT OR BIWEEKLY ROUTE SERVICE \ Official Newspaper for the Town of Grand Island & the Grand Island School District (716) 773-7676 .__^%vears ■■J • "As the voice of Grand Island" "mM Vol. 54•N0. 02 650 20 Pages Apri118,1997 FINDING A HOME - Canadian geese are already using the newly opened channel at Buckhorn Marsh to stake out nesting sites. The restoration was made possible by funds from the State's $1.75 billion environmental act. At right a bullfrog pushes up through fallen cattails at the edge of the marsh, (by Bert Brochey) Quick Firefighter Action Saves Island Residence Thirty four Grand Island Firefighters, under the direction of Chief Paul Gorman, responded to a neighbors report of "smoke coming from a building" at 116 Riverdale, at 8:03 pan., Thursday, April 10. First units arrived on location three minutes later and Deputy Chief Skip Mrkall assumed Incident Command for a general alarm of fire. Interior attack teams led by Asst. Chief Bucky Wenner and Captain Kevin Koch, had the second floor bedroom fire under control within twelve minutes. Meanwhile, the roof was ventilated and the fire was out eight minutes later. Although the owner, William Hanson, was not at home at the time, the fire appears to have started in an interior wall space and traveled upward. GIFC Fire Investigator Harold Barth, assisted by Erie county Sheriffs Dept. Fire Investigator Vincent Pupo, have not yet determined the exact cause. However, damage has been estimated at $10,000 to the building and $3,000 to the contents. Firefighter Kevin Rustowicz was treated at the scene for a puncture wound of the hand and referred to this family physician. All GIFC units returned in service at 9:45 pjn. Chamber unhappy with process by Christopher Caile The Chamber of Commerce and its Board Of Directors are quietly letting the Town of Grand Island know they are not happy with the town center planning process. Last week the Chamber held a special Board meeting to discuss the topic. It was decided to discreetly outline its position to the town by letter and private representation. According to one board member, "we feel we have been left out of the process. Now we have to stand up for ourselves." Chamber President Mike McDonough acknowledged the meeting but declined to comment further. The letter dated April 11 is addressed to the Town Board of Grand Island and signed by Board members. It suggests the planning effort currently underway is not in the best interests of the town nor in conformity with the Town's 1994 Comprehensive Plan. Most importantly, the letter says, is the lack of input from the business community and the restriction and limitation of the land Experience Earth Day at Buckhorn Marsh by Bert Brochey With its endless acres of golden cattails Buckhorn Marsh has a chance to be restored with the help of human caretakers. Earth Day is Tuesday. April 22 - a good time to explore the benefits this huge expanse of wetlands provides. Wetlands in general do many things. They protect certain areas from flooding, they are home to fish, waterfowl and other wildlife, they purify our drinking water, but most of all they provide a sense of wonder. Unlike other wild areas, wetlands are accessible only at its edge, preventing humans from entering into its ecosystem and giving thousands of species of wildlife a safe haven from mankind's relentless need to clear and develop. With unexpected funding coming from New York State's $1.75 billion Environmental Bond Act, the New York State Department of Conservation has the opportunity to bring Buckhorn Marsh back to life. Most people see Buckhorn Marsh only from the New York State thruway which passes through the marsh's north end, unaware of how complex and alive the marsh is. Unaware that we should be grateful that this marvelous wetland is being improved and not destroyed which is the case throughout much of the United States. We like to think we protect wetlands with strict environmental laws, but man has destroyed or drained more than half of our nation's original wetlands. Dewatering and the filling in of wetlands may have slowed somewhat compared to that of the past, but it's still happening at an alarming rate. According to government statistics the rate of wetland destruction has gone from 290,000 acres per year to around 80,000 per year. Unfortunately, it isn't because we've suddenly become more aware of nature and decided it best to preserve our remaining wetlands - it's mostly due to the price of agricultural land hitting all time lows, allowing farmers to buy high and dry uplands instead of creating new farmland by digging costly, time consuming drainage systems to drain our wetlands. Critical legislation was introduced in Congress last year that would open the door for developers to acquire 60 to 80 percent of our nation's remaining wetlands. Last year Senators Bennett Johnston (D-LA) and Launch Faircloth (R-NC) introduced the Wetlands Regulatory Reform Act which would allow seasonal or temporary wetlands to be taken off the protected list. They reason that if any swamp, marsh, wetland or prairie pothole dries up during any part of the year then it shouldn't count as wetland. Until the recent restoration work to Buckhorn Marsh which allows water to enter and remain year round instead of drying up, the new legislation could have hypothetically made it possible to change the marsh's wetland status to agricultural, thus opening the door to development, all because the marsh lacked water for a month or so during the summer. Land use permits are allowing developers to build token manmade wetlands that replace natural wetlands that have to be filled or drained because they're in the way of a new development. Where these new wetlands have been created by qualified biologists they have been quite successful. But more times than not, they are designed by engineering firms that lack the knowledge of the proper hydrology needed to create true wetlands. continued on page 5 Continued on page 6