Friends of Times Beach Nature Preserve

Friends of Times Beach Nature Preserve
Located across the Buffalo River from Historic Downtown Buffalo, N.Y.

News and Updates

Migrating Monarchs now at Times Beach

This fall there are a lot of changes at
Times Beach Nature Preserve!

-In October 2012 the US Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with Erie County, the City of Buffalo, and the Friends of Times Beach Nature Preserve, will be launching a significant invasive species demonstration project. The project will address Phragmities, Mugwort, and Japanese Knotweed infestations on the site and if successful promises to return the Nature Preserve to the ecological productivity of the preserve to what it was in the past. For more information Click Here

-The fall migrations of both birds and butterflies is in full swing as of late September. Thousands of migrating Monarch Butterflies can be seen at Times Beach as the cross the lake and come along the shoreline. For photos, Click Here

-There is much development going on around Times Beach. As the Buffalo's waterfront develops, this development is encroaching on the nature preserve. There is significant construction going on at the former NYPA ice-boom site next door, at the Coast Guard Station, and all along Fuhrmann Blvd. The construction cycyle are impacting our fall wildlife migrations, particularly the shorebird migration. More on this soon.

Record your Bird Observations!

To record your bird observations, sign in to EBird and go to "submit observations."

Times Beach is a "hotspot" in Erie County, New York. You will have to create a free account with EBird if you do not already have one.

for a checklist of birds observed at Times Beach Click Here

New Blog Post:
November 18, 2012 Autumn of Many Changes
September 21, 2012 Monarchs and Madness
September 21, 2012 FOTB Comments to the USACE Regarding Demonstration Project

Please Remember

As always we ask that you respect that Times Beach Nature Preserve is a sanctuary for wildlife.

- No Bicycles allowed inside the Nature Preserve.
- No dogs or Pets of any kind allowed inside the Nature Preserve.
- No fires
- Carry in, Carry Out. Better yet, don't carry in. Bring yourself, your
family, binoculars, cameras, etc. Bottles, cans, bags, are not
welcome.
- No smoking.

Times Beach Nature Preserve is not a park and not a part of the Outer Harbor Bike Trail. It is the home of wildlife, and is a relatively fragile place. Please treat Times Beach with respect. We encourage recreational use of the waterfront but please leave your bikes and pets outside the Preserve.

What is Times Beach Nature Preserve?

Times Beach Nature Preserve is located literally in downtown Buffalo New York, on the shoreline at the convergence of Lake Erie and the Niagara River. TBNP is arguably one of the most important bird conservation sites in the Great Lakes. It is a magnet for migrating and resident birds year round. To date over 230 species of birds have been identified here.

It's not hard to underestimate the value and importance of a little postage stamp sized parcel of land -even if it is located on the irreplaceable shores of the Great Lakes. Times Beach Nature Preserve started as a contained disposal facility whose value was once considered as a dump for harbor dredge. When the dump site was abandoned, nature began a reclamation project. Birds and other species moved in. By the 1970's it became apparent to scientists and citizens that migrating and breeding birds and other wildlife were adapting and using the emerging oasis. And with good reason. Those Great Lakes in the interior of North America, the sweetwater seas of lore, contain nearly 1/5 of the world's fresh surface water. Much of that water and the biodiverse life that both sustains characterizes the Great Lakes, a place of planet level significance, flow right by and through Times Beach. Today TBNP is an officially recognized and protected place that provides essential habitat to a wide variety of wildlife.

-The preserve is the gateway to the Niagara River Corridor "globally significant" Important Bird Area.

-The approximately 50 acre site has a series of trails, boardwalks, overlooks, and observation blinds.

-The preserve is open to the public and we cordially invite you to visit with your friends and family.

For more on Times Beach click here and read this article in the WNY Traveler by Jajean Rose Burney from March of 2010.
Scroll down the linked page to see the full article

It is the mission of the Friends of Times Beach Nature Preserve to protect this place, and to promote flora and fauna conservation with a strong emphasis on bird and pollinator conservation and biodiversity.
For information contact Jay Burney email: lscampaign@aol.com