Island Life

Three islands in the Niagara River just off the southern tip of Grand Island are important parts of the river ecosystem but have suffered serious habitat loss or deterioration from a variety of causes. Motor Island is one of the largest Great Blue Heron rookeries in the Northeast United States, and the New York Power Authority completed a project in 2013 to protect it from severe erosion by strengthening the shoreline while also incorporating features to attract fish and other wildlife. The island between Motor Island and Strawberry Island was once a productive wetland but had been submerged for many years, losing its value as fish and wildlife habitat; restoration efforts there, now completed, added over five acres of habitat. On Strawberry Island, the New York Power Authority is undertaking a habitat project to protect the remaining parts of the island and create additional habitat for species there, including nesting Bald Eagles, building on a previous restoration effort begun by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and anticipated to be completed by 2017. These three habitat improvement projects are being funded and constructed by the New York Power Authority in conjunction with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Grand Island, New York · United States