The push to recognize the Niagara River Corridor as a critical Ramsar Wetlands will get a big boost this Tuesday, and you are invited to participate.  Ramsar is an intergovernmental treaty that provides an international framework for the consevation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The identification and potential adoption of the Niagara River as a RAMSAR site will go a long way towards increasing our opportunities to make our region stronger ecologically and economically as we find ways to support critical ecosystems such as the wetlands associated with the Niagara River. 

More Here: The Nigara River Corridor: An Important Transnational Treasure

Meeting

The Niagara River Greenway Commission and the Niagara River Corridor Ramsar Site Steering Committee will host a public presentation: Celebrate World Water Day and the Niagara River & learn more about the proposal to nominate the Niagara River as North America’s first Transboundary Ramsar Site.

The event is free and open to the public. It will be held on Tuesday, March 22, from 7-8:30 PM at the Atrium @ Rich’s (Niagara and West Ferry in Buffalo). Light refreshments will be available.

Nominating the Niagara River Corridor as a Ramsar Site, a wetland of international importance, will help celebrate the river’s return to health. It will support conservation while encouraging recreation and tourism, and will help attract funding resources to our region. Pursued in partnership with our regions Canadian neighbors, this will be the first Transboundary Ramsar Site in North America. For more information go to UB’s Environmental Law and Policy Clinic website (www.law.buffalo.edu) or the Western New York Land Conservancy’s website (www.wnylc.org).

RSVP here: ramsarniagara.eventbrite.com.

For more information call (716) 687-1225 or email jajean.rose@wnylc.org.

This is the complete Press Release about the event:

Public Meeting to Celebrate World Water Day and the Niagara River, and to Highlight the Niagara River’s Pending Nomination as an Internationally Important River

Buffalo, N.Y. (March 15, 2016) – Western New York is home to the Niagara River, one of the most important sources of freshwater in North America. The public is invited to celebrate the Niagara River on World Water Day, Tuesday March 22, from 7 – 8:30 PM at the Atrium@Rich’s on Niagara and West Ferry in Buffalo. The presentation will focus on an effort to recognize the Niagara River with a Ramsar Site nomination, an honor given to the most important water bodies in the world. Attendees should RSVP here: ramsarniagara.eventbrite.com.   

This event will be hosted by the Niagara River Greenway Commission and the Niagara Corridor Ramsar Site Steering Committee. “Nominating the Niagara River Corridor as a Ramsar Site would put the Niagara River on par with places like the Everglades and the Nile River delta. This is an opportunity advance our mission of enhancement and development of our waterfront, especially as a destination for global eco-tourism.” said Greg Stevens, Chair of the Niagara River Greenway Commission.

A body of water is considered internationally important if it meets one of nine ecological criteria under the international Ramsar Treaty – the Niagara River Corridor meets eight of these criteria, more than most other Ramsar Sites. There are more than 2,000 Ramsar Sites across the world, including 36 in the U.S. and 35 in Canada. But, in cooperation with our Canadian partners, the Niagara River Corridor would be the first Transboundary Ramsar Site in the Americas, one that covers two countries, a significant accomplishment.

“Nearly 85% of North America’s fresh surface water flows through this international river system, combined with its significant cultural and natural history, the Niagara River deserves global recognition,” explains Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, an organizational member of the Niagara Corridor Ramsar Site Steering Committee. “We are hopeful that our trans-boundary collaboration on the Ramsar designation will focus attention on regional waterways that will ultimately enhance water quality protection and eco-tourism activity for generations to come.”

The Ramsar Site nomination will support the conservation of the river’s natural resources while also encouraging recreation like fishing and boating, promoting tourism of our natural wonders, and attracting outside funding. More information about the initiative can be found on UB’s Environmental Law and Policy Clinic website (www.law.buffalo.edu) or the Western New York Land Conservancy’s website (www.wnylc.org).

Greg Stevens, Chair of the Niagara River Greenway Commission, and Sam Hoyt, WNY Regional President of Empire State Development, will introduce the event. Presentations will be given by: students from UB’s Environmental Law and Policy Clinic; John Hartig, Manager of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and Humbug Marsh Ramsar Site; and Jajean Rose-Burney, Development Director at the Western New York Land Conservancy and Co-Chair of the Niagara Corridor Ramsar Site Steering Committee.  

“Please join us to learn more about this proposal,” said Jajean Rose-Burney from the Land Conservancy and the Steering Committee. “We need the community to show support if this transformative nomination is to move forward.”

The full Niagara Corridor Ramsar Site Steering Committee includes representatives from the Brock University Environmental Sustainability Research Unit, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, Niagara Parks Commission, Niagara College, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, UB Regional Institute, and Western New York Land Conservancy.