Tifft Nature Preserve Management Plan - Buffalo Museum of Science
Tifft Nature Preserve Management Plan - Buffalo Museum of Science
Tifft Nature Preserve Management Plan - Buffalo Museum of Science
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
y blocking views <strong>of</strong> the surrounding urban landscape and providing cooling shade on<br />
warm summer days.<br />
Therefore, maintaining the woodlands should be a priority because <strong>of</strong> their<br />
wildlife and recreational values. Unfortunately, there are several threats to the long<br />
term health and persistence <strong>of</strong> the woodlands. The biggest and most pressing is the<br />
negative impacts <strong>of</strong> the large deer population on the preserve. As mentioned before,<br />
most <strong>of</strong> the tree species are fast growing but short-lived and will be reaching the limits<br />
<strong>of</strong> their lifespan in the coming decades. Without adequate tree regeneration, which is<br />
currently prevented by heavy deer browsing, there will not be a new cohort <strong>of</strong> trees to<br />
replace the dying older trees (see <strong>Management</strong> Challenges section for more on deer).<br />
The high numbers <strong>of</strong> beaver on the preserve and the extensive damage they can cause<br />
to trees is only exacerbating this situation (see <strong>Management</strong> Challenges section for<br />
more on beaver). With deer eating all the young trees and beaver felling the old trees,<br />
the preserve is on a track to lose its canopy layer <strong>of</strong> trees in the future without action to<br />
prevent this from occurring. Invasive species are also another major threat to the future<br />
<strong>of</strong> the preserve’s woodlands since they can reduce the value <strong>of</strong> wildlife habitat, crowd<br />
out native vegetation, and prevent tree regeneration. However, any attempt at invasive<br />
species control followed by planting native trees and woodland vegetation will be futile<br />
without reducing the size <strong>of</strong> the deer heard first. These plantings could be securely<br />
fenced from the deer, but this greatly increases the cost and puts constraints on the size<br />
and scale <strong>of</strong> restoration plantings. The final issue concerning woodland management is<br />
the power line right-<strong>of</strong>-way that runs the length <strong>of</strong> the preserve along the central corridor<br />
<strong>of</strong> woodland habitat. National Grid periodically clears trees, shrubs, and other<br />
vegetation along the power line corridor to prevent damage to the lines and allow<br />
access for service and repairs. This clearing through the woodlands fragments the<br />
habitat and creates a disturbance that can facilitate the establishment and spread <strong>of</strong><br />
invasive species. The power company has a legal easement with the city to maintain<br />
their power line so preventing this disturbance is not an option, but rather finding<br />
reasonable guidelines and best management practices is the only way to mitigate<br />
negative impacts (see <strong>Management</strong> Challenges section for more on power line<br />
management).<br />
The Mounds<br />
The area referred to as the mounds is approximately 42 acres (17 hectares) <strong>of</strong><br />
rolling grass-covered hills in the southwest corner <strong>of</strong> the preserve (Figure 1). The<br />
topography <strong>of</strong> the area was created when almost 2 million cubic yards (1.6 million cubic<br />
meters) <strong>of</strong> mixed municipal refuse was transferred to the site from Squaw Island by the<br />
<strong>Buffalo</strong> Sewer Authority in 1973-1975. Unknown to many visitors, the mounds area is<br />
actually a reclaimed landfill site. The landfill was designed and compliant with the latest<br />
methods and standards <strong>of</strong> the time. A leachate drain system consisting <strong>of</strong> a series <strong>of</strong><br />
collection pipes on top <strong>of</strong> an impervious layer <strong>of</strong> clay was installed under the fill to divert<br />
leachate into the city’s sewer system for treatment. Also, an impervious barrier wall <strong>of</strong><br />
sodium bentonite, an absorbent claylike material, was constructed around the fill site.<br />
The leachate collection system and the barrier wall function like a tub preventing<br />
<strong>Tifft</strong> <strong>Nature</strong> <strong>Preserve</strong> <strong>Management</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> 13