Tifft Nature Preserve Management Plan - Buffalo Museum of Science

esearch projects and plant restoration experiments that would be inappropriate
elsewhere on the preserve.
Ponds & Streams
Prior to development of the area the ponds on the preserve did not exist. As
mentioned above, the entire preserve was part of a large wetland complex in the
floodplain of the Buffalo River and only small shallow ponds would have occurred. The
current composition of the three ponds is the result of dredging and borrow activities of
the past (Figure 1). Lisa Pond, located on the northern end of the marsh, is the only
pond that may have natural origins. Prior to dredging to expand and deepen Lisa Pond
for improved wildlife habitat, it was a small and shallow (2 feet or less (0.6 meters))
pond with low oxygen levels that would be characteristic of open water in marshes.
With its isolated location in the back corner of the preserve and connection with the
wetland the pond provides good habitat for waterfowl and marsh birds that can be
observed from a boardwalk and viewing blind extending from the west shore. Beth
Pond is also on the northern side of the preserve just west of Lisa Pond and is the
remnant of an unfilled shipping canal that was expanded in the early 1970’s. The
borrow operation that expanded Beth Pond was to obtain cover material used for the
municipal waste transfer and landfill in the southeast corner of the preserve (i.e. the
mounds). Water depths range from 4 to 20 feet (1.2 to 6 meters) and there is a steep
littoral (shoreline) zone (Bonaventura 1988). During the borrow extraction, foundations
from an old Lehigh Valley Railroad coal conveyor were discovered and the pond shape
was modified from the specifications to work around these obstacles. The foundations
were left in place to avoid dynamite blasting and they remain as an island in the center
of the pond and a hump-shaped peninsula on the southwest shore. Lake Kirsty is the
largest pond and is centrally located on the western border of the preserve. Its unique
shape and small bays are the remnants of the shipping canals that used to connect to
Lake Erie via the City Ship Canal. It is still connected to the Lake Erie via a 4-foot (1.2-
meter) culvert under Fuhrmann Blvd and Route 5. In the 1970’s, depths of 9 feet (2.7
meters) were recorded, but 2 to 6 feet (0.6 to 1.8 meters) depths were more common
and there have been no major modifications to the pond since these measurements
(Ecoplans 1975). Its location on the waterfront and the culvert connection to the lake
causes water levels to vary dramatically depending on lake levels and the wind. With a
strong wind off the lake from the west, the water will rise significantly in Lake Kirsty and
then flow out to the lake again as the wind subsides. This rising and falling with the
wind can dramatically change water levels on a daily basis which can pose challenges
to shoreline plantings or restoration activities. The waters of Lake Kirsty are also
connected to the marsh. When the marsh is high, it drains into the lake via a buried
pipe, and a pump on the eastern shore allows water to be pumped into the marsh when
it is low. During years of low lake water levels, the intake for the pump gets very close
to the waterline and if water levels drop further the pump will become inoperable. To
prevent such an event from occurring, water levels and fluctuations in Lake Kirsty
should be monitored so actions could be taken before water levels drop below the pump
intake. One possible solution would be to move the intake further out and deeper into
Lake Kirsty. Another possibility might be installing a water control structure on the
Tifft Nature Preserve Management Plan 15