Rivera, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper: $100,000 in funds secured for restoration equipment, scientific instruments & field supplies to support programmatic work

Capital investment will provide laboratory supplies, transportation logistics support, field gear needed for Waterkeeper supplies, help fill critical gaps in water quality monitoring & regional adaptive management of natural habitats, public spaces. 

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper/New York State Assembly member Jon Rivera press release

New York State Assembly member Jon Rivera and Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper announced $100,000 in capital funding the Rivera secured for the organization’s Riverwatch and RestoreCorps programs. 

“For more than three decades, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper has pursued scientific knowledge of the health of our local waterways and served as a guardian for our region’s freshwater resources,” said Jill Jedlicka, executive director. “Whether it is the front-line information and data we collect in the field or the staff and volunteers we deploy to local ecosystems for adaptive ecosystem management, this work requires specialized equipment and supplies for every season. Waterkeeper’s work continues to fill data gaps and functions that local or state government agencies are unable to provide, and we are grateful to Assemblyman Rivera for his partnership to seek out and secure crucial funds for the benefit of our WNY community.” 

Rivera said, “Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper plays a vital role in safeguarding one of our region’s most valuable natural resources: our water. I am proud to secure $100,000 in capital funding to support the expansion of their Riverwatch and RestoreCorps programs, which are essential to protecting the health of our waterways and the communities that depend on them. From real-time water quality monitoring to hands-on restoration efforts, this investment will equip Waterkeeper with the tools they need to continue serving as a first line of defense against threats like harmful algal blooms and bacterial contamination. By strengthening these programs, we are not only protecting our Great Lakes ecosystem, but also ensuring a cleaner, safer environment for generations to come.” 

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper’s Riverwatch and RestoreCorps programs are core to the organization’s mission of protecting and restoring the Great Lakes ecosystems. With over 5,500 miles of streams and 21% of the world’s fresh surface water in the region, Waterkeeper’s programs have expanded in recent years and fill critical gaps in government services through real-time, water quality monitoring, data collection and habitat stewardship. Waterkeeper’s RestoreCorps program fills a gap in regional adaptive management that is needed to maintain investments in restored shorelines, habitats and public natural assets. In addition, the organization frequently conducts rapid response to public reports of harmful algal blooms and mobilizes quickly to identify and alert the public to potential risks.

Among the capital expenditures to be covered by these funds, Waterkeeper will be able to purchase equipment and field gear related to plantings and restoration efforts for the RestoreCorps program, and scientific instruments for laboratory assessment, microbiological observations and data collection for the Riverwatch program. 

For decades, Waterkeeper has utilized individual donor funds and grant requests to local philanthropic organizations or government agencies to purchase needed equipment and supplies for these programs. Although our community has continued to step up, the unpredictable nature of grants, the decline in individual giving in recent years, and the increasing costs of these materials have made it more challenging to fully support this work every year. At a time when water quality issues are expanding while environmental investments are decreasing, having this crucial support from the state of New York makes a significant difference in the organization’s ability to continue this important work.

For more information on Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, visit www.bnwaterkeeper.org.