The Erie County Environmental Management Council (“EMC”), an advisory board that collaborates with the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning on various environmental issues, has announced its 2022 Environmental Excellence Award Winners.

The 2022 Environmental Excellence Award recipients are:

• The Habitat Project – Black Rock Riverside Alliance

• Grand Island Recreational Trail Network – Town of Grand Island

• Pollution Prevention through Art – Buffalo Zoo, Erie County Department of Environment and Planning, Buffalo Museum of Science

The Erie County Environmental Management Council Environmental Excellence Awards Program began in 2015 to recognize exceptional projects carried out by municipal and non-profit organizations in Erie County that stand to have a significant and lasting positive impact on the natural environment. The awards program is designed to help showcase and publicly promote projects that can be replicated in community throughout the Western New York region.

The following is a detailed description of the project of each awardee:

The Habitat Project – Black Rock Riverside Alliance

• This project resulted in the certification of both the City of Buffalo and Erie County as National Wildlife Federation Wildlife (NWF) Habitats. This work had a significant positive impact on ecosystem health, community action and education, as well as wildlife welfare. To date there are over 900 NWF Wildlife Habitats certified in Buffalo and Erie County, including parks, community gardens, private residences, schools, colleges and businesses. Erie County is now the sixth largest NWF Community Wildlife Habitat in the country and the largest in New York State.

Grand Island Recreational Train Network – Town of Grand Island

• The Town of Grand Island has established a network of recreational On Street Bicycle Network, Multi–use Pedestrian Bicycle Trails, Hiking Trails, and River Paddle Course (Blueway Trails) to provide access to natural places. The result is about 30 miles of trails on land and about the same distance of the Blueway Trails on water. These trails also connect to national and international trail systems like the Bruce Trail in Canada, the Finger Lakes Conservation Trail and the statewide Erie Canalway Trail.

Pollution Prevention through Art – Buffalo Zoo, Erie County Department of Environment and Planning, Buffalo Museum of Science

• This collaborative two-year program involved teacher development days held at the Buffalo Zoo about the negative impact plastic pollution and ways to create art using discarded single-use plastic. This led to 2,000 students from 40 different schools creating works of art and writing narratives explaining the issue they were illustrating. Each year a jury selected pieces to be displayed at a month-long exhibit at the Buffalo Museum of Science.