The City of North Tonawanda has an environmental committee that is concerned about the future of this community. There is an article further down this page that summarizes the thoughts of committee members on open space and also a map of the remaining undeveloped land as of the summer of 2004.

In addition, the first Shumard Oak found in New York was found in North Tonawanda. More information can be found at Klydel Wetland-- a new forest type. A list of wildflowers found in Pinewoods Park is also further down this web page.

So, What Now NT?

 

By Mary Kate Fonzi - City of North Tonawanda Environmental Committee

Published in the Tonawanda News on Friday, October 22, 2004

 

Residents of North Tonawanda may not realize it but their city is at a crucial point in its history. It is time for residents and officials to make important decisions for our future. There has been much in the news recently about such sensitive topics as rezoning, development and sprawl. Growth is necessary and important to any city. There can be a point however, where development exceeds population growth or begins to merely use up precious natural resources, adding little or no benefit to the surrounding community. Just ask the residents of the Town of Tonawanda, who recently lost the last large piece of greenspace in their town to development, about 30 acres now called Colvin Woods.

 

Greenspace, areas of land left undeveloped, can be of any size. It can be tiny islands of grass and trees in a parking lot or a wooded park a few city blocks in size. Pockets of land provide shelter for native birds and animals and shade our homes and cars. Large wooded areas provide a nearby place for residents to enjoy nature and take a quiet walk. Larger areas are the most important, providing habitat for wildlife, cleansing our air and water and reducing pollution. Greenspace contributes to a quieter, more aesthetically pleasing and more livable community.

 

Growth needs to be planned out carefully! Should a developer be allowed to come onto a wooded site and bulldoze the area completely stripped of native trees, vegetation and precious topsoil? That is convenient for the developer; he gets a large empty workspace to build on and extra cash after selling off that topsoil. Should a developer be allowed to pave across acres of land only to leave it a barren parking lot with no trees for shade or grassy areas for rain collection? What happens when rain washes oil and gas from leaking cars off those large parking lots into our storm sewers, contaminating water we will eventually have to drink?

 

These and many other important topics can be addressed simply by drafting a smart, modern, development protocol. Cities of all sizes and demographics throughout the nation are adopting such measures! Would you believe that North Tonawanda did at one point in recent history have greenspace criteria in its codes? Provisions for “pocket parks” and other natural areas were required but were soon “conveniently” removed. Standardized codes for preserving greenspace and building with our environment in mind should be a permanent addition to our city’s Master Plan and Building Codes.

 

People all around the United States are realizing the importance of undeveloped areas and wooded lots. They are coming to terms with the fact that greenspace has been abused and taken advantage of for much too long. Residents and officials alike are realizing that a failure to plan for and protect our greenspace ultimately condemns such areas to inevitable destruction. We need to take action before it’s too late!

 

Mary Kate Fonzi, North Tonawanda Environmental Committee

thebugbus@yahoo.com

 

The next article will describe recommendations by the Committee. In the mean time, send Mary Kate an email with your thoughts or comments!  The following are more topics that will be covered by the committee:

 

To find out more about the Smart Growth program go to this link:

http://www.epa.gov/livability/ or http://www.smartgrowthamerica.com/

To find out more about the New York State Green Building Initiative go to:  http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/ppu/grnbldg/

To find out more about the LEED's program go to this link:

http://www.usgbc.org for specific information about the LEED rating system go to:

http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/LEEDdocs/LEED_RS_v2-1.pdf