Local fishing enthusiasts will soon have a new pier and boat launch on the Buffalo Blueway water system. The site will include close to $1 million in additions thanks to Empire State Development funds.
The Harlem Road Fishing Access Site and Boat Launch will be the second ADA-accessible fishing pier along the water system, and 10th among DEC-operated sites within Western New York.
The improvements will make it more convenient and accessible, West Seneca Environmental Commission member Evelyn Hicks said.
“It's not convenient … for everyone, so to have a universally accessible way for people to engage with the natural resource that we have here will be a huge improvement," she said. "This is a very, very well used park, this fishing access site.”
Fishers will find a low-slope paved path to a pier with varied railing heights allowing them to sit or stand while enjoying the sport.
There also will be a new boat launch added for flat-bottomed kayaks and other shallow-water craft.
The site’s popularity demonstrates its importance, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Executive Director Jill Jedlicka said.
“You can even see it in all of our attitudes and temperaments today, right? You're connected to nature," she said. "You have places to go outside, you're reconnecting, you're tuning out the noise of the world. We need more of this, right? It brings out the collaborative nature in all of us.”
The location is a unique and important resource because it provides access to a nearby wetland and a spot for wildlife to congregate, despite having Interstate-90 running adjacent to the boat launch, Hicks said.
“When you hardscape a place, you don't have the ability to have those resources," she said. "A project like this — and projects like it along the waterways — improve the quality of life for everyone.”
Construction will start in mid-May and should finish by late fall, Jedlicka said.
