Amherst State Park
I visited Amherst State Park in April 2019 before meeting friends for dinner in Williamsville. I didn’t have much previous experience with this spot. As a long-time resident of Hamburg and Chautauqua County, I tend to hike in forests and parks south of Buffalo. I harvested some stinging nettle leaves in the park near Ellicott Creek a few years ago, assuming that park management wouldn’t mind me touching this non-native (and undesirable to most) species.
I enjoyed the park's beautiful creekside hike this spring, starting at the south end. My walk generated enough questions to do some research. First, I noticed that Ellicott Creek, which runs through the park, smelled like sewage. This didn’t seem to bother the fisherpeople wading with their poles. Turns out, the southern half of the park’s 80 acres is on the flood plain, and is "subject to periodic inundation by floodwaters" (Town of Amherst). What is known about the water quality?
I also noticed large concrete structures along the creek that seemed like possible remnants of industry. They were located between what is now Amherst Soccer at Village Glen (162 Mill St.) and Ellicott Creek. The soccer club building looks like it could have been a factory or warehouse previously. Where did the concrete structures come from? How was this and surrounding property used?
Park History
The southwestern portion of what is now Amherst State Park was Reist Milling Company. The complex consisted of a flour mill and barn, a farmhouse and a “two family mill house,” woodshed, sawmill, coal shed, water wheel, mill ponds, embankments, raceways, carriage house, ox, horse and chicken sheds, tenant houses, a cooperage, hemp mill, forge, and smokehouse (Town of Amherst).
The land was acquired in the late 1890s by John Blocher, a shoe manufacturer. He flooded a large portion of his property to grow cranberries, without success. In the early 1900s, John donated approximately 100 acres to the Sisters of St. Francis, who agreed to construct and operate a home for the elderly. In 1902, the Holy Family Home for the Aged was opened in the former farmhouse. The sisters later built a chapel, bought the neighboring Kuhn farm, and built or relocated several farm and residential buildings. Farm products supported Holy Family residents and residents of Buffalo’s Sisters’ Mother House. Orchard trees are remnants of these operations (Town of Amherst).
The St. Mary of the Angels Convent building on Mill Street was dedicated in 1928, located on the higher ground in the northern part of the property. Photos from the 1940s and 1950s show the Convent looking downhill at the undeveloped floodplain (Town of Amherst).
In 1999, New York State and the Town of Amherst split the bill to purchase what is now Amherst State Park. The town manages the park. It was agreed that the property would be “used for passive, low-intensity recreation, education and conservation purposes and any substantial man-made physical changes to the property [would] be minimal” (Town of Amherst).
Good News: Management of Amherst State Park
I called the Town of Amherst in July 2019 to ask the following questions:
1. Though NY state parks don't allow wild foraging, does Amherst State Park allow harvest/removal of invasive species (ex. Japanese knotweed, garlic mustard)?
2. Does Amherst state park spray herbicides/pesticides to manage diseases and invasives, and/or to keep trails clear? If so, can the public access info about where/when that happens?
3. When hiking at the south end of the park, I've noticed the concrete shapes/chunks near the creek-- by the soccer club building. Where did those come from?
The town recreation department directed me to Elizabeth Graczyk. Elizabeth manages the gardens and is highly knowledgeable about park management practices.
According to Elizabeth, Amherst State Park is a designated conservation area and utilizes the DEC's Best Management Practices. The only pesticide treatment that has happened in the park is the inoculation of ash trees in an attempt to protect them from Emerald Ash Borer. Trees that were treated are on the outer edges of the property. Ash trees along the creek and trails were not treated, and have been noticeably affected by the disease. Park management decided to "let nature take its course," and allow dead ash trees to replenish the soil (Graczyk, 2019).
Minimal maintenance is done otherwise, and chemicals are not used to her knowledge. Using DEC recommendations, the meadow area is mowed every three years, twice during that season. This allows meadow species and wildlife to flourish there-- an important service when so much space in our community is a monoculture of mowed, treated grass.
The town is working to restore the orchard section of the property, hoping to curb erosion with a large tree planting. This area is being mowed, but not treated.
In a 2010 New York Parks publication called Biologists Newsletter, I found a short article about an effort to remove Japanese knotweed that year:
“In order to restore streambank habitat and diversity, a planning team made up of members from the Town of Amherst, Amherst Conservation Council, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, WNY PRISM, and OPRHP, selected one of two large stands of Japanese knotweed to start the invasive species management process. On July 17th, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper’s RestoreCorps joined the planning team and a large stand of Japanese knotweed was removed from the trail network and streambank along Ellicott Creek. After this warm day of work, two large dumpsters were filled with plant material and the stream bank was visible again! A follow-up removal is planned for next year and additional native plantings will be restored to this area” (Janis).
This blurb affirms that manual removal of invasives and weeds is the norm here over chemical application-- great news for foragers.
Harvesting Rules: Respectful Foragers Welcome
According to both Elizabeth and Mary Diana with the Town of Amherst, harvesting invasive species is no problem at Amherst State Park. "Take them!"
Elizabeth also saw no issue with harvesting wild non-native species, like dandelions, self-heal, and plantain. "It's a public park," she said.
Visitors are asked not to harvest out of established garden beds.
Though Elizabeth offered no restrictions on harvesting native wild plants, I let her know that WNY herbalists and foragers who attend classes with me or Niagara County herbalist Kristin Grohman of Reciprocal Roots are encouraged to respect ecosystem health over taking for oneself. Please refer to this WNY harvesting resource for tips about sustainable foraging.
This info above makes me feel great about respectfully wild foraging in the northern portion of the park, and anywhere away from the creek.
Ellicott Creek Water Quality
Since so much of the park is adjacent to Ellicott Creek and lies in the flood plain, I wanted to learn more about the creek’s condition. Ellicott Creek is categorized as a Class B waterway, meaning it is used for swimming and recreation, but not for drinking water.
In a 2015 New York State Dept of Conservation (DEC) publication, lower Ellicott Creek is categorized as “impaired.” Suspected pollutants include nutrients (phosphorus), agricultural runoff and pesticides (chlordane), silt/sediment, municipal discharge (chemicals unknown), sanitary discharge and urban/storm runoff, toxic/contaminated sediments, thermal changes, and habitat modification (NYSDEC).
When a water column was tested, “no significant mortality or reproductive impacts” were interpreted from data. PCB and metals were below threshold effects level-- levels at which negative impacts occur “occasionally” (NYSDEC).
However, bottom sediment samples “revealed chlordane to be exceeding the Probable Effects Level - a level at which adverse impacts are expected. Eight [polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)] and DDT and its metabolites were found to be above Threshold Effects level” (NYSDEC). Chromium, copper, lead, and zinc were also found at concerning levels (NYSDEC).
Let’s quickly explore those chemicals. Chlordane is a pesticide that was used on crops, lawns, gardens, and for termite-treatment of around 30 million homes. It was banned for food crops in the late 1970s and banned altogether in the US in 1988. Like many other banned agricultural chemicals, chlordane persists in the environment and can accumulate in the bodies of animals due to its fat solubility. DDT is a famous example of this due to its widespread use, and was banned in 1972. Both chlordane and DDT exposure has been linked to nervous system disorders, cancer, and other health issues.
PAHs are a group of over 100 chemicals that result from burning things like coal, oil, and gas, and are also manufactured. They are found in tar, creosote, and crude oil, and a few are used in medicines or to make dyes, plastics, and pesticides. PAHs are classified as confirmed carcinogens, possible carcinogens, and “reasonably anticipated carcinogens;” some have not been evaluated or are “not classifiable” (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry).
Where did Ellicott Creek’s contamination come from? Agriculture upstream helps to explain pesticide contamination. What about the PAHs and heavy metals? According to the DEC Ellicott Creek report, “most of the impact is in the lower portion of the creek in Amherst. Nonpoint source runoff is considered to be the major cause of impact, with municipal/industrial inputs indicated for the lower portion of the stream” (DEC).
Buffalo’s industrial history offers countless contributors to local contamination. We will focus on just one in this article—Pfohl Brothers Landfill, located just three miles upstream from Amherst State Park.
Pfohl Brothers Landfill
Pfohl Brothers is a 120-acre landfill in Cheektowaga. It sits on the bank of Ellicott Creek about ½ mile east of the Buffalo Niagara Airport, and is bisected by wetlands. It was privately owned, and accepted waste from industry and municipalities from 1932 to 1971—just before the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972.
Pfohl Brothers accepted solid and liquid industrial wastes such as pine tar pitch, paint, and paint thinner, phenolic tar, and PCB-laden oil (CDC). Waste included heavy metals like mercury and lead, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene and dioxins, and more. Pfohl was a “cut and fill” operation, meaning that the tops of the metal drums were cut off, filled with waste without being sealed, and buried in shallow pits (EPA). Investigations began in 1980, and Pfohl was categorized as a Superfund site in the early 1990s due to extensive contamination (EPA).
The New York State DEC removed 4,734 drums of waste. 540,000 cubic yards of waste along Pfohl Road and Aero Drive were moved to interior portions of the landfill property. Another 9200 cubic yards of waste and contaminated soil were moved to protect wetlands from further contamination. Efforts were made to start containing the landfill’s seepage into the creek and surrounding environment. A cap and containment system, plus leachate collection and treatment, were installed. As we learned in the biosolids articles, water treatment methods do a questionable job of addressing industrial chemicals. I’m interested in learning if and how this process is different.
Though these efforts have “significantly reduced the potential for exposure to contaminated materials at the site,” these efforts began 60 years after Pfohl began accepting--and leaking-- toxic waste. I confess that I do not find this EPA summary comforting:
“Five-year reviews [last conducted in 2016] concluded that the capping of the landfilled areas has removed potential direct contact (i.e., ingestion or dermal contact of soil) exposures to the public. Institutional controls are in place to further prevent potential exposures to the public, including trespassers. Therefore, the site is protective of human health and the environment.”
Takeaway
Learning about Pfohl Brothers leaves me disinterested in harvesting in the flood plain at Amherst State Park. However, foraging on the northern end of the property, and away from the flood plain, looks like a great option for respectful harvesters. I'm so pleased to learn that Amherst State Park's management practices support wildlife and ecosystem balance, while also providing herbicide/pesticide-free space for community members to collect food and medicine.
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Sources:
Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry. “Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)”. 2011. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/toxsubstance.asp?toxid=25
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. “Niagara River Watershed Management Plan.” Chapter 4. bnwaterkeeper.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Chapter-4.-Water-Quality-Final-12-30-14-with-Maps.pdf
CDC. "ATSDR Studies on Chemical Releases in the Great Lakes Region." pp. 54-55. Jan 2009. www.atsdr.cdc.gov/grtlakes/pdfs/2008/final/Chapter3_GreatLakesAOCFinal.pdf
Environmental Protection Agency. “Superfund Site: PFOHL BROTHERS LANDFILL, CHEEKTOWAGA, NY.” Viewed July 2019. https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.Cleanup&id=0201751#bkground
Graczyk, Elizabeth. Phone conversation with Sarah Sorci, August 2, 2019.
National Pesticide Information Center. “Chlordane General Fact Sheet.” 2001. http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/chlordanegen.pdf
New York State Department of Environment and Conservation. “WI/PWL Fact Sheets: Lake Erie Basin/Ellicott Creek (0412010404).” Revised July 6, 2015. www.dec.ny.gov/docs/water_pdf/winiagellicottcr.pdf
New York State Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Water Bureau of Monitoring and Assessment. "Niagara — Lake Erie Drainage Basin Biennial Report, 1993-94." Rotating Intensive Basin Studies, Water Quality Assessment Program. 1997.
Town of Amherst. “MASTER PLAN AND FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR AMHERST STATE PARK.” 2003. http://amherststatepark.org/ASP/Master_Plan_files/Master%20Plan.pdf
Janis, Meg. “Japanese Knotweed Removal, Amherst State Park.” New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Volume 3, Issue 2. https://parks.ny.gov/environment/documents/BiologistNewsLetterFall2010.pdf
Rosenfeld, Paul E. and Lydia G.H. Feng. “Bioaccumulation of Dioxins, PCBs, and PAHs.” Risks of Hazardous Wastes. 2011. sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbon
