Activities
There are great outdoor activities to experience in all seasons.
Summer
Hiking, kayaking, photography, fishing
A very popular spot to walk dogs along 4,500 of walking trails (0.9 miles).
A nature based playground is installed at the front of the park.
As a park with natural aquatic features, aquatic alerts of various types may have been issued. Be sure to check these sites below!
- For more information about preventing the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species: www.dec.ny.gov/animals/48221.html
- For more information on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) visit: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/83310.html
- To learn more about Fish Consumption Advisories for Western New York, visit https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/fish/health_advisories/regional/western.htm
Winter
Snowshoeing
History
The Seneca Bluffs Natural Habitat Park consists of approximately 20 acres of riparian floodplain coastal forest with upland meadows located in a heavily urbanized area along the Buffalo River. Historically, the site had mixed-use including farming.
Seneca Bluffs was identified in 1994 as one of five unique and critical habitat areas in need of protection. The site provides habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna and is part of a larger wildlife corridor along the river. The park protects 3,000 feet of Buffalo River shoreline just upstream of the Seneca Street Bridge and the designated Buffalo River Area of Concern.
It is a bird and turtle nesting habitat including confirmed nests of red headed woodpeckers and snapping turtles.
Land acquisition began in 2001 and Erie County has been committed to protecting abandoned neighboring habitat for wildlife and recreation through several land acquisitions over the years.
Over the years leaps have been made in the progress of the invasive species remediation. It went from almost 90% invasive and non-native in 2016 to roughly 20% in 2018. Today the site is thriving with 90% native plants.
Initial habitat restoration activities were completed by Erie County DEP in 2004 which consisted of debris removal and site re-grading, installation of a native warm-season grass meadow, upland riparian, seasonal aquatic depression, and installation of a gravel trail and a parking area.
A lot of the work and restorations on site are provided by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Seneca Bluffs received a $1.34 million grant allowing the US Army Corps to come into the park, dedicate their time and make many improvements including shoreline stabilization, invasive species removal and various plantings throughout the park. WNY PRISM, RES, US Fish and Wildlife, and Erie County Soil and Water Conservation, have all played large roles in restoring this site.
AND! We are not done yet! $2.4 Million of state funding has been awarded to Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper and Erie County Parks to enhance this park with additional accessibility features. The future plans include a fisherman's walk, a kayak launch, improved street scape, shade structure, crush stone path, benches, signage, and a green infrastructure parking lot.
