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US Army Corps of Engineers

Buffalo District Website

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Civil Works

Times Beach Photos

Gary Dick, a Research Ecologist with the Engineering Research and Development Center, sets a 10-foot pole to mark a section of Times Beach.

Deborah Shafer, a Research Marine Biologist, and Judy Shearer, a Research Plant Pathologist, both with the Engineering Research and Development Center, take a core sample at Times Beach.

Work at Times Beach began in Fall of 2012, with mechanical treatment, cutting and hauling, of the phragmities.

Work at Times Beach continued with chemical and biological treatment of phragmities, September 10, 2013.

Work at Times Beach continued with chemical and biological treatment of common buckthorn, September 10, 2013.

Times Beach

Times Beach Aquatic Invasive Species Removal Project
Project Fact Sheet

History:

Times Beach was a 45 acre confined disposal facility (CDF) built by the US Army Corps of Engineers,and used to place dredged material from the Buffalo River Federal Channel from 1972-1976. In 1976, the Corps completed construction of a new CDF, still used today, located adjacent to the Steelwinds windmills on Lake Erie. Times Beach became a very popular birding destination, and the City of Buffalo asked the Corps to use the new CDF to place dredged materials instead. This left the protected open water habitat, that is even more popular birding area today.

Times Beach Combined Disposal Facility (Old)

Buffalo District Confined Disposal Facility (New)

Project Description:

Times Beach is the beautiful, forested location you see when driving along the Route 5, Buffalo Skyway, along Furhman Blvd. Times Beach is a jewel within the globally significant and internationally recognized important bird area of the Niagara River Greenway corridor.

Over the years, native species became overrun by a number of invasive species on the site, including phragmites, Japanese knotweed, mug wort, and common buckthorn. In some areas, these are the only species growing, and grow so tightly and closely together, they have crowded out native species that provide food, nesting areas, and cover. There are still an amazing number of bird species located here (237 since 1976), but control and management of the area will provide better habitat, and sustain and grow birding for the future.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Times Beach Aquatic Invasive Species Removal Project is a demonstration project which will use proven techniques from around the country to control the invasive species located on the Times Beach site. A combination of mechanical, chemical, and biologic controls will be used over a five year period to manage and control Invasive species at Times Beach. The project will demonstrate the efficacy of these methods, and serve as a guide for similar projects around the Great Lakes.

Invasive Species: to learn more about the treatment of invasive species, click here!

Early Season	Description	Late Season
	Phragmites is the most widespread invasive species on the Times Beach site. It is characterized by its towering height of up to 14 feet and its stiff wide leaves and hollow stem. Its feathery and drooping inflorescences (clusters of tiny flowers) are purplish when flowering and turn whitish, grayish or brownish in fruit.
	Mugwort is one of the invasive species targeted for removal on the Times Beach site. Its angular, purple stalks growing 3 feet (90 cm) or more in height and bearing dark green leaves with a cottony down underneath.
	Japanese knotweed is one of the major invasive species located on the Times Beach site. It looks like an army of nondescript thick, green, red-flecked stalks poking up from the ground and grows extremely fast.
	Buckthorn is an invasive species on the Times Beach site which will removed during the project. It is a tall understory shrub or small tree which grows up to 25' high with a spreading loosely branched crown, often multiple stems at the base.

Mapped Invasive Species at Times Beach

Times Beach Avian Habitat Restoration

The following candidate species in a number of plant forms including seed mixes are proposed as components of replacement plant communities for avian habitat enhancement and restoration after invasive species control.

Riparian Trees
Acer rubrum- Red Maple
Celtis occidentalis- Hackberry
Hamamelis virginiana - American Witchhazel
Nyssa sylvatica- Black Gum
Platanus occidentalis- American Sycamore
Poplulus deltoides - Eastern Cottonwood
Prunus pennsylvanica- Pin Cherry
Quercus bicolor – Swamp White Oak
Quercus palustris- Pin Oak
Salix nigra- Black Willow
Tilia americana- American Basswood

Riparian Shrubs
Alnus incana ssp. Rugosa- Speckled Alder
Aronia arbutifolia- Red Chokeberry
A. melanocarpa Black Chokeberry
Cephalanthus occidentalis- Buttonbush
Cornus alternifolia- Pagoda Dogwood
C. amomum- Silky Dogwood
C. sericea- Redosier Dogwood
Myrica pennsylvanica- Northern Bayberry
Physocarpus opulifolius- Common Ninebark
Rubus allegheniensis- Allegheny Blackberry
Salix bebbiana - Bebb’s Willow
S. exigua- Sandbar Willow
Sambucus Canadensis- Elderberry

Emergent Aquatic Vegetation
Alisma plantago-aquatica – water plantain
Carex stricta - tussock sedge
Glyceria striata – rice cutgrass
Juncus effusus – soft rush
Justicia americana- American waterwillow
Polygonum hydropiperiodes- Swamp smartweed
Pondeteria cordata - Pickerelweed
Saggitaria latifolia - Arrowhead
Schoenoplectus fluvitalis - River bulrush
Sparganium americanum – Eastern burreed

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
Polygonium amphibium – Water smartweed
Potamogeton nodosus- American pondweed
Schoenoplectus subterminalis- Water bulrush
Vallisneria americana- Wild celery

Times Beach Videos

Times Beach was a confined disposal facility used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1972-1976. In 1976 the CDF was turned over to the City of Buffalo and became a thriving birding area.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Times Beach Aquatic Invasive Species Removal Project is a demonstration project which will use proven techniques from around the country to control the invasive species located on the Times Beach site.