DOCSLIB.ORG

94 Ontario Birds August 2012 Figure 1

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
94 Ontario Birds August 2012 Figure 1 New Niagara Fall s Grea t Egret colony produces late nestlings Bill Watson Introduction Methods In 2011, Great Egrets ( Ardea alb a, hence - The m ain nesting island (#3) is t he forth egrets) nested for the first time at largest of three islands (known locally as a mixed colony of Black-crowned Night- “Weseloh Rocks”) located immediately Herons ( Nycticorax nycticorax , hence - downstream and medially of the large forth night-herons), Double-crested stranded barge on the Canadian side of Cor morants (Phalacrocorax auitu s, hence - Horseshoe Falls, approximately 400 m forth cormorants) and Herring Gulls above the lip of the Falls (Figure 1). I (Larus argentatus ) above Horseshoe Falls made observations from Goat Island on on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls in the New York side of the Falls as well as Ontario. Seasonally, this was a very late from the Canadian shore near the Engi - nesting; young egrets did not fledge un - neerium Building just opposite from the til well into September. In this paper, I barge. I noted the numbers (and nests give details of the discovery of these egret when visible) of night-herons, cor - nestings, compare egg, hatching and morants and egrets. Observations were fledging dates with the currently ac - made from one or both of these loca - cepted dates for these stages in New York tions on 30 June, 29 July, 1, 17 and 26 and Ontario and speculate on the rea - Aug ust and 6 and 9 Sept. I also receiv ed sons for such late nesting. observations from Celeste Morien (CM), Dave Van de Laar (DVL) and Chip We - seloh (CW). 94 Ontario Birds August 2012 Figure 1. Points of observation and nesting islands (Rocks #1, 2 and 3) at Niagara Falls, see text. Results 2011: On 21 April, I counted 172 night- 2010: The main island was visited on 26 herons and 243 cormorants on the main April by helicopter by CW et al. (pers. island, but I saw no Great Egret s. On 1 comm.); they reported 47 cormorant May, CM et al. (pers. comm.) counted nests, 280 night-heron nests and 21 Her - 40 night-herons there from Goat Island ring Gull nests but no Great Egrets or but also did not see any Great Egrets. their nests. On 5 May, from Goat Island On 3 May, CW et al. again visited the I observed at least 140 night-herons and main island island by helicopter and 22 of their nests and 124 cormorants reported 135 cormorant nests, 434 night- and 51 cormorant nests on Rocks # 1, 2 heron nests and 13 Herring Gull nests; and 3 above the Horseshoe Falls (dis - still there were no egrets or their nests. tance and foliage obscured my view of Thus, on 20 May 2011, I was surprised the colony, and these counts represent to find 12 Great Egrets at the colony, only a fraction of the birds and nests in four of which appeared to be sitting on the colony). There were no reports of nests! There were at least 61 night-her ons, any egrets using any of these three is - 168 cormorants and 86 cormorant nests. lands in 2010. Volume 30 Number 2 95 Over the next 10 weeks, I confirmed ing a nestling. With other egrets between that at least two of the egret nests con - the two nesting locations, I observed as tinued to be active on 30 June and 8 July. many as 11 Great Egrets (compared to Viewing from Goat Island on 29 July, only six seen on 1 August). However, I could see as many as seven Great Egrets when I observed the colony from the and, more importantly, three of them Canadian side I was disturbed, because were crouched on a nest and were nearly I could not see any nests where I had full-sized nestlings. observed four nests with a total 12 nest - Returning at mid-day on 1 August, lings on 1 August. The maximum num - to Goat Island, I observed that the three ber of egrets observed on this day from Great Egret nestlings were very active the Canadian side was three adult Great with strong wing flaps combined with Egrets. Perhaps the foliage was too great jumping up and down, but not showing or the egrets had moved more into the in - the ability to hover over their nest. There terior of the woody vegetation. was still some down on their heads. I On 26 August, observing from Goat drove to the Canadian side of the River Island and based on the egrets’ feeding and observed from just north of the En - activity and position of various nests and gineerium Building. I could see an adult nestlings, there appeared to be five egret Great Egret standing over a nest with nests on the islands (four on the main is - what looked like about two inactive land and one on a smaller island to the downy Great Egret nestlings. I also no - west). On 6 September, DVL reported, ticed another Great Egret nest with four “It appears that some of the egrets have medium-sized nestlings. Below this nest left their nests above the Falls and moved was a third Great Egret nest containing to Dufferin Islands” where he spotted three smaller and very inactive downy three egrets “roosting in the trees” (DVL nestlings. Although I realize that obser - pers. comm.) On 7 September, he again vational duplication is possible, I think reported two egrets at Dufferin (because of the numbers of young on Islands and two “in the trees on the each nest and ages of the nestlings) that other island” (colony). I viewed four active Great Egret nests On the morning of 9 September with a total of 12 nestlings. there were no egrets on the island when Three weeks later, on 17 August, I arrived at Goat Island. Within 15 min - there appeared to have been a disrup - utes a single Great Egret appeared at the tion in the colony; the birds were not in largest island where most of the night- their normal positions. I observed four herons and cormorants nested. Two egrets on one nest (based on previous ob - more arrived shortly and there was a servations one of the four was probably flurry of feeding and bill grabbing and an adult with three full size nest ling). pulling activity. The first egret (a par - Through the foliage I observed two ent?) flew from the island and was adults, one of which could be seen feed - quickly pursued by the two (fledglings?) 96 Ontario Birds August 2012 egrets. It appeared that all of the nestling fairly close to the 9 September date, per - Great Egrets had fledged. haps 6 September (+ or – 3 days). The seasonal lateness of this egret 2012: In late March, a Great Egret was nesting, hatching and fledging can be reported near the Niagara Falls colony, put in perspective if we examine the and on 31 March, I counted 23 Great stated phenology dates for Great Egrets Egrets and five occupied nests and wit - in Ontario. LePage et al. (2007) states nessed copulation at the colony. A heli - the early and late nest dates as 20 April copter visit to the island on 25 April and 1 August, respectively. Peck (2007) established that there were about 47 notes that “egg dates in Ontario range Great Egrets present with 17 nests on the from 28 April to 24 June (peck and main island and four more nests on the James 1993a). Incubation periods range next island closer to Canada (CW, pers. from 23 to 27 days, and variable fledg - comm.). On the very early date of 3 ling dates range from 21 to 34 days, with May, an adult Great Egret was observed young leaving and returning to the nest feeding two half-grown nest lings. The fi - to be fed. Young achieve flight ability at nal tally as seen from Goat Island (with seven to eight weeks of age (McCrim - vegetation obstruction) for 3 May was mon et al . 2001).” 25 adults, two nest lings, and thirteen Across the border, New York atlas nests. Obviously, observations are very data from 2000 –2005 provided rev ised limited from afar. early and late egg, nestling, and/or fledg - ling dates for nearly all spe cies. Thus, for Discussion and Conclusions the Great Egret, McGow an and Cor - Although foliage made observations dif - win (2008) have revised egg dates rang - ficult and individual nests were not al - ing from 27 April to 7 July and revised ways directly observed ( i.e. some nest nestling dates of 21 May to 11 August. locations were only inferred when the The incubation period is 25 to 28 days, nestlings were old enough to leave the while the time for young to fly is much nest and approach the adults during feed - longer than reported in the Ontario At - ing), there were probably at least five las at 35 to 42 days (Cadman et al. nests and 13 nestlings. It appears that all 2007). the young Great Egrets fledged between Working backwards, if we assume a 26 August and 9 September 2011. All 13 fledgling date of 6 September and the nestling Great Egrets were observed at mean periods of 25 days for incubation the colony on 26 August and there were and 27.5 days for a nestling period (Le- no indications then that any of them Page et al. 2007), we arrive at very late could yet fly. As there were two fledg - dates of approximately 15 July for egg lings still returning to the colony to be laying and 9 August for egg hatching, fed by an adult on 9 September, the last which are well beyond the late egg date of these nestlings probably had fledged of 24 June (LePage et al.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Of the American Falls at Niagara 1I I Preservation and Enhancement of the American Falls at Niagara
    of the American Falls at Niagara 1I I Preservation and Enhancement of the American Falls at Niagara Property of t';e Internztio~al J5it-t; Cr?rn:n es-un DO NOT' RECda'dg Appendix G - Environmental Considerations Final Report to the International Joint Commission by the American Falls International Board June -1974 PRESERVATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF AMERICAN FALLS APPENDIX. G .ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS TABLE OF CONTENTS Paragraph Page CHAPTER G 1 .INTRODUCTION G1 CHAPTER G2 .ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING . NIAGARA RESERVATION AND SURROUNDING REGION GENERAL DESCRIPTION ............................................................... PHYSICAL ELEMENTS ..................................................................... GENERAL .................................................................................... STRATIGRAPHY ......................................................................... SOILS ............................................................................................ WATER QUALITY ........................................................................ CLIMATE INVENTORY ................................................................... CLIMATE ....................................................................................... AIR QUALITY .............................................................................. BIOLOGICAL ELEMENTS ................................................................ TERRESTRIAL VEGETATION ..................................................... TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE .........................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Trails in the Niagara River Greenway
    Lower River Upper River The Headwaters LAKE ONTARIO 4 1 2 5 93 3 y. Pk es s PORTER Mo ert b Ro 6 7 Buffalo Ave. 7 8 1 WHEATFIELD 9 18 3 4 5 Ri NIAGARA RIVER ver Rd. LEWISTON 2 8 104 17 CITY OF NORTH 22 VILLAGE OF 190 14 LEWISTON TONAWANDA THE LANDSCAPE 1 12 15 15 16 14 16 TUSCARORA 13 CANADA 18 Parks INDIAN RESERVARION 12 17 E. Robinson KENMORE 17 21 2 GRAND ISLAND 23-26 Aqua Lane Park . 1 13 CANADA Whitehaven Rd. 27/28 34 Black Rock Canal Park. 3 11 . 30-33 20 19 Broderick Park . 3 22 er Rd40 Buffalo River Fest Park . 68 31 23 Riv 4 17 21 38 CITY OF 5 198 16 20 H Cazenovia Park* . 92 10 13 yde 37 TONAWANDA 36 290 Delaware Park* . 13 8 11,12 P 9 190 Lockport Rd. 35 265 Forest 15 27 ar Erie Basin Marina & Gardents . 65 25 k 31 26 30 Front Park* . 25 190 NIAGARA d. Baseline Rd. West Ferry East Ferry R Gallagher Beach . .. 90 28 29 WHEATFIELD r TONAWANDA 20 33 e CITY OF 34 Rd. Ward Sheridan Dr. LaSalle Park . 33 CANADA 21 e. Riv t. BUFFALO 67 Av NIAGARA FALLS 66 S . e Niaga Martin Luther King Jr. Park*. 30 r ra Falls B 22 26 30 35 36 lvd. 68 Rd wa 190 2 23 a Main y Riverside Park* . 62 25 l 31 37 38/39 Ni 27 ar 24 ag De it l South Park* . 93 41 40-54 i 33 63 65 41 KENMORE ara M 33 56 57 58-60 64 Squaw Island Park.
    [Show full text]
  • Downtown Neighborhood City of Niagara Falls: Phase I
    Intensive Level Survey Historic Resources – Downtown Neighborhood City of Niagara Falls: Phase I 3.0 Historical Overview This section provides a narrative history of the City of Niagara Falls with specific emphasis on the Downtown neighborhood. The overview addresses significant trends and themes associated with the city’s historic context. The Downtown neighborhood’s period of significance is identified and examined in this chapter. Martin Wachadlo, architectural historian, conducted the background historic research. 3.1 Niagara County: Physiology and Geology Figure 3-1. Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls, New York Niagara County borders the southern shore of Lake Ontario in the extreme northwestern corner of New York State, and occupies part of the Huron and Ontario Plains. The Ontario Plain comprises part of Lake Ontario to the foot of the Niagara Escarpment1, and the Huron plain extends from the crest of the escarpment southward beyond the county line. The Niagara Escarpment begins in Watertown, New York, USA and extends westerly along the Manitoulin Island in the Province of Ontario, Canada. The escarpment continues through Wisconsin and Illinois. With geological material measuring 64-ft thick, the stratigraphy at Niagara Falls provides a glimpse into the overall rock types comprising the Niagara Escarpment (Figure 3-1). The top layer is Lockport Dolomite, a hard rock referred to as the "Lower Silurian Group." Below the top layer is Rochester Shale, which is much softer and wears away easily with the effects of erosion. Under the shale are harder strata of limestone and dolostone known as the "Clinton Group." Below the harder strata is Grimsby sandstone.
    [Show full text]
  • Botanical Evaluation of the Goat Island Complex, Niagara Falls, New York P
    BOTANICAL EVALUATION OF THE GOAT ISLAND COMPLEX, NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK P. M. Eckel Buffalo Museum of Science 1020 Humboldt Pkwy Buffalo, NY 14211 U.S.A. www.buffalomuseumofscience.org Return to Table of Contents ORIGINS OF THE FLORA The flora of the Goat Island complex and the Niagara River Gorge represent a floristic anomaly within the characteristic regional vegetation of the Niagara Frontier. This is based on the high species diversity and abundance reported for the area of the falls. All vegetation in the area has been reintroduced since the last glacial period. All species became established through opportunities provided by regional and local climatic regimes, substrates, water levels, topographic variation and natural disturbance regimes within the study area favoring the establishment of a diversity of habitats supporting species with a wide assortment of different tolerances and competitive advantages. The Niagara Reservation consists of the margin of a river and a series of islands. These two conditions alone serve to distinguish these natural areas ecologically from those of the surrounding continuous landscape. The original forest, depicted in nineteenth century and earlier pre-photographic engravings and illustrations as growing down to the river and gorge edge, would have had a boundary there. So, too, would its darkening canopy and the modification of environmental conditions within it. Life on the margin would be exposed to sunlight, to weather, to soil changes, soil textures with different nutrients, and to increases in soil moisture and the mechanical effects of the same moisture freezing in winter, fluctuations in water levels, etc. These different physical conditions would have and do create opportunities for distinctive plant communities, with species assemblages differing from those of the forest dominating the enclosing region.
    [Show full text]
  • Niagara Falls Already Ruined 119
    - : ::::;::::_ Niagara Falls Already' Ruined Concessions for Power Plants Already Granted Sufficient to Use All the Water­ T h e R emedy By ALTON D. ADAMS 1 1 Consulting Hydraulic Engineer IAGARA FALLS are already In the first place it is to be considered ruined! Already enough water that the American Falls are in much N rights have been granted by New more imminent danger than the Cana­ York State and Canada to divert dian. The pipe line, canal, and tunnels all the water which now, falling over that already pierce the cliffs between the both the American and the Canadian upper river and Niagara Gorge, are large fa ll s, makes the great cataract one of the enough in themselves to carry twice the natural wonders of the world. If the amount of water which runs over the capitalists and promoters who now hold American Falls. And the depth of water franchises were all to establish plants, above the brink of these falls is only a the entire fl ow of N iagara river would small fraction of the depth above the be diverted into underground channels; Canadian falls. It is therefore possible and the mighty cliff over which the tor­ for the American Falls to run entirelv rent now pours in resistless grandeur dry, while an imposing depth of wate.r would be left rugged and bald and dry. still runs over the Horseshoe on the That is th e situation. What, now is Canadian sid e. the rem eel y ? One suggestion looking towards the HEAD OF THE NIAGARA RAPIDS.
    [Show full text]
  • Niagara-Falls-State-Park-Map.Pdf
    CAVE OF THE WINDS TERRAPIN POINT VISITOR AMENITIES Cave of the Winds Horseshoe Falls Viewing Area Parking Scenic Overlook Bridal Veil & American Falls Viewing Areas Top of the Falls Restaurant Parking Pay Station Trail Gift Shop Restrooms Bike Trail THREE SISTERS ISLANDS Information Food Service Picnic Area Canada Canadian Rapids Viewing Area Food Service Niagara Scenic Trolley Stop PROSPECT POINT LUNA ISLAND Gift Shop Niagara Scenic Trolley Loop Niagara Gorge Visitor Center Bridal Veil & American Falls Viewing Areas Discover Niagara Shuttle Interchange Niagara Gorge Rim Theater Maid of the Mist DISCOVERY CENTER & AQUARIUM H Discovery Center o TERRAPIN POINT Observation Tower r s Aquarium of Niagara e American Falls Viewing Area s h o Niagara Gorge Trail Center e Illuminated American Rapids Viewing F Cave of the a Winds Schoellkopf Power Plant Ruins lls Gift Shop CAVE OF THE WINDS Food Service Niagara Region Park Police Observation Tower ) a Top of the Falls BridalBrida Veil Maid of the Mist FFaallslls Canadda LUNA ISLAND A il m a e PROSPECT POINT r rican Falls Rainbow Bridge (To Canad T e r o h S h Niagara Gorge t r o N Canadian Rapids l i American a r DISCOVERY CENTER & AQUARIUM T Goat Island Rapids e v Discovery GGreen o (USA) r Center G Island r e w Schoellkopfoellkopf Power o L Visitor Plant Ruins Central Center American O’Laughli Woodland Pedestrian Falls Trails Bridges eet Str ect Old Falls St sp o n Dr Pr Main Street kwy . c P d Sceni Niagara Park Manager’s Rainbow Blv Office Niagara Region Park Police 1st Street American Rapids Bridge .
    [Show full text]
  • Niagara's Hidden History
    Volume 10 • Number 1 S U M M E R 2 0 1 0 $4.95 Secrets of Niagara Falls Inconvenienced by General Washington Troy Riot Liberates Captured Slave Misbehavior in Saratoga The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Deli 12 The American Falls, Niagara Falls, ca. 1905. NEW YORK archives • SUMMER 2010 13 Hidden History B Y G I N G E R S T R A N D Not just for honeymooners or daredevils, Niagara Falls and its historical secrets now stand revealed–– from Egyptian dynasties to the Civil War to the atomic bomb. iagara Falls is one of America’s best-known natural wonders. Scholars have ex- pounded on its role NNin shaping the American sublime, popular histories have recounted its capacity for power development, and souvenir volumes regularly recount tales of daredevils NEW YORK STATE LIBRARY/MANUSCRIPTS AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS COLLECTIONS SPECIAL AND LIBRARY/MANUSCRIPTS STATE YORK NEW and honeymoons. The image of the Falls has graced every- thing from masterpieces of landscape painting to tea towels, from early Lumière Brothers films to blockbuster IMAX movies. A depiction of the Falls even occupies one corner of New York’s license plates, opposite the New LIBRARY OF CONGRESS York City skyline: landscape This promotional pamphlet for the Niagara Falls Museum touts and cityscape, the state’s two its thousands of curios, including must-see sights. Yet the most mummies. interesting features of this www.nysarchivestrust.org 14 icon’s history have remained the famous landscape architect. canals required to harness hidden—sometimes forgotten, Luminaries like J.P.
    [Show full text]
  • Title: Niagara Falls and Montreal Photos, [1870-1880] Creator: Dates
    Title: Niagara Falls and Montreal photos, [1870-1880] Creator: Dates of Material: [1870-1880] Reference RG 630 Number: Scope and Content: 5 sepia photographs of Niagara Falls and 3 sepia photographs of Montreal. All photos are mounted on 28.5 x 23 cm. ivory cardstock. Summary of Contents: 1. This 18.5 x13 cm. photo is captioned “Niagara”. It is a picture of the Horseshoe Falls taken at a time when private owners controlled the land around the Falls. Shown in this picture is the dome of the Table Rock House, built in 1853. This was the hotel and residence of the unscrupulous American businessman, Saul Davis. He gave his building the same name as Thomas Barnett’s building which was located right beside it and was built in 1827. [This photograph is similar to one taken in 1868/69 by William Notman – this could possibly be a Notman photo]. 2. This is an 18 x 12 cm. photo captioned “Suspension Bridge Niagara”. This bridge was in operation from 1855-1897 and connected Niagara Falls, Ontario to Niagara Falls, New York. Trains used the upper deck while pedestrians and carriages used the lower deck. 3. This is a 17 x 12.5 cm. photo which is captioned “Falls Niagara”. It is a view from Goat Island toward Terrapin Point Tower. The tower was perched on a wooden boardwalk on Profile Rock. A person can be seen in the lower left hand corner. 4a. An 8.5 x 5.5 cm. photo captioned “Victoria Bridge, Montreal” 4b. An 8.5 x 5.5 cm.
    [Show full text]
  • NFTA METRO Downtown Niagara Falls
    Dickersonville RIVER Dickerson Cem. NIAGARA LINE 6 Washuta Camp Stonehaven Park RD LOWER (BSA) PORTER CENTER PORTER Rainbow Myers Lake Myers Lake Lake West East Riverside Kiwanis Model RD Bonds 18F RD CONCESSION 1 RD PKWY Park Manors City 104 Lake LO RD W RIDGE ER Cambria MODEL CITY M Historical 18 OUNTAIN Cambria Bonds Lake Society Center Museum NIAGARA ROUTE MOHAWK County Park ENDS RD N 2ND i 50B 4TH a RIVER ONEIDA g INDIAN HILL NIAGARA-ON-a r RD LEWISTON NIAGARA a CREEK Hillside D R 50B R i Cem. v Park e RD Lewiston r THE-LAKE R e Lewiston RIDGE c CENTER Landing T ST Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority - Buffalo & Niagara Falls, New York r RD a 50B U Park i PP l Tops E Colonial R Weir MO Mount Hope UNT Valley AIN Artpark 114 Library Cem. Plaza Mount at the First of Art Whirlpool Presb Lewiston View Church LEGEND - Metro Bus System Jet Boat Cem. RD Tuscarora Indian Square Cem. 18 Tours Glenwood Trail CREEK Reservation Rumsey ROUTE 90 Interstate Highway St Andrews E 40 Route 40 - Grand Island E Ridge ENDS Bus Turn-Arounds/ Luth Cem. N Laura W St Andrews A Heritage Secord CANADA H USA 40 S Sch. 50 Route 50 - Main-Niagara End of Route School, College, Museum Sch. NFTA METRO a Earl W Brydges d Queenston a RD n MOUNTAIN a Artpark IT P R C 52 PPE Route 52 - Hyde Park M A U r R Points & Areas of Interest e ROBERT MOSES PKWY M p K p State Park Lewiston U U Heights S Transit 54 T Route 54 - Military R NEW YORK R Golf Course, Marina, Yacht Club A E Centers Queenston NIAGARA PKWY ONTARIO RD 104 Niagara Falls Creek NS NT RD Golf Course RD 55 Route 55 - Pine Ave.
    [Show full text]
  • Buckhorn Island - Goat Island Rapids
    COASTAL FISH & WILDLIFE HABITAT RATING FORM Name of Area: Buckhorn Island - Goat Island Rapids Designated: October 15, 1987 County: Niagara, Erie Town(s): Niagara Falls, Grand Island 7½' Quadrangle(s): Niagara Falls, ONT-NY Score Criterion 12 Ecosystem Rarity (ER) A relatively large, shallow, open water section of river; unusual in the western Great Lakes Plain, although somewhat common locally. Geometric mean: (9 x 16)½ 25 Species Vulnerability (SV) Common Tern (T) nesting and feeding. 0 Human Use (HU) No significant fish or wildlife related human uses of the area. 20 Population Level (PL) An important area used by one of the largest concentrations of wintering waterfowl in the northeastern US. Geometric mean: (16 x 25)½ 1.2 Replaceability (R) Irreplaceable SIGNIFICANCE VALUE = [( ER + SV + HU + PL ) X R] = 68 DESIGNATED HABITAT:BUCKHORN ISLAND - GOAT ISLAND RAPIDS LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT: Buckhorn Island - Goat Island Rapids is located between Grand Island and Goat Island, in the City of Niagara Falls, Niagara County, and the Town of Grand Island, Erie County (7.5' Quadrangle: Niagara Falls, Ont.-N.Y.). The fish and wildlife habitat is an approximate 850 acre area of the upper Niagara River, extending roughly from the Buckhorn Island water diversion structures to the Goat Island bridge and Three Sisters Islands, above the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls, respectively. This area is a wide, fast-moving, and relatively shallow (less than 10 feet deep below mean low water) section of the river, with a sparsely vegetated bedrock substrate. Average annual flow in the Niagara River is approximately 200,000 cubic feet per second, but much of the flow is diverted out of the river for municipal and industrial uses.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Introduction Lost Pages Ralph Waldo Emerson: The Value of What Has Been Lost (1803–1882) On his third visit to Niagara Falls in 1863, Ralph Waldo Emerson admired its “immense plenty.” Today, this visit represents all that might have been lost. he prominent American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson T made it a point to visit Niagara Falls while on speaking tours to neighboring cities beginning in the 1850s. When he arrived for his third time at the Falls on January 4, 1863, he was inspired anew for, “its immense plenty.” “The vast quantity of water that pours over it in five minutes suggests the huge continent from which it draws its supplies,” he wrote in a letter to his daughter.1 North America—and more likely in Emerson’s view, America—symbolically lent Niagara Falls its vast power, even if, in 1863, it was a nation divided. The start of 1863 was promising. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on the first of that new year. To celebrate, Emerson read his “Boston Hymn” to a New England audience: “To-day unbind the captive, / So only are ye unbound,” he declared. The call was clear: “unchain the slave:” so that “Free be his heart and hand hence- forth / As wind and wandering wave.”2 American freedom should mean freedom for all. 1 © 2020 State University of New York Press, Albany After delivering his poem, Emerson left for a western lecture tour. As print production and literacy increased in the nineteenth century, a reading public emerged, one interested in learning but typically without access to formal education.
    [Show full text]
  • Design Report/ Environmental Assessment
    DESIGN REPORT/ ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT October 2015 Bridge Project P.I.N. 5760.40 BINs 5522000 and 5522010 American Falls Bridges Niagara Falls State Park Niagara County City of Niagara Falls ANDREW M. CUOMO ROSE HARVEY Governor Commissioner ANDREW M. CUOMO MATTHEW J. DRISCOLL Governor Commissioner Design Report/ American Falls Bridges October 2015 Environmental Assessment PIN 5760.40 PROJECT APPROVAL SHEET (Pursuant to SAFETEA-LU Matrix) A. IPP Approval: The project is ready to be added to the Regional Capital Program and project scoping can begin. The IPP was approved by: Darrell F. Kaminski 10/04/12 NYSDOT Regional Director B. Scope Approval: The project cost and schedule are consistent with the NYS Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation Capital Program. The scope was approved by: Darrell F. Kaminski 11/27/13 NYSDOT Regional Director The scope was approved by: Andy Beers 11/15/13 NYSOPRHP Executive Deputy Commissioner C. Public Hearing A public hearing was held on _______ in accordance with 23 USC 128. Certification (23 USC 128): NYSDOT Regional Special Projects Manager D. Recommendation for The project cost and schedule are consistent with the Regional Capital Design Approval: Program. NYSDOT Regional Program Manager NYSOPRHP Western District Director E. Recommendation for All requirements requisite to these actions and approvals have been met, the Design and Nonstandard required independent quality control reviews separate from the functional group Feature Approval: reviews have been accomplished, and the work is consistent with established standards, policies, regulations and procedures, except as otherwise noted and explained. NYSDOT Regional Special Projects Manager F. Nonstandard Feature No nonstandard features have been identified, created, or retained.
    [Show full text]