Bluebirds

The Eastern Bluebird has been the Official Bird of New York since 1970. In 2000, the Authority started installing bluebird houses at appropriate locations along its right-of-way. In some areas, bluebird houses are used to delineate the locations of wildflower plantings. The Authority initiated this program to help in the resurgence of New York's Bluebird population.

Falcon Program

Since the late 1980s, the Thruway Authority has had falcon-nesting boxes located on the main trusses of four major bridges along the Thruway System. These bridges include the Castleton Bridge spanning the Hudson River south of Albany; the North/South Grand Island Bridges spanning the Niagara River near Niagara Falls, and two on the Governor Malcolm E. Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge carrying the Thruway's mainline across the Hudson River, about 13 miles north of New York City.

The bridges provide the falcons with a high perch, while the falcons are very effective at keeping pigeons away from the bridge. Pigeon droppings are detrimental to the paint, and consequently, the steel on bridges. Since the program's inception, the number of pigeons nesting on bridges has dramatically decreased.

Invasive Species

According to the Federal Highway Administration, “Each year approximately $23 billion nationwide is lost to invasive plant impacts to agriculture, industry, recreation, and the environment. An estimated 4,600 acres of land are invaded daily by invasive plants.”

The control of invasive species is of paramount concern in New York. In 2003, then Governor George E. Pataki signed into law the NYS Invasive Species Task Force. The seventeen member Task Force was charged with developing an assessment for presentation to then Governor Pataki. The Task force delivered their recommendation in a report to the Governor in November 2005. For more information on the Invasive Species Task Force, please visit the Department of Environmental Conservation's website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6989.html.

In 2007, then Governor Eliot Spitzer formed the Invasive Species Council to coordinate statewide efforts to control invasive species. The nine member Invasive Species Council, including representatives from the Authority and Corporation, was charged to continue the work begun by the Invasive Species Task Force to ensure the implementation of the Task Force recommendations. The Council and its Advisory Committee will enhance the State’s ability to fight the growing threat to New York's biodiversity, food supply, recreation, commerce and industry.  For more information on the New York Invasive Species Council, please visit the Department of Environmental Conservation's website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/37876.html.

In recent years, both the Thruway Authority and the Canal Corporation have undertaken specific efforts to help control the spread of invasive species within their jurisdictions.  In 2008, the Corporation formed a partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program for cooperation and coordination to enhance the prevention of invasive species introductions into the Lake Champlain.  The partnership is an outgrowth of the development of a comprehensive pollution prevention, control, and restoration plan for protecting the future of the Lake Champlain Basin, called Opportunities for Action: An evolving plan for the future of the Lake Champlain Basin, which was signed by the Governors of New York and Vermont and the Regional Administrators of Environmental Protection Agency New England Region and Region 2, and is now in the implementation phase.  For more information on the Opportunities for Action, please visit the Lake Champlain Basin Program's website at: http://www.lcbp.org/impofa.htm.

The partnership provides a framework for cooperation and coordination toward:

• Ensuring effective spread prevention of aquatic invasive species passing through the Champlain Canal
• Maintaining or enhancing the navigability of the Champlain Canal
• Exchanging information about invasive species
• Exploring opportunities for ballast standards for the Champlain Canal
• Enhancement of recreational, cultural heritage, and commercial interests associated with the Champlain Canal

The Corporation is also actively involved in Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) along the Canal System through membership in the Finger Lakes, Capital/Mohawk, and St. Lawrence – Eastern Lake Ontario PRISMS.  In general, each PRISM seeks to reduce the spread and impact of invasive species through coordinated prevention, detection and control measures throughout their specific regions.

In addition to Canal activities, the Thruway Authority has recently enacted several maintenance, design, and construction practices to control the spread of invasive species along the Thruway highway corridor.  Extra attention is paid to maintenance activities such as ditch cleaning and culvert work in areas of heavy invasive infestation to prevent inadvertent spread to unspoiled areas.  Special notes for invasive species control have been developed and are now routinely incorporated into design plans during project planning.  During construction, these notes and other specific environmental design efforts target the control of invasives.  These efforts include properly washing vehicles and equipment before being moved from one site to another, monitoring soil movement and stockpiling for invasive species, and affording special protection to pristine, invasive-free areas; wetlands in particular.  A system wide inventory of invasive locations has aided efforts to avoid and minimize impacts from invasive species on Thruway projects.

More information on invasive species in New York State can be found at the New York Invasive Species Clearinghouse website, at: http://nyis.info/.

NYIS.INFO is a gateway to science-based information, breaking news, and new and innovative tools to prevent, detect, control and manage biological invaders in New York. NYIS.INFO links scientific research, State and Federal management programs and policy information, outreach education and grassroots invasive species action to help you become part of the battle against invasive species in and around New York. 

Living Snow Fence Program

The Thruway Authority’s Buffalo Division, in collaboration with the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, completed the first installation of its Living Snow Fence Program in July 2006.  Under this program, two living snow fences were planted within the right-of-way along I-190 at the Staley and Long Road Exits (18A & 20) in the Town of Grand Island, Erie County.

Prior to installation, the Buffalo Division conducted an assessment for problematic locations for the blowing and drifting of snow, which causes reduced visibility, icing of the roadway, and increased snow removal efforts.  Living snow fences consist of densely planted willow species that are specifically designed to control blowing snow.  The living snow fences will trap some of the snow behind the line of willows and the rest of the blowing snow will be deposited before reaching the highway’s surface. 

The Niagara Maintenance Section, with assistance from the Division’s Environmental Specialist, will conduct necessary maintenance activities and monitor the progress of the willow shrubs throughout the 2007 growing season.  It is anticipated that the living snow fences will be fully functional by the winter of 2009.

SHORELINE STABILIZATION PROJECT

The Black Rock Canal/Lake Erie revetment project was identified as an excellent opportunity for environmental stewardship to protect 300 feet of eroding shoreline from the forces of wave action and ice scouring. This project is located in close proximity to a stormwater drainage outfall from the I-190 in the City of Buffalo.

The project involved the stabilization of 300 feet of eroded shoreline with the placement of heavy stone fill or rip-rap. The shoreline stabilization will prevent further erosion, thus protecting and facilitating the natural restoration of valuable spawning and nursery habitat for a variety of warm water fish species and aquatic invertebrates. The project was a joint venture between the New York State Thruway Authority Buffalo Division and the State University of New York, College a Buffalo, and was completed in September of 2006.

Wildflowers

The New York State Thruway Authority's Wildflower Program was implemented in 2000 to improve the visual aesthetics of the Thruway System, save on maintenance costs by reducing the amount of grass to mow, and make travel along the roadway more enjoyable. Traditionally, only grass had been planted and maintained along the 641 mile Thruway System. The Wildflower Program selected a variety of locations in the Thruway medial across the system. Different wildflower species were planted in each location and monitored for a variety of factors including growth rate, weed growth and aesthetic value.