Earth Month in WNY! Step Outside and Document Protected Lands - A Citizen Science Event

by Christin Bratton

Christin Bratton

In Florida, you see 4-foot birds crossing streets, hawks carrying fish in their claws, and iguanas dropping from trees when temperatures reach 40 degrees.

Those moments show how closely species respond to their environment and the land they occupy. In my work, I connect all that awareness to Buffalo’s land and water systems. Western New York holds its own set of ecosystems shaped by tributaries, wetlands, forests, and shorelines. These protected lands support fish, mammals, and bird species that depend on stable habitat conditions. They are as valuable and as sensitive as any other landscape.

Land protection relies on tools such as conservation easements, which limit devel opment on private land while keeping ownership intact. Land trusts identify priority areas based on ecological value, habitat connectivity, and develop ment pressure. These efforts protect wetlands that filter water, forests that support wild life movement, and shorelines that reduce erosion.

During Earth Month, you are invited to visit a protected area and document what you observe. Focus on vegetation health, water conditions, wildlife presence, and signs of human impact. Submit photos or short field notes through the TerraOnTheBench portal or use the hashtag #terraonsite when posting. Selected submissions will be featured in future blog posts and organizational events. Your pictures will also serve as real experience documenting environmental conditions like a real scientist! The official event details will be released starting April 1st.

After you’ve been outside and you’ve gathered your notes, participants can continue the conversation through a pub lic discussion hosted under the F.I.E.L.D. Initiative via zoom. The virtual session will examine how land protection works in practice and what par ticipants observed during the month. We will cover the sub mission photos and share our experiences with each other. Updates, event details, and the submission link will be posted at TerraOnTheBench.com or you can scan the QR Code.