This seems like a fascinating project on a lot of different dimensions. I am curious if there is a relationship between the invasive plant control and water flow. That is, will restoring the natives (or controlling the aliens) make it easier to regulate the evenness of water levels?

Wado (Thank you) Dr. Drayton,
Controlling invasive plants is important to the Tuscarora. Although theoretically there are many ways in which invasive plants can influence water levels and that water levels can influence invasives. There are two species that were found on the Tuscarora wetlands. There is not enough purple loosestrife or phragmites in the wetland to significantly affect water levels or water flow. Purple loosestrife, though fairly widely spread across the site, is not dominant and that there are only a couple of small patches of phragmites. As such the ERIE team does not expect the removal of the invasive plants to have a measurable impact on water flow or water levels in the wetland. Though of course management of the invasives is required and that if it’s not done, there is the possibility that they could alter the hydrologic regime of the site.

As faculty advisor for this project, I am very proud of the hard work and interdisciplinary spirit! I wish that space allowed a more extensive discussion of all the interesting facets. But thanks to the many engaged students, our partner Ecology and Environment, and the supportive Tuscarora Environment Program, we will continue to learn from this project and community.
Alan Rabideau

Great work all. I would love to see the site some day. It’s a shame that so many people drive by the Niagara Power Project every day but do not necessarily connect with the cultural history of the area. The American side of The Falls has a wonderful park and has done well to preserve the natural areas of the gorge, and I like how this project is shedding some light how much more cultural-environmental interaction there is in the immediate region.

Great job ERIE IGERT on the video presentation. While not always stressed enough in restoration, the historical context, both culturally and ecologically, are interlinked. This presentation and project doe a great job of showing this linkages.

Thank you Professor Rabideau, Mike, and Stacey,
One of the dimensions not mentioned was the extent to which our team went to gain approval by the Tuscarora for each step of this process. This is why having IGERT members, from Native American communities, on our ERIE IGERT team was paramount. The multicultural diversity of our interdisciplinary IGERT team helped us to recognize the Tuscarora’s needs as our clients. We could not be perceived as speaking for the Tuscarora Nation. It was important to the Tuscarora Nation (as it is for most tribes) that we sign a nondisclosure agreement (represented on our poster). Due to this agreement and respect we asked the Tuscarora permission to compete on FaceBook which created a delay to compete in that social media. Every step was a team effort with the tribe always in the forefront.

I would like to add that in our efforts to promote science in the spirit of transcending cultural and public awareness, we have received many compliments from Indigenous communities across the nation, young and old alike.