National Grid plc

09/22/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/21/2021 18:50

West Seneca Celebrates New Wildlife Observation Deck

Years ago, Evelyn Hicks would spend early spring days along the wetlands near Meyer Road in the town of West Seneca. Hicks, at top, is a lifelong conservationist who chairs the town's environmental commission. She recalled how she would sit quietly, counting and listening to the calls of the various frog species there.

Her observations were a labor of love. The information she collected was logged and used by environmental groups to learn more about the area's wildlife.

On Friday, Sept. 17, she shared this story and her passion for the environment with a small group of people near the exact same spot where she used to visit. Today, that spot is nestled behind National Grid's $118 million substation. And thanks to a project that the utility and town worked on together, it's also home to a new wildlife observation deck.

Because of the new deck frog counts and watching various bird species, she said, became a little bit easier.

For the efforts that went into completing the project, Hicks' heart was bursting with gratitude.

She thanked a long list of people, including West Seneca elected officials past and present, including Town Supervisor Gary Dickson, who attended the small ceremony to open the observation deck.

"We couldn't have done it without National Grid, which exceeded our expectations," Hicks said. "I can't say enough about National Grid and the work that they did with the town. The observation deck is important because it keeps people out of the wetlands and allows them to appreciate the wildlife."

Wildlife rehabber Judy Seiler, President of Messinger Woods Wildlife Care and Education Center Inc. Accompanied by fellow rehabber Judy Cresanti and two owls that her team had rehabbed, Seiler stressed the importance of wetlands and protected areas because animals need places to raise their young.

Joining Judy Seiler, left, at the Observation Deck opening by were Ritchie the
great horned owl and, at right, fellow rehabber Judy Cresanti who is handling Lucky the barred owl.

Seiler, a West Seneca resident, said that Buffalo's Tifft Nature Preserve has several similar decks and that there are few places like the one that National Grid and the town worked on together.

The utility and town celebrated the completion of the job on Sept. 17. It was one of several events across New York state that comprised National Grid's Day of Service and launch of Project C, the company's recommitment to customers and neighborhoods. On that day more than one thousand National Grid employees donated their time and skills to support various charities and to help those who were most in need.

National Grid Regional Director Ken Kujawa, above, said that when the company works on projects such as the Gardenville substation, which included the upgrading of equipment that dated to the 1930s, the goals frequently extend beyond the modernization effort.

"National Grid is only as strong as the communities that we serve, and one key component of what we do as part of our Day of Service and launch of Project C is determining how to leave an area better than the way we found it," Kujawa said. "Working with the Town of West Seneca on the observation deck is a great example of how we accomplish this."