A local environmental group gained international recognition Tuesday. The Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper received the Thiess International Riverprize for its restoration work on the Niagara River and surrounding watershed.
“We are humbled and grateful for this recognition of the transformation of the Niagara River watershed, said Jill Jedlicka. “This honor is dependent upon and shared with our entire community, and is a testament to the decades of civic engagement of individuals, dedicated partners and our innovative staff and board."
Jedlicka said the big win had a lot to do with "change."
"We've changed the way we think of our sewers, we changed our thinking about how we manage our storm water and how we interact with the water," she said. "Collectively, all that has really transformed the cultural paradigm of our entire region."
For years, the waterways in the Buffalo Niagara region have struggled with industrial pollution. The group has been working for more than a decade to improve the Niagara watershed habitat and the surrounding region.
The group was one of three finalists. The prize, awarded by the International RiverFoundation during a symposium in India, comes with a cash award of about $150,000.
