Upon a recent visit to Cape Vincent, NY, I came across a small… actually tiny, no frills aquarium dedicated to indigenous aquatic life. The visit was a fascinating window into the world of nearby waterways (Lake Ontario and Saint Lawrence River). The aquarium was located inside the basement of a beautiful historic stone building, though this type of exhibit could be incorporated into just about any building (Tifft Nature Preserve, CPO Club, RiverFest Park or Canalside). The room that I am referring to in this case was about 500 sq.’ and held about seven tanks. Nothing to it.
Now when I say aquarium, we’re not talking about gigantic tanks filled with all sorts of sea creatures, rather we’re talking about some very basic tank installations that feature everyday (and not so everyday) fresh water fish indigenous to Lake Erie. The Cape Vincent Fisheries Aquarium was a real life eye opener for me, as it proved that anything can be built in the Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper fashion without over-thinking the scale of a project. An attraction along these lines could be added to Canalside very easily, and would be a fun attraction for all ages. Of course you would need a structure to house the exhibit, and an organization to maintain the displays, and maybe even an operator if it was a stand alone feature. The aquarium in Cape Vincent was unattended for the most part… we just walked in, looked at the different types of fish, read about the aquatic history of the area, including information on the fisheries, and then departed. Easy breezy.
This particular aquarium is operated by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). In Buffalo, a perfect classroom setting for this type of display would be the Dick Smith Teaching Pavilion located in-between the Buffalo Yacht Club and the West Side Rowing Club. It’s a fairly underutilized addition to the waterfront and is operated by Buffalo State. Another incredible (and larger) facility that would be perfect for this type of exhibit would be the CPO Club, though it is not clear what the future use of this building will be.
Either way, the aquarium idea is a good one that could be turned around in a short period of time, maybe even incorporated into a restaurant. Now that we are paying more attention to our natural resources, including Lake Erie and the Buffalo River, it’s a perfect fit for our environmental lessons, and who doesn’t love an aquarium (no matter the size)?
This would actually dovetail nicely with Riverkeeper’s Catch of the Day program that was recently launched.