STGT:BNF05:Strawberry Island Forever! Mystery Cache

Strawberry Island Forever

No one knows how the island got its name, only that settlers and
explorers to the area have been calling it Strawberry Island in
their journals as early as 1750. This little island has had quite a
history starting as a staging area for British troops during the
siege on Buffalo in 1814. Since then, ownership of the island has
changed many times. Strawberry Island, nearby Motor Island, and
Grand Island were purchased from the Seneca Indians in 1815 for the
tidy sum of $11,000.

The size of the island has changed many times as well. In 1819,
gravel and rock excavated from digging the Erie Canal was dumped on
the island, expanding its size to almost 138 acres. A hotel was
built in 1882, although it lasted only 10 years. A canal was dug
through the center of the island so that visitors could enjoy the
river without fearing the strong currents. This may have
contributed to the internal breakdown of the island.

Teddy Roosevelt was known to fish along the perimeter of the
island. During the Pan American Exposition, locals would row their
boats to the island, set up Japanese paper lanterns, and watch the
lights of the Exposition.

In the early 1900s, the island increased again as more gravel and
rock was dumped from the excavation of the Black Rock Lock. Then,
in true New York fashion, several different gravel companies began
dredging the island. The size was reduced by half. Dredging would
stop and go as ownership changed, and finally the Army Corps Of
Engineers put a stop to it when water levels in the lake dropped
dramatically. When the Town of Tonawanda purchased the island in
1953...the proud island that had once been over 200 acres was now
reduced less than ¾ of that. It continued to erode due to
vandalism, regular foot traffic, and mother nature. Locals tried to
protect what was left by planting along the shoreline (roots grab
on to soils that might otherwise wash away), but they could not do
it alone.

In 1980, the Strawberry Island Preservation Group was formed. It
was able to secure the funding required to study the island and
determine what was needed to protect it. When a winter storm
successfully broke through the weakest wall of the shoreline,
immediate action had to be taken

Starting in 1993, a 3 Phase project was begun to save, strengthen,
and protect the island.

Phase I-the breach in the shoreline was repaired using
special fabric, rocks, topsoil and plants native to the island. The
immediate danger was over.

Phase II-the rest of the island needed to be strengthened. 1,000
feet of shoreline was lined with geotextile fabric and rock. With
the outside walls strengthened, the inside of the island (now
horseshoe shaped) could start repairing itself naturally.

Phase III-the branches were further reinforced by creating several
berms along the shoreline. They were built high enough to help
dissipate the strength of the current hitting the island. It would
also help collect soil and plants that had managed to wash away and
encourage it to re- grow.

Whats the big deal?

Plenty.

For one, the channel between Grand Island and the Tonawandas would
be drastically altered. Strawberry Island is the first thing the
Niagara River hits before making its way to Grand Island. Motor
Island would be gone. Motor Island is a State Wildlife Management
area. It is one of New Yorks largest nesting areas for blue herons
and great egrets. This would all be destroyed.

Without Strawberry Island to break the current, sediments being
carried along the river would deposit and gradually fill the
entrance to the channel between Grand Island and the Tonawandas,
halting all shipping.

Lastly, the island itself is home to many waterfowl and is a
spawning ground for many fish. The muskellunge, for example, is
native only to North America and is very selective about its
breeding grounds. They will live, breed, and eventually die not far
from where they hatched. Strawberry Island is a prime area for
feeding and spawning-not to mention a safe place to raise the young
'uns.

This cache is not on Strawberry Island. The given coordinates will
not take you to the cache. It will take you to an informational
kiosk in Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island where all this
info-and more-can be found, and a beautiful view of Strawberry
Island can be seen. This kiosk will have the info you need to
answer a few easy questions and then find the
cache.
There is a $7 fee for entering the park between Memorial Day and Labor day from 8am-6pm (hours are from 11-7, but I have had to pay as early as 9am, and folks have reported entering the park after 6 with no problem) or you can enter the park for free by parking at the end of East River Road, or the pull off area along Ferry Road and walk the bike path in.
This cache was placed with permission of the park and holds permit 10-18-BI

N 42 5__.__ __ __ W 078 5__.__ __ __

            A   B   C   D                  E   F   G   H

A) Strawberry Island is located:

4 Finger Lakes

7 Niagara River

0 Ellicott Creek

B) The nearby island Strawberry Island protects is:

9 Auto Island

2 Dunlop Island

6 Motor Island

C) Strawberry Island was formed in:

5 the Middle Ages

0 the Wisconsin Age

8 the '60s

D) When Strawberry Island was purchased from the Seneca Indians,
the value was determined to be:

6 $11,000

8 $100

2 $24 and some beads

E) Teddy Roosevelt was one president known to fish the area. Which
other president vacationed and fished nearby?

6 Grover Cleveland

4 George Washington

2 William McKinley

F) When the Town Of Tonawanda finally purchased the island, it was
only:

0 36 acres

6 25 acres

3 5 acres

G) Soils used in the 3 Repair Phases was brought in from:

5 Beaver Island

1 Buckhorn State Park

8 Good ol' Tonawanda clay!

H) Gravel dredged from the island was used in the concrete that
built many buildings in Downtown Buffalo.

4 True

8 False

You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.