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Human Influence

Successful plant conservation and restoration in the Niagara River Corridor is highly challenging. Overall, as part of a temperate climate, plants are subject to the cycle of the seasons: summer, fall, winter and spring. But the Niagara River Corridor is also impacted heavily by human activities. Niagara Falls itself is a major tourist attraction. Fishing and boating are popular recreational activities along the river. The river itself is the source of water for drinking, industrial cooling, and is the receiver of municipal and industrial effluents.
Use of the river for hydro-generation has had major impacts on the Niagara River Corridor. The Chippawa River (Welland River) is the major tributary to the Niagara River on the Ontario side; the flow at the mouth of the Welland, however, is reversed due to hydro operations.

Water levels in the Great Lakes and hence in the Niagara River are profoundly influenced by precipitation. In addition there are seasonal changes due to increased drawdown by Ontario and New York Hydro facilities, during the winter months from November 1 to April; 50% of the water is diverted during the summer months; 75% during the winter. This changes from day to night. In the summer months 75% of the water is diverted at night. If the river was allowed to return to natural levels, it would rise probably another 5 meters.
Water levels are also greatly affected by seiches in Lake Erie (oscillation of the water caused by changes in atmospheric pressure), which can raise or lower water levels at the mouth of the Niagara River by up to 2.5 meters. Before the annual installation of an ice boom at the south of the Niagara river, ice jams were also problematic causing scour and affecting flow.

Many of the 915 native and naturalized plants that were inventoried in 1884, were in the area of Dufferin Islands. Some of these specimens are in the Niagara Parks' current Herabarium. When The Niagara Parks Commission was established in 1885 there were no trees left from the early pioneer days. Part of the NPC mandate was to restore the land, so 269 trees were planted immediately. Planting continued, and in 1910 permanent labels were added to trees and shrubs to help fulfil the education mandate of the NPC. This practice continues today.

The early gardens included perennial displays with rhododendrons and azaleas. In 1910 curiosity about a new rose inspired the NPC to trial 12 hybrid perpetuals on the Parks Commission grounds at Queen Victoria Park. Not only did the roses like the mist and cooler temperatures near the Falls and the shelter of the bank (a glacial moraine), they were an unqualified success with the general public. This inspired Niagara Parks to expand and enlarge their gardens to become a suitable frame to the natural beauty of the Falls and the Niagara River Great Gorge.