Festival2026 | Great Lakes Center | SUNY Buffalo State College

a class outside near the water listens to an instructor explain how to use a seine net, everyone wears hip waders

The Waterfront Experience: Research, Recreation, and Education Festival

July 11, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Join the Buffalo State Great Lakes Center and our neighbors West Side Rowing Club and Buffalo Maritime Center for an afternoon of ways to explore our waterfront as we celebrate our 60th anniversary.

The Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief will be docked for tours, the Great Lakes Center will provide living displays of life in Lake Erie and programming to show our work as a research and education center, and the WSRC invites people to learn more about their student programs and give rowing a try!

Directions to GLC Field Station, 196 Porter Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14201

Location

Great Lakes Center Field Station

A one-story building with a dock and boat launch next to the water. A truck is backed into the water with a trailer.

The Great Lakes Center Field Station is located on Buffalo's waterfront at the foot of Porter Avenue, four miles south of Buffalo State University's main campus. Guests will park in the lower lot by the boat storage facility and then walk up to the main facility. Activity stations will be on the lawn, in the Dick Smith Outdoor Classroom building, and by the waterfront.

Situated on the water, the Field Station provides access to Lake Erie, the Buffalo River, the Niagara River, and their tributaries. Most of the field research done by the GLC is staged from the Field Station using our boats and other field equipment.

Research is also done within the facility. One wet lab has 16 insulated 200-gallon tanks that provide scientists with conditions suitable for fish rearing and diet studies. Another wet lab can handle smaller tanks for experiments on single specimens, culturing small organisms, or for experiments in behavioral traits. There is also general lab space for sample processing, chemical analysis, or microscopy. Other experiments have been run on the grounds, such as the stream microcosm study.

The Dick Smith Outdoor Classroom offers a seasonal space for lectures and other campus meetings. With floor-to-ceiling windows that allow a clear view of the Niagara River, the flexible classroom provides a new learning experience for students.

Participants

Great Lakes Center

Celebrating our 60th anniversary, the Great Lakes Center is an institute of researchers and educators at SUNY Buffalo State University dedicated to investigating the ecology of the Great Lakes and their tributaries. Our staff are full time research scientists or technicians and one is also a professor with the Biology department. In addition to our field station on the waterfront and fleet of boats, we also have lab facilities on the main Buffalo State campus. The center offers Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees in Great Lakes Environmental Science.

GLC Home

WNY PRISM

The Western New York Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (WNY PRISM) is one of 8 regional partnerships in New York State created to help prevent or minimize the harm caused by invasive species to New York’s environment, economy and human health.

We work to address invasive species priorities using a coordinated partnership network, for which we provide leadership, technical assistance and opportunities for collaboration. Our goal is to improve, restore and protect local aquatic and terrestrial resources by improving the effectiveness of invasive species management efforts, engaging the public in management actions and increasing awareness of invasive species issues throughout our eight-county region. We are involved in all aspects of invasive species prevention and management and combine and leverage resources to implement the full suite of actions required to address the threat posed by invasive species.

WNY PRISM is funded by the Environmental Protection Fund through a contract with the Department of Environmental Conservation. We are a sponsored program of The Research Foundation for SUNY at Buffalo State, and are hosted by the Great Lakes Center.

WNY PRISM

West Side Rowing Club

Teaching Buffalo to row for over 100 years, the West Side Rowing Club is a non-profit organization whose purpose is the advancement of the physical, mental, and moral well-being of the youth of the City of Buffalo, New York and surrounding communities by education, training, instruction, and participation in the art of rowing and other athletic pursuits.

Since the late 1970s, WSRC has been located at Cotter's Point, at the foot of Porter Avenue.

West Side Rowing Club

Buffalo Maritime Center

Buffalo Maritime Center (BMC) inspires meaningful connections and life lessons through community boatbuilding, preserving maritime culture, and exploring the waterways of Western New York. It is a living workshop where volunteers, students, and master craftspeople come together to build, restore, and maintain wooden boats using both traditional and modern techniques. Through educational programs, public exhibits, and large-scale projects like the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief, the BMC fosters a deeper appreciation for the region’s waterways, craftsmanship, and history.

Buffalo Maritime Center

Buffalo Yacht Club

The Buffalo Yacht Club is a private membership club that's been in operation since 1860. The BYCF's mission is to make the joy of sailing, boating, and access to the water available to all individuals in the Western New York area. Sailing is a sport that everyone can enjoy, and all individuals should have the opportunity to participate. The Buffalo Yacht Club Foundation runs sailing programs for individuals of all ages and skill levels and has scholarships available for children 6 to 18 years old to participate in the BYCF's High School and Junior Sailing Programs.

Buffalo Yacht Club