Reclaiming Ohi:yo'- Restoring the Altered Landscape of the Beautiful River Main MenuWelcomingFront page for this Digital Exhibit.The Seneca Nation of IndiansWe call ourselves Onödowá'ga:' (oh-non-doh-wah!-gawh!), which means "People of the Great Hill". We are one of six other nations that collectively call ourselves Hodinöhsö:ní (hoh-dee-nonh-sonh-neeh!), meaning "People of the Longhouse".Ohi:yo'Ohi:yo', our Beautiful River, has always been our home and source of nourishment.The Kinzua Dam ProjectOur elders fought for our land and sovereignty in the 1950s and 1960s. They fought to stop the construction of Kinzua Dam.The Allegheny ReservoirThe reservoir has altered the landscape, ecosystem, and our interactions with Ohi:yo.The Allegheny Reservoir: A Visual Depiction of Water LevelsAt times of water storage the water depth of the river channel is approximately 26 feet, with as little as 6 to 8 feet of water during the winter months.The Significance of Kinzua to our Seneca PeopleThe U.S. Army Corps of EngineersThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in collaboration with the U.S. federal government built Kinzua Dam between 1960 and 1965.Kinzua Era TimelinesThis page provides two different temporal representations of the Kinzua Era (1956-1966).Kinzua Dam's Environmental ImpactsThe creation of Kinzua Dam has had lasting environmental impacts on our land and water. Learn more here.Seneca Nation Fish and Wildlife DepartmentThe Nation's Fish and Wildlife Department engages in restoration and resiliency projects related to Ohi:yo'.Fighting for the Water: Fracking Wastewater in Ohi:yo'In 2016 the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) began deliberating a 1,000-barrel/day of unconventional gas drilling wastewater (Frack Wastewater) disposal facility in Potter County proposed by Epiphany Allegheny LLC. In response to the news of these fracking plans, our Seneca people again fought for our people, our communities, and our Ohi:yo'.A Legacy of ResilienceWe will continue on.Access and Use RightsFor our full statement on rights and use of our exhibit contents see this page.Additional ResourcesThis page contains additional resources that can provide more in-depth information that is perhaps not included within our exhibit.About this ExhibitThis page contains information about our intra-Nation departmental collaborations and exhibit acknowledgements.The Seneca-Iroquois National Museum663b8929f7a99e6bad2d94d8e2c4f4c0dbfcfc0fDana Reijerkerk3c44fb85ab096c2290175e81dd4f16f0002a41e0This exhibit was published by the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, 2018.
Ohi:yo' Restoration Projects
12018-07-25T22:05:23-07:00Dana Reijerkerk3c44fb85ab096c2290175e81dd4f16f0002a41e0308618Major restoration projects are underway in the Allegany Reservoir and along the banks of Ohi:yo'. Seneca Nation Fish and Wildlife Department workers and volunteers work year-round to monitor and maintain the local ecosytem. To earn more about the Seneca Nation Allegany River/Reservoir restoration and resiliency projects click here.plain2018-08-20T15:56:20-07:00Dana Reijerkerk3c44fb85ab096c2290175e81dd4f16f0002a41e0
Members of the Seneca Nation's Watershed Resources Working Group are involved in various restoration and resiliency projects for our Ohi:yo'. The Seneca Nation's Fish and Wildlife Department in particular engages in projects related to building artificial habitat, repopulating our river's Walleye population, and building trenches to help land locked fish.
Artificial Habitat
The seasonal lowering and emptying of the water reserves within the reservoir leave our inundated land exposed and unprotected to weather elements for part of the year. This annual exposure makes it difficult for natural vegetation to grow, which acts as a barrier to erosion but is also habitat to our fish within our river.
The Seneca Nation's Fish and Wildlife Department creates artificial habitat to provide the needed environment, shelter, and food for fry and young of year fish, such as the Walleye. Some of the artificial habitat is made from recycled Christmas trees, which are tied in bundles of three or four and weighed down with cinder blocks. The Nation's Fish and Wildlife Department places this type of artificial habitat in areas identified for spawning and nursing fish, such as Yellow Perch, Crappie, Walleye, and White Bass. In certain areas wooden structures are also placed to help prevent erosion. The Christmas trees are then tied to the wooden structures to help prevent sediment buildup. Recycled cement rubble that has been removed from local construction projects is also bordered around nursery areas, again to provide shelter and food for young of year fish.
Artificial habitat is also made from recycled vinyl siding that ranges in size from one and a half to three feet in height, which is done to provide a more diverse artificial environment.
Land Locked Fish and Trenches
The draining of the reservoir in fall in combination with the sediment buildup that covers spawning and nursery areas leaves many areas of landlocked water that fish get trapped in, leading to mass fish kills. Once landlocked, tens of thousands of young of year fish die because of oxygen degradation, predation, and water evaporation. Fish species affected by land locking are Crappie, Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Channel Catfish, Walleye, Bullhead, Small Mouth Bass, Large Mouth Bass, White Bass, Yellow Perch, and Paddlefish.
The Seneca Nation of Indian's Fish and Wildlife Department works to combat erosion and the mass loss of landlocked fish by building artificial habitat and digging trenches in the bottom of the Reservoir. During the winter months maintenance to the trenches dug in years past is done.
Mapping the Restoration Projects
The Seneca Nation's Geographic Information Services (G.I.S.) Department has helped document and track the various restoration projects related to our river.
This page references:
12018-07-26T18:02:13-07:00Artificial Fish Habitiats: Using Christmas Trees5Christmas tree artificial habitat is placed along areas identified for spawning and nursing fish of many species, such as Yellow Perch, Crappie, Walleye, and White Bass. Identified in the photo is Seneca Nation Fish and Wildlife Officer Andrew Howard. Quaker Run Creek can be seen flowing in the far right corner of the image (Quaker Run Creek is a tributary to Ohi:yo').media/FWD-002v2.jpgplain2018-08-20T15:53:15-07:00Seneca Nation Fish and Wildlife Department2018-07-17stillimageFWD-002banks (landforms), rivers, erosion, independent sovereign nations, native peoples reservations, flood dams, gravity dams, rolled-fill dams,Seneca-Iroquois National MuseumengSeneca Nation of Indian land within the Allegany Territory that was inundated with the construction of the Allegany Reservoir is only underwater for part of the year. Come Fall of every year, much of the bottom of the Reservoir has begun to dry up as the water reserves are lowered at the discretion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This seasonal lowering and emptying of the water reserves held within the Reservoir leaves the land exposed and unprotected to weather elements, which in combination with the water fluctuations throughout the year, expediates the erosion of the shorelines and banks of Ohi:yo'. In addition, this annual exposure to the weather makes it difficult for natural vegetation to grow, which acts as a barrier to erosion. As part of the many restoration projects the Nation is involved in, the Nation's Fish and Wildlife Department creates artificial habitat to provide the needed environment for fry and young of year fish, such as the Walleye, shelter and food come summer when this portion of the Allegany Reservoir is once again underwater. In addition recycled cement rubble that has been removed from local construction projects is bordered around nursery areas, again to provide shelter and food for young of year fish. The artificial habitat shown here is made from recycled Christmas trees, which are tied in bundles of three (3) or 4(4) and weighed down with cinder blocks. Christmas tree artifical habitat is placed along areas identified for spawning and nursing fish of many species, such as Yellow Perch, Crappie, Walleye, and White Bass. Identified in the photo is Nation Fish and Wildlife Officer Andrew Howard. Quaker Run Creek can be seen flowing in the far right corner of the image (Quaker Run Creek is a tributary to Ohi:yo').electronicimage/jpegborn digitalRecord has been transformed into MODS from the original accession record. Metadata originally created in a locally modified version of qualified Dublin Core.dateCreated encoding= "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:temporalsubject authority = "tgn"; dcTerm:coveragesubject authority = "aat";dcTerm:subjectrecordCreation Date encoding = "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:datelanguageOfCataloging authority = "iso639-2b"; dcTerm:languageAllegany Reservation, Allegany (county), Kinzua Reservoir (reservoir), Quaker Run Area (area), Quaker Run (stream)This record was created by Dana Reijerkerk.Shane Titus1 photograph2017-02-23
12018-07-20T15:18:28-07:00Trenches Dug for Landlocked Areas5The Seneca Nation of Indian's Fish and Wildlife Department works to combat mass fish kills by digging trenches that lead out of those landlocked areas. During the winter months maintenance to the trenches dug in years past is done. The water levels of the landlocked area depicted in the photograph have become too low for fish to use the trench.media/FWD-004.JPGmeta2018-08-03T16:36:19-07:00Seneca Nation Fish & Wildlife Department2018-07-18stillimageFWD-004banks (landforms), rivers, erosion, independent sovereign nations, native peoples reservations, flood dams, gravity dams, rolled-fill dams,Seneca-Iroquois National MuseumengSeneca Nation of Indian land within the Allegany Territory that was inundated with the construction of the Allegany Reservoir is only underwater for part of the year. Come Fall of every year, much of the bottom of the Reservoir has begun to dry up as the water reserves are lowered at the discretion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The exposure to weather and the water fluctuations throughout year expediate the erosion of natural habitat and shoreline and sediment accumulation. Sediment levels within the reservoir have built to the point where spawning and nursery areas are covered, leaving many of the fish species land locked when the annual drawdown for the winter months begins. Once landlocked, tens of thousands of young of year fish die because of oxygen degradation, predation, and water evaporation. The Seneca Nation of Indian's Fish and Wildlife Department works to combat mass fish kills by digging trenches that lead out of those landlocked areas. During the winter months maintenance to the trenches dug in years past is done. The water levels of the landlocked area depicted in the photograph have become too low for fish to use the trench.42.061855555556,-78.885405555556electronicimage/jpegborn digitalRecord has been transformed into MODS from the original accession record. Metadata originally created in a locally modified version of qualified Dublin Core.dateCreated encoding= "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:temporalsubject authority = "tgn"; dcTerm:coveragesubject authority = "aat";dcTerm:subjectrecordCreation Date encoding = "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:datelanguageOfCataloging authority = "iso639-2b"; dcTerm:languageAllegany Reservation, Allegany (county), Kinzua Reservoir (reservoir)Shane TitusThis record was created by Dana Reijerkerk.1 photograph2016-08-03
12018-07-26T18:00:21-07:00GIS Department Mapping of Habitat: Gerri Jimerson4The Nation's Geographic Information Services (GIS) Department works with Fish and Wildlife to map with GPS the areas where artifical habitat have been placed. Identified in the photograph is Gerri Jimerson, a member of the Nation's GIS Department who worked to document the artifical habitat and resotration locations along the portion of the reservoir that extends onto Seneca Nation of Indians land. Gerri is standing in an area of the reservoir bottom where grass has begun to grow.media/FWD-005v5.jpgmeta2018-08-03T16:35:11-07:00Seneca Nation Fish & Wildlife Department2018-07-18stillimageFWD-005independent sovereign nations, native peoples reservationsSeneca-Iroquois National MuseumengSeneca Nation of Indian land within the Allegany Territory that was inundated with the construction of the Allegany Reservoir is only underwater for part of the year. Come Fall of every year, much of the bottom of the Reservoir has begun to dry up as the water reserves are lowered at the discretion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This seasonal lowering and emptying of the water reserves held within the reservoir leaves the land exposed and unprotected to weather elements, which in combination with the water fluctuations throughout the year, expediates the erosion of the shorelines and banks of Ohi:yo'. In addition, this annual exposure to the weather makes it difficult for natural vegetation to grow, which acts as a barrier to erosion. As part of the many restoration projects the Nation is involved in, the Nation's Fish and Wildlife Department creates artificial habitat to provide the needed environment for fry and young of year fish, such as the Walleye, shelter and food come summer when this portion of the Allegany Reservoir is once again underwater. The artificial habitat shown here is made from recycled vinyl siding ranging from one and a half (1.5) feet to three (3) feet in height, which is done to provide a more diverse artificial environment. The Nation's Geographic Information Services (GIS) Department works with Fish and Wildlife to map with GPS the areas where artifical habitat have been placed. Identified in the photograph is Gerri Jimerson, a member of the Nation's GIS Department who worked to document the artifical habitat and resotration locations along the portion of the reservoir that extends onto Seneca Nation of Indians land. Gerri is standing in an area of the reservoir bottom where grass has begun to grow.42.107313888889,-78.837822222222electronicimage/jpegborn digitalRecord has been transformed into MODS from the original accession record. Metadata originally created in a locally modified version of qualified Dublin Core.languageOfCataloging authority = "iso639-2b"; dcTerm:languagerecordCreation Date encoding = "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:datesubject authority = "aat";dcTerm:subjectsubject authority = "tgn"; dcTerm:coveragedateCreated encoding= "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:temporalAllegany Reservation, Allegany (county), Allegany RiverShane TitusThis record was created by Dana Reijerkerk.1 photograph2016-08-08
12018-07-20T15:19:23-07:00Landlocked Fish Kills in the Allegany Reservoir4Sediment levels within the reservoir have built to the point where spawning and nursery areas are covered, leaving many of the fish species land locked when the annual drawdown for the winter months begins. Once landlocked, tens of thousands of young of year fish die because of oxygen degradation, predation, and water evaporation. Fish species affected by land locking are Crappie, Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Channel Catfish, Walleye, Bullhead, Small Mouth Bass, Large Mouth Bass, White Bass, Yellow Perch, and Paddlefish.media/FWD-001.JPGmeta2018-08-03T16:37:51-07:00Seneca Nation Fish & Wildlife Department2018-07-17stillimageFWD-001banks (landforms), rivers, erosion, independent sovereign nations, native peoples reservations, flood dams, gravity dams, rolled-fill dams,Seneca Nation Fish and Wildlife DepartmentSeneca-Iroquois National MuseumengSeneca Nation of Indian land within the Allegany Territory that was inundated with the construction of the Allegany Reservoir is only underwater for part of the year. Come Fall of every year, much of the bottom of the Reservoir has begun to dry up as the water reserves are lowered at the discretion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The exposure to weather and the water fluctuations throughout year expediate the erosion of natural habitat and shoreline and sediment accumulation. Sediment levels within the reservoir have built to the point where spawning and nursery areas are covered, leaving many of the fish species land locked when the annual drawdown for the winter months begins. Once landlocked, tens of thousands of young of year fish die because of oxygen degradation, predation, and water evaporation. Fish species affected by land locking are Crappie, Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Channel Catfish, Walleye, Bullhead, Small Mouth Bass, Large Mouth Bass, White Bass, Yellow Perch, and Paddlefish.image/jpegelectronicborn digitalRecord has been transformed into MODS from the original accession record. Metadata originally created in a locally modified version of qualified Dublin Core.languageOfCataloging authority = "iso639-2b"; dcTerm:languagerecordCreation Date encoding = "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:datesubject authority = "aat";dcTerm:subjectsubject authority = "tgn"; dcTerm:coveragedateCreated encoding= "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:temporalAllegany Reservation, Allegany (county), Kinzua Reservoir (reservoir),This record was created by Dana Reijerkerk.Shane Titus1 photograph2016/2017
12018-07-26T18:03:50-07:00The Reservoir During Winter Draw down3The artificial habitat shown here is made from recycled vinyl siding ranging from one and a half (1.5) feet to three (3) feet in height, which is done to provide a more diverse artificial environment.media/FWD-003v2.jpgplain2018-08-20T15:57:18-07:00Seneca Nation Fish & Wildlife Department2018-07-17stillimageFWD-003banks (landforms), rivers, erosion, independent sovereign nations, native peoples reservations, flood dams, gravity dams, rolled-fill damsSeneca-Iroquois National MuseumengSeneca Nation of Indian land within the Allegany Territory that was inundated with the construction of the Allegany Reservoir is only underwater for part of the year. Come Fall of every year, much of the bottom of the Reservoir has begun to dry up as the water reserves are lowered at the discretion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This seasonal lowering and emptying of the water reserves held within the Reservoir leaves the land exposed and unprotected to weather elements, which in combination with the water fluctuations throughout the year, expediates the erosion of the shorelines and banks of Ohi:yo'. In addition, this annual exposure to the weather makes it difficult for natural vegetation to grow, which acts as a barrier to erosion, which creates an aesthetically barren landscape during low and no water seasons. As part of the many restoration projects the Nation is involved in, the Nation's Fish and Wildlife Department creates artificial habitat to provide the needed environment for fry and young of year fish, such as the Walleye, shelter and food come summer when this portion of the Allegany Reservoir is once again underwater. The artificial habitat shown here is made from recycled vinyl siding ranging from one and a half (1.5) feet to three (3) feet in height, which is done to provide a more diverse artificial environment.electronicimage/jpegborn digitalRecord has been transformed into MODS from the original accession record. Metadata originally created in a locally modified version of qualified Dublin Core.dateCreated encoding= "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:temporalsubject authority = "tgn"; dcTerm:coveragesubject authority = "aat"; dcTerm:subjectrecordCreation Date encoding = "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:datelanguageOfCataloging authority = "iso639-2b"; dcTerm:languageAllegany Reservation, Allegany (county), Kinzua Reservoir (reservoir)This record was created by Dana Reijerkerk.Shane Titus1 photograph2016-03-21
12018-08-07T13:25:09-07:00Allegany Reservoir Erosion3A trench dug in a past year can be seen in this photograph. The sloping "hill" to the far left is sediment buildup from the dam and the considerably large trench, the area covered in light snow to the bottom left extending to the image's center, has now become flat. Artificial habitat made of recycled vinyl siding is also placed along the sloping side of the sediment buildup.media/GIS-002.JPGplain2018-08-20T15:59:22-07:00Seneca Nation of Indians Geographic Information Services (GIS) Department2018-07-31stillimageGIS-002independent sovereign nations, native peoples reservations, topography (attribute), banks (landforms), rivers, erosionSeneca-Iroquois National MuseumengThe Seneca Nation of Indian's Fish and Wildlife Department works to combat erosion and the mass loss of landlocked fish by building artificial habitat and digging trenches in the bottom of the Reservoir. During the winter months maintenance to the trenches dug in years past is done, one of which can be seen in this photograph. The sloping "hill" to the far left is sediment buildup from the dam and the considerably large trench, the area covered in light snow to the bottom left extending to the image's center, has now become flat. Artificial habitat made of recycled vinyl siding is also placed along the sloping side of the sediment buildup.born digitalimage/jpegelectronicRecord has been transformed into MODS from the original accession record. Metadata originally created in a locally modified version of qualified Dublin Core.subject authority = "aat"; dcTerm:subjectrecordCreation Date encoding = "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:datelanguageOfCataloging authority = "iso639-2b"; dcTerm:languagesubject authority = "tgn"; dcTerm:coveragedateCreated encoding= "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:temporalKinzua Reservoir (reservoir), Allegany River, New York (state), Cattaraugus (county), Allegany ReservationSeneca Nation of Indians Geographic Information Services (GIS) DepartmentThis record was created by Dana Reijerkerk.1 photograph2016-03-21
12018-08-20T15:43:40-07:00Christmas Tree Artificial Habitat with Wooden Structures2Photograph of artificial habitat made of recycled Christmas Trees placed in the Allegany Reservoir by the Nation's Fish and Wildlife Department.media/GIS-005.jpgplain2018-08-20T15:46:27-07:00Seneca Nation of Indians Geographic Information Services (GIS) Department2018-08-20stillimageGIS-005independent sovereign nations, native peoples reservations, topography (attribute), riversSeneca-Iroquois National Museumengborn digitalimage/jpegelectronicRecord has been transformed into MODS from the original accession record. Metadata originally created in a locally modified version of qualified Dublin Core.languageOfCataloging authority = "iso639-2b"; dcTerm:languagerecordCreation Date encoding = "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:datesubject authority = "aat"; dcTerm:subjectsubject authority = "tgn"; dcTerm:coveragedateCreated encoding= "w3cdtf"; dcTerm:temporalNew York (state), Cattaraugus (county), Salamanca (inhabited place), Allegany Reservation, Allegany River, Kinzua Reservoir (reservoir)This record was created by Dana Reijerkerk.Seneca Nation of Indians Geographic Information Services (GIS) Department1 photograph2016-03-30