Sturgeon Story

In 2021, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the United States Geological Survey and the US Fish and Wildlife Service made an important announcement. For the first time in more than 50 years, they had found a spawning lake sturgeon in the Genesee River. This is the story of decades of work among these conservation partners to restore a species that had been extinct in our backyard, the Genesee River.

This Sturgeon Story tour takes you from the mouth of the Genesee River at Lake Ontario south to Lower Falls, an area once critical for sturgeon spawning. You can boat up the river, or bike or walk along the Genesee River Trail.

The tour was created in partnership with the Seneca Park Zoo. It is narrated by Dr. Jeff Wyatt, Professor & Chair of Comparative Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry and Environmental Justice Advocate at the Seneca Park Zoo.

Photo credit: Dr. Jeff Wyatt