The Parting of the Waters

The Parting of the Waters. . Here, the upper Niagara River divides into two channels. To the left of the river becomes the American Rapids. To the right, the other 90% becomes the Horseshoe Rapids. In the distance are Grand Island and Navy Island, the two largest islands in the river. A sandbar once extended east from here, making it possible for people to travel over its shallow waters to Goat Island. The sandbar was removed in the 1950s to prevent formation of ice jams. , The Niagara River is home to many species of waterfowl and gulls, and is a stopping area fpr a number of migratory species from around the world. The Niagara River corridor annually supports one of the largest, most diverse concentrations of gulls in the world. The Boneparte's gull and the herring gull, and the canvasback and the common merganser ducks, gather here in globally significant numbers. in 1996, this corridor was designated a globally significant Important Bird Area, becoming the first international site with this recognition. , The river-control structure extending out into the Horseshoe Rapids is called the International Niagara Control Works. It regulates the flow of water over the falls by a series of gates. By international treaty, a controlled flow of water must go ove rthe falls; the rest is used equally by the United States and Canada for hydroelectric power. , Bonaparte's Gull. Photograph courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Photographer: J. Surman. , Common Merganser. Photograph courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Photographer: John Heidecker. , Small Mouth Bass, Large Mouth Bass, Lake Trout, Rainbow Trout, Muskellunge, Northern Pike , The Niagara River has one of the most diverse populations of fish in North America. All fish images courtesy of New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. , Ring-billed Gull. Photograph courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Photographer: Isador Jeklin. , Mallaerd Duck.