Every late winter & early spring Ellicott Island Bark Park goes through a wet season. As the snow melts & the rainy season begins, water does not drain quickly from the island. The terrain of the island makes this difficult because the edges of the island are higher than the center, making the island react like pouring a glass of water into a bowl. The water just sits there until it has time to slowly drain through the ground or the sun comes out enough to help it evaporate. The pictures provided on this page show how this has occurred in years past.

Under these conditions, wear & tear from both people & canines, can quickly tear up the turf. Re growing grass is not only costly, but also difficult on the island. Grass seed is not cheap & while we have been fortunate to have some members donate grass seed, the vast amount of shade & limited growing time during closing makes regrowing grass difficult. Our best approach to maintaining the turf on the island has been to protect it. This is one of Friends of Ellicott’s responsibilities as agreed upon with Erie County Parks & Recreation Dept. when Ellicott Island Bark Park was made an official dog park.

In addition, standing water in the Bark Park can turn into a health hazard for all dogs. Especially if not all dog owners clean up after their dogs as required by park rules. If you see this happening, please offer the owner a waste bag & point out where their dog has gone. Don’t be mean about it, as some people honestly, occasionally miss seeing their dog going. 

With this mix of standing water & dog waste, it could cause the potential for diseases & parasites such as Giardia & Leptospirosis to spread. There may be vaccines for both of these, however because they are not required by NYS, not all dogs are vaccinated for them. Keeping your dog away from standing water conditions in & out of the Bark Park is the best option to help maintain the health of your dog.

For these reasons, once the ground begins to thaw, especially with additional rain, Friends of Ellicott & Erie County Parks & Recreation Dept. work together to determine when closing Ellicott Island Bark Park is necessary, with the final decision being made by Erie County Parks & Recreation Dept. Friends of Ellicott posts closing info on Twitter, Facebook & our webpage: friendsofellicott.com. We try to give a 24 hour notice of closings, but this is not always possible. 

Once Ellicott Island has been closed, Erie County Parks & Recreation Dept. requires that we have more than a few days of freezing or that the grounds have dried up enough that the dogs will not damage the turf further, prior to reopening. 

When the temperatures swing back &  forth between freezing & thawing, it makes it difficult for Erie County Parks & Recreation Dept. to open & close on a daily basis. It should be expected that Ellicott Island Bark Park will remain closed when we only have a day or two below freezing between warmer temps. 

Through the winter Ellicott Island will open & close based on the conditions listed with one long close beginning sometime towards the end of February beginning of March & reopening as conditions allow sometime around May 1st. While the grounds may appear dry enough in April we keep it closed for a few weeks longer in order to give the grass some time to fill in before the dogs return.

While you & your dog may be anticipating Ellicott Island Bark Park opening back up & miss your time in the park, please be patient with us at Friends of Ellicott & with Erie County Parks & Recreation Dept. Neither of us like to have to close the park, but it is in the best interest of the island & your dogs that these actions are taken. Friends of Ellicott, will keep you updated if you follow us online. Posts asking if the park is open will not be approved. We will post opening info as soon as it is approved by Erie County Parks & Recreation Dept. Calls & complaints to the Erie County Parks & Recreation Dept. also take up valuable time & resources that could be spent on other park related issues as well. Please refrain from calling them & refer to Friends of Ellicott online for updates. 

Thank you for taking the time to understand why Ellicott Island Bark Park closes & for your patience during the wet season. Well see you around the park soon!