GM PLANT WINS STAN SPISIAK CONSERVATIONIST AWARD
Stanley Spisiak, also known as “Mister Buffalo River” was a staunch conservationist that fought for the cleanup of the Buffalo River, Niagara River and Lake Erie. This award is given to an individual or group that has fought to protect our natural resources in similar fashion.
On June 20, 2025, I was proud to present the Erie County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs Stanley Spisiak Conservationist Award to GM Tonawanda Propulsion Systems Plant for their unwavering commitment to improving our environment along the Great Lakes and the Niagara River. Stanley Spisiak was committed to the protection of the environment in the face of urbanization and industrialization.
I had the pleasure of speaking with GM Environmental Engineer Casey Essary and Tara Wasik, Regional Plant Director, about the processes that the team has implemented.
In the 1950s GM used to draw 26 million gallons of water per day from the Niagara River via a pump station. This created a tremendous burden on the watershed affecting fish, wildlife and aquatic vegetation. This was not sustainable for long-time use. GM started a program of Remediation, Conservation and Sustainability to look at ways to improve their environmental impact.
In 2021 the Team came up with an idea to place screens along the intakes to reduce fish death. However, further research indicated that it would be a maintenance nightmare to clean and maintain these fish screens. Over the years GM had successfully reduced its impact on the environment, but they weren’t finished.
In 2024 the GM Environmental Team put an idea to work by creating the Cooling Tower Project. Due to this new project, GM has completely reduced its impact on the environment by eliminating 8 million gallons per day of water use to ZERO! The current system utilizes city water to complete its necessary cooling procedures for the plant. GM has protected the environment while maintaining successful production.
It is this type of forward thinking and planning that allows industry and manufacturers to be part of the solution. Hopefully, this will incite other manufacturers to pay attention to the harm that their production procedures may cause.
I personally want to thank Tara Wasik, Casey Essary, Neal Freiermuth, Ryan Gunn, Zenon Wojchak, Matthew Bridge and Keith Reimer for their success in being the best stewards of our lands! Here is to continued success protecting the environment for future generations.
Jack Coad
President
Erie County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Inc.