Representatives of the Our Outer Harbor Coalition, including Citizens for a 21st Century Park, the Sierra Club and Preservation Buffalo Niagara, joined in the call for a state park, noting the land's environmental and historic importance to the Great Lakes.

"This is not any old lakeshore — it's a really important piece of this being the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet," coalition member Margaret Wooster said.

"We are at the point where the pool of Lake Erie funnels into the Niagara River, and that juxtaposition is very rich as a biological habitat — it supports life," Wooster said. "This is a really important place for fish to spawn in the whole Great Lakes. The bird migration lives off the fish migration and funnels along the Niagara River."

Melissa Wischerath, president of Citizens for a 21st Century Park — which wants to bring Olmsted's vision back to the Outer Harbor — acknowledged the waterfront site already functions as a park, even if it's not officially designated one. But she said long-term protection is still needed for the Outer Harbor.

"This space is being used as a park already," Wischerath said. "People are coming here, but it would make sense to have a long-term vision and investment and plan that will keep it protected in the public interest."