niagara county parks

While he also bird-watches, he believes there is merit to doing a physical challenge and disc golf has been just the right one for his family, serving as a bonding activity between him and his son for the past three years.

Frank Samuel said the addition of disc golf at Bond Lake ruined a family tradition.

Every Father’s Day, Samuel, his father, and his three sons would head over to Bond Lake for a day of fishing. But since the installation of the course, instead of catching fish, they are catching stray Frisbees.

“To the point where you even if you just go fishing or hiking, trek a path, you still can’t get away from all the clamor,” he said.

The conflict that arises when a new pursuit bumps into an existing activity is a common one, seen most often in Western New York as new recreational hiking and biking trails have been built on land that abuts private homes. Disc golf courses are not new in Western New York – there are courses at such well-traveled parks as Chestnut Ridge in Orchard Park and Ellicott Creek in the Town of Tonawanda – but the fight over how the courses are affecting natural areas is getting louder.