History, Natural History & the Arts
Portions of the New York State Canal system are scheduled to open on Friday, June 26, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. for the 2020 navigation season.
Major construction and maintenance at several locks continues. [Read more…] about Portions of Erie Canal Opening Friday
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has invited New Yorkers to take part in the 2020 Canalway Challenge, tracing history and tracking miles along New York’s canals and Canalway Trail.
Part fitness challenge, part journey of discovery, the Canalway Challenge is free and registration is open to people of all ages and abilities. [Read more…] about Canalway Challenge Promotes Health and History
The NYS Canal Corporation has announced that its maintenance and construction projects are set to resume on a regional basis under the “NY Forward Reopening” plan.
The tentative schedule calls for segments of the canal system to start opening beginning July 4th. [Read more…] about NYS Canal System Opening Update
Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the New York State Canal System will not open the locks to navigation on May 15th as previously announced. [Read more…] about NYS Canal System Opening Being Delayed
The Canal Society of New York State is seeking an Executive Director to ensure fulfillment of the Society’s mission and strategic plan and to implement administrative procedures for the day-to-day financial and operational oversight of the Society’s properties, staff, collections and programs. [Read more…] about Canal Society of NY Seeks Executive Director
The 2020 New York State Canal Conference will be held October 4-6, 2020 at the Rivers Casino Event Center in Schenectady.
This year’s conference will explore the trends and opportunities in the regional and international waterway systems. [Read more…] about 2020 NYS Canal Conference Being Held In Schenectady
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation has officially opened a new grant round of its Historic Transportation Canals Marker Grant Program. This historic marker program commemorates the history of canals across the U.S. Grants cover the entire cost of a marker, pole and shipping.
The Pomeroy Foundation is a private, grant-making foundation based in Syracuse. One of its main initiatives is to help people celebrate their community’s history through a variety of roadside marker grant programs, including its historic transportation canals program. [Read more…] about Grants Available for Canal History Markers
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has released a New York State Canalway Water Trail Guidebook and Navigational Map Set.
The complimentary guidebook and maps include a mile-by-mile description of launch sites, paddler-friendly facilities and amenities, and places of interest for over 450 miles of the NYS Canal System, which opened Friday, including the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego and Champlain canals. [Read more…] about New Paddling Guidebook for State Canal System
A new study of the economic impact of events and tours in the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor estimated $1.5 billion annually is generated by events, boat tours, bicycle and paddle-sport rentals and historic site/museum tours along the Erie, Champlain, Owsego and Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Events and tours drew 3.3 million visitors in 2017.
The economic analysis was conducted by Level 7 Market Research for the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor through its nonprofit affiliate, the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund, Inc., and supported by a grant from Market New York through I LOVE NEW YORK, the state’s Division of Tourism, as a part of the Regional Economic Development Council awards. [Read more…] about Report: Canal Events Generate $1.5B Annually
The National Park Service has announced that it has listed the New York State Barge Canal on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation recognizes the New York State Canal System as a nationally significant work of early twentieth century engineering and construction that affected transportation and maritime commerce for nearly half a century.
The New York State Barge Canal National Register Historic District spans 450 miles and includes the four branches of the state’s canal system: the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca canals– all much enlarged versions of waterways that were initially constructed during the 1820s. The nomination evaluated 791 features and included 552 contributing structures and buildings. [Read more…] about NYS Barge Canal on National Register of Historic Places