The Brockport Pedestrian Bridge, a new pedestrian bridge over the Erie Canal in the Village of Brockport, Monroe County, has been completed. The bridge connects SUNY Brockport to the Empire State Trail and the village’s downtown. [Read more…] about Brockport Pedestrian Bridge Completed
New York Power Authority
Robert Moses’s Imperial Niagara and St. Lawrence Megaprojects
We recently passed the 50th anniversary of the release of Robert Caro’s Pulitzer-prize-winning book about Robert Moses: The Power Broker. Exhaustively comprehensive, Caro’s monumental tome nonetheless virtually ignores one of the most fascinating chapters of Moses’s career: his time as Chairman of the Power Authority of the State of New York (PASNY) from 1954 to 1962.
While heading PASNY, known today as the New York Power Authority, the legendary New York City builder oversaw the remaking of Niagara Falls and the St. Lawrence River for hydropower. [Read more…] about Robert Moses’s Imperial Niagara and St. Lawrence Megaprojects
Montezuma Wetlands Projects Completed
The roughly 50,000-acre Montezuma Wetlands Complex in Central New York is a globally significant Important Bird Area situated at the outlet of Cayuga Lake, and consists of the National Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, the State’s Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area, and lands owned by The Nature Conservancy and other private parties. [Read more…] about Montezuma Wetlands Projects Completed
Niagara Scenic Parkway Removal Update
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) is beginning the scoping process for phase three of the removal of the Niagara Scenic Parkway, between Findlay Drive in the City of Niagara Falls and Center Street in the Village of Lewiston. [Read more…] about Niagara Scenic Parkway Removal Update
New Erie Canal Educational Resources Available
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the New York State Canal Corporation have announced the release of new educational materials geared for fourth graders learning about the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal Adventure: Unlocking the Waterway Wonders includes a 40-minute video and two lesson plans.
The materials are available for free online at the Erie Canal Learning Hub. [Read more…] about New Erie Canal Educational Resources Available
State Agencies Declare Progress on Reducing Environmental Footprint
The GreenNY Council has released the 11th Greening New York State report (PDF), the first under Executive Order #22, “Leading by Example: Directing State Agencies to Adopt a Sustainability and Decarbonization Program,” signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in September 2022. [Read more…] about State Agencies Declare Progress on Reducing Environmental Footprint
NYS Public Authorities Debt Has Ballooned to $329 Billion
State and local public authorities reported debt outstanding totaling more than $329 billion in their most recently reported fiscal years, an increase of 23% ($61.5 billion) since 2017, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. [Read more…] about NYS Public Authorities Debt Has Ballooned to $329 Billion
Schoharie County Historical Spring Meeting at Lansing Manor
The annual Spring Program Meeting of the Schoharie County Historical Society will be held on Thursday, April 27, at 7 pm at the New York Power Authority’s Visitors Center in North Blenheim. The public is invited to attend the meeting and visit the Lansing Manor House afterward.
Historical Society Director Carle Kopecky will introduce the Society’s new Director of Educational Outreach Melinda McTaggart, who will now manage the Lansing Manor operations among other duties. [Read more…] about Schoharie County Historical Spring Meeting at Lansing Manor
Robert Moses’ Least Controversial Triumph: The Niagara Power Plant
The many controversies that surrounded Robert Moses during his long career as New York’s “Master Builder” were sharpened by his long battle with Jane Jacobs and by Robert Caro’s 1974 biography, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (1974).
But his least contentious achievements are also the most unknown: the construction of the New York Power Authority’s hydroelectric plants along the St. Lawrence and Niagara Rivers. [Read more…] about Robert Moses’ Least Controversial Triumph: The Niagara Power Plant