FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 4, 2007
NEW YORK STATE CANAL SYSTEM OPENS FOR 182nd CONSECUTIVE NAVIGATION SEASON
Recreational Vessel Tolls Waived, New TRANSalert Service Offered, and More Than 150 Events and Festivals Planned
The New York State Canal Corporation today announced the official opening of major portions of the New York State Canal System for the 182nd consecutive navigation season.
In an effort to improve use of the Canal System and attract new visitors, the Corporation’s Board has approved the extension of a 2006 pilot program to waive recreational boating tolls for the 2007 navigation season. Pleasure craft owners will not be required to purchase a Canal pass to cruise on the System during the 2007 season.
Governor Eliot Spitzer said, “I encourage all New Yorkers to consider visiting the Canal System this year. Whether you are a history buff, boater, hiker or picnicker, there’s plenty to enjoy at this remarkable waterway.”
Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno said, “The New York State Canal System offers tremendous recreational opportunities for boaters from around the country and provides an important economic boost to communities along the canals. With the boating tolls waived and many local festivals and events planned, this should be an outstanding year.”
Canal Corporation Director Carmella R. Mantello said, “The Canal System is one of New York’s greatest recreational and historic assets, welcoming visitors from all over the United States and the world each year. The Corporation has been hard at work over the winter months undertaking critical maintenance work and preparing the System for the upcoming season. The Corporation has once again waived recreational tolls for 2007 and with more than 150 events and festivals planned throughout the season, we are excited and optimistic that this will be one of the best seasons ever on New York’s Canals.”
Major portions of the Erie and Cayuga-Seneca canals are open for navigation, including Lock E-2 in Waterford to Lock E-23 in Brewerton and from Tonawanda/North Tonawanda to Lock E-27 in Lyons and Locks CS-2, CS-3 and CS-4 on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, between Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake. The opening of some Canal sections in central New York is being delayed due to high water, including the Erie Canal from Lock E-23 to Lock E-27, Lock CS-1 on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and the entire Oswego Canal, as well as the entire Champlain Canal. The Canal Corporation anticipates opening the remainder of these areas next week, weather permitting.
Mantello added, “As we open the 182nd navigational season on the New York State Canal System, we are also promoting the Thruway Authority/Canal Corporation’s Connecting the Drops campaign to educate boaters about the importance of keeping pollution out of New York State’s waterways. The Corporation is working to prevent pollution from all our facilities and, through the Connecting the Drops campaign, is working to remind New Yorkers that the pollution that drops on roads, parking lots, or other areas can eventually reach our waterways. We can all work together to prevent this pollution and keep our waters clean.”
Connecting the Drops is a public outreach campaign of the New York State Thruway Authority and Canal Corporation. The goal of this outreach is to remind New Yorkers that water connects us all, and that what is dropped in the environment can reach water bodies and put aquatic life, recreation, and even drinking water at risk. The Connecting the Drops effort includes educating Authority/Corporation employees, as well as the motorists and boaters that use our highways and canals.
More than 150 special events and festivals are planned along the Canal System in 2007, including The Grand Canal Journey of the Lois McClure. The Lois McClure is a full-scale working replica of an 1862 sailing class canal schooner, which will travel to 25 ports of call from July 2 through September 24, offering tours of the schooner, interpretive presentations, wayside exhibits, and educational materials to the public. The journey is made possible by a partnership between the Canal Corporation, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Corporate sponsors include: Cabot Creameries/McCaddam Cheese and Brookfield Power.
In addition, the annual Erie Canalway Trail Celebration will be held Saturday, June 2 in conjunction with National Trails Day. With more than 250 miles of Trail completed, and access to hundreds of historic sites and attractions, the Erie Canalway Trail is fast becoming one of the nation’s premier cycling destinations.
The Canal Corporation is once again partnering with Parks & Trails NY to co-sponsor the Ninth Annual Cycling the Erie Canal bicycle tour, taking place from July 8-15. Cycling the Erie Canal is an eight-day, 400-mile, recreational bike tour from Buffalo to Albany along the historic and scenic Erie Canal. In 2006, the tour drew over 500 riders from 39 states and several foreign countries.
The Corporation also is sponsoring the second annual CanalSplash!, a signature canal-wide celebration from August 10-12 that will feature hikes, bikes, canoe and kayak paddles, narrated cruises, historical tours, canal-side festivals, fireworks and more. In 2006, more than 85 events took place all along the Canal Corridor throughout the weekend celebration.
The 2007 Calendar of Events is available on the Corporation’s website at: http://www.nyscanals.gov/exvac/calendar/index.html.
The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture.
The New York State Thruway Authority/Canal Corporation offers a free email service called TRANSalert to its customers via email or text messaging to inform them of major incidents and emergencies that may affect travel on the Thruway or navigation on the Canal System. To sign up for the Canal TRANSalert service, customers can visit the Corporation's website at www.nyscanals.gov/tas/. To sign-up for Thruway TRANSalerts please visit the Authority's website at www.nysthruway.gov/tas/.
For boating information, vacation opportunities and news about the New York State Canal System, please visit www.nyscanals.gov or call 1-800-4CANAL4.