Many New Yorkers will tell you the State Canal
system is dead. They look at it as a historical remnant, thinking its ship
sailed in the late 1800s when rail lines took over as the preeminent economy-driving
infrastructure.
I beg to differ.
The Erie Canal and its connecting waterways are
still vital to this day.
While it’s rare that you’ll see barges moving heavy
equipment to manufacturers or grains from farmers, the Canal creates value in
other ways, some measurable (tourism), others immeasurable (recreation and
health).
This week perfectly highlights that.
If you thought you saw a lot of cyclists on the Canalway
Trail on Sunday you’re weren’t seeing things. That was Day One of the 21st
annual Cycle the Erie Canal bike tour which covers 8 days and all 400 miles of
the Canal. In total, 650 cyclists made their way across Erie, Niagara and
Orleans Counties on the Sabbath before spending the night in Albion.
I encountered 65 of them at various points on the
trail while taking my two-year-old son on one of his 4 mile stroller rides on
it. Being ambassadors of goodwill for Gasport we made sure to offer our cheery
welcome to every one of them. By doing so, we literally bid well to one-out-of-every-ten
participants of the event.
I’m glad we did -- and I hope others in every port town
did the same – because every little bit helps with tourism.
The number of accents on the return salutations was
overwhelming. There were men and women who sounded as if they were from the
South, Texas, the Midwest, the North Central states, Ontario, Boston, New York
City and more. These were people who don’t hail from WNY but were here enjoying
this beautiful public asset and briefly seeing the wonderful places and people
along it.
We can only hope they return in other fashions,
perhaps on a road trip, perhaps on a float trip, staying at local beds and
breakfasts and rental properties and spending their money at local restaurants
and shops.
When they do that, their impact is huge. A 2017
study found that visitors and residents alike accounted for $1.3 billion in
spending associated with Canal events, tours and rentals. Vacationers alone spent
60 percent of that total.
As we saw last spring when Geraldo Rivera sailed
it, you never know who you might encounter on the Canal.
Hopefully, you see a neighbor there, and that’s
where the other event of this week comes into play -- the 29th
annual Erie Canal Fishing Derby.
The Derby is one of the most impactful
family-friendly events to take place on the waterway. Driven by the chance to
win $20,000 in total prizes and spend quality time together on or along the
water, it has proven to be incredibly popular every year, across multiple
generations. Parents who were once themselves young kids wetting their lines
during the contest now share the event with their children.
The Derby creates a lifetime -- no, many lifetimes
– of love for what the Canal offers.
And, the Canal offers a lot – not only fishing and
cycling, but hiking, jogging, birdwatching, powerboating, kayaking, canoeing,
history and more.
The quality of life that it affords those who live
near it is extraordinary. As Aristotle so succinctly said more than 2,300 years
ago: “In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous”. Nature
can’t get much more accessible than this: 400 miles of water bordered by a
public trail.
We need to capitalize on that, whether it’s for
economic reasons like tourism or for social reasons like public health and
recreation.
Luckily, the state is headed in that direction.
In May, Governor Cuomo announced an initiative to
examine how the Canal can be reimagined for the 21st century in an effort to
boost local economies and inspire new opportunities for tourism and recreation.
In doing so, he created the Reimagine the Canal Task Force. It is made up of a unique
group of souls representing diverse groups and communities invested in and
impacted by the Canal.
They will be holding multiple public
input sessions this summer. The first round takes place next week with local
meetings happening from 6 to 8 p.m on July 15th in Lockport at the Challenger
Learning Center and July 16th in Brockport at Cooper Hall on the College campus.
If you can’t make it submit your
comments and ideas to the Task Force’s WNY co-chair, former lieutenant governor
Bob Duffy who is now CEO of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce. You can
mail your correspondence to him at the Chamber:
150 State Street, Suite 400, Rochester, NY 14614.
If you live in a Canal community
and value what the Canal means or could mean to your canalside town -- and all
of Upstate -- please take the time to reach out to the Task Force. There’s so
much value, so much potential in the Canal. Let’s make sure we all take
advantage of that.
From the 10 July 2019 Greater Niagara Newspapers and Batavia Daily
News
No comments:
Post a Comment