Cycling the Erie Canal – July 2013

July 7-14, 2013
Plan now to bike from Buffalo to Albany.
The premier cross canal cycling event, with 500 riders of all ages and from all over the country cycling from Buffalo to Albany along the Erie Canal; organized by Parks and Trails New York. http://www.ptny.org/canaltour

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Love Your Park? Show it THIS Saturday!

The second annual I Love My Park Day is almost here! This Saturday, nearly 80 New York State Parks and Historic Sites will participate in this statewide event promoting stewardship of our treasured state park lands.

You only have a few days left to register for this exciting event! Parks from Long Island to the Thousand Islands to Buffalo are participating. Thousands of volunteers have already signed up, and we’re on track to double last year’s numbers.  Find an I Love My Park Day event near you!

Don’t miss your chance to give back to the parks that you love.Visit the I Love My Park Day website to find an event near you and register today!

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Erie Canalway Trail work resumes this week in Lyons NY

source: WaynePost

The New York State Canal Corporation said the construction of a one-half mile segment of the Erie Canalway Trail between Abbey Park and Erie Canal Lock 27 in Lyons will resume this week. The trail will create a 120-mile trail route from Lyons to Buffalo by linking to a trail segment currently under construction in Arcadia.

Take Your Bike – Rochester

Work to be performed includes the construction of a 10-foot wide asphalt trail and retaining wall, along with railing and sign placement.  The public is asked to refrain from using portions of the trail marked closed for construction.  The project is scheduled to be completed in June 2013.

The Lyons Erie Canalway Trail project is funded by the Canal Corporation. The new section of trail is being constructed in partnership with Wayne County and the Village of Lyons, and will help boost tourism and recreation along the canal corridor.

The Lyons Erie Canalway Trail segment is part of the statewide, multi-use, Erie Canalway Trail linking the Hudson River and Lake Erie. More than three-quarters of the 365-mile Erie Canalway Trail from Buffalo to Albany is now complete. For more information, please visit www.ptny.org/canalway.

Take Your Bike – Finger Lakes

For more information about vacation opportunities and events along the New York State Canal System, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit www.canals.ny.gov. For information about boating safety and marine recreation in New York State, visit www.nysparks.com  or call 518-474-0445.

Many sections of the Erie Canalway Trail (and other trails) are covered in the Take Your Bike guidebooks.

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Job Opening: Project Coordinator for Parks & Trails New York

Description
Parks & Trails New York is a leader in efforts to improve the quality of life of all New Yorkers through the expansion, protection, and promotion of a network of parks, trails, and open spaces throughout New York State. For more information about our work visit www.ptny.org

Key Responsibilities
The Project Coordinator is an important member of our team and has the opportunity to work with communities across the state, manage a variety of projects and develop new program directions. Duties include:
help communities design and develop multi-use trails, engage in public outreach, foster trail-related tourism, and promote local trail use; in cooperation with the NYS Canal Corporation, assist communities with marketing to the cycling tourist and organize Canalway Trail projects and events; provide leadership for a statewide trails coalition and advocate for bicycle-pedestrian issues at all levels of government; develop and write print and electronic newsletters, reports, and other publications related to planning, organizing and outreach. Qualifications Minimum BS in planning, landscape architecture, natural resource management, public administration, recreation, or related field and preferably at least three years of related experience Ability to work with diverse stakeholders, build consensus, and inspire and motivate communities and constituents to action Excellent written and oral communication skills, including facilitating meetings and delivering public presentations A self-starter able to work with minimum supervision on multiple assignments and projects and thrive in a collaborative and fast-paced office environment Ability to undertake some in-state travel with overnight and evening commitments A passion for outdoor recreation and the environment Additional Skills/Experience Desired Familiarity with New York State trails and environmental and planning issues within the state Experience with state and local government Knowledge of GIS mapping and analytical tools Experience with software for electronic communications and website development

For more information, view the full employment listing by clicking here.

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Fulton County set to complete FJ&G Rail Trail

Officials in Fulton County have given their approval to pursue the development of a five-mile gap in the Fulton Johnstown & Gloversville (FJ&G) Trail in the Town of Mayfield in the southern Adirondacks. Originally stalled by landowner opposition, this section of the 22-mile trail may now have the support needed for completion.  Read more about Fulton County’s efforts to complete the trail.

source: Parks & Trails New York enews

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Job Opening: PTNY Development Director

Are you up to the challenge of working on a variety of fundraising initiatives?  Then you might be the perfect candidate for the Director of Development position at Parks & Trails New York.  Read the job description.

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“CLOSING THE GAPS” in ERIE CANALWAY TRAIL made progress in 2012

Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) and the Canalway Trails Association New York (CTANY) have released their third annual report, Closing the Gaps: A Progress Report on the Erie Canalway Trail 2012.   PTNY and CTANY note that 2012 was a year of many accomplishments in efforts to close the remaining 84 miles of gaps in the 361-mile trail that extends from Buffalo to Albany:

-Seven miles of trail are under construction – six miles between Newark and Lyons and one mile in the City of Little Falls – with completion slated for 2013.

-The eight-mile Amherst to Lockport project will go out to bid in 2013, closing one of the six key gaps in the Erie Canalway Trail system.  When combined with the work underway between Newark and Lyons in Wayne County, the project will create more than 134 continuous miles of trail between the City of Buffalo in Erie County and the Village of Lyons in Wayne County.

-The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council has begun to define a short- and long-term route for the trail through the City of Syracuse with the first priority being the creation of a temporary on-road, signed route that would accommodate pedestrians and touring cyclists.

-Members of Governor Cuomo’s Cabinet and Executive Staff as “Team New York” cycled the Erie Canalway Trail from Buffalo to Albany as part of PTNY’s 14th annual eight-day Cycling the Erie Canal event to better understand the trail’s potential for economic development.

Since PTNY and CTANY launched their “Closing the Gaps Campaign” in 2010 in conjunction with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, interest in completing the Erie Canalway Trail among citizens, community leaders, and local, state and federal government officials has reached an all-time high.

“We are encouraged by the accomplishments in 2012 and the trail construction work scheduled to begin in 2013.  Especially inspiring is the heightened awareness among community leaders of the tourism and economic benefits derived from the Erie Canalway Trail. However, reduced federal funding from MAP-21 and continuing economic stresses on localities increase the challenges of Closing the Gaps,” said Nelson Ronsvalle, CTANY president.

Focus for 2013
Additional progress in closing the gaps will result from the efforts of Canalway Trail communities and at all levels of government, including the Regional Economic Development Councils and the Canal Corporation, working together to address specific needs and challenges in discrete trail segments.  CTANY and PTNY will continue to support and promote those efforts and emphasize the importance of the Canalway Trail to tourism, local economies, and the health and the quality of life of Canalway Trail-community residents.

“The Erie Canalway Trail is without parallel in scenery, history, and charm but it can’t reach its full potential of being an international tourism draw until it is complete,” said PTNY Executive Director Robin Dropkin.  “Because funding is in some cases the only impediment to closing a gap, we urge NYSDOT to quickly make the remaining Transportation Enhancements funds and newly allocated Transportation Alternatives funds available to communities to support projects that will further efforts to “Close the Gaps.”

Canal Corporation Director, Brian U. Stratton said, “Governor Cuomo recognizes the strategic importance of the Erie Canal and Erie Canalway Trail as economic engines for upstate New York.  Through efforts such as the “Cycling the Erie Canal/ Team New York” ride last year and the more than 15 miles of Erie Canalway Trail being constructed by the Canal Corporation in 2013 in Erie, Niagara, Wayne, Oneida and Herkimer Counties, the Governor’s administration is demonstrating its commitment to achieving the full potential of this important resource.”

Closing the Gaps: A Progress Report on the Erie Canalway Trail 2012 is available on the Parks & Trails New York website, www.ptny.org.

Parks & Trails New York is the state’s leading advocate for parks and trails, working since 1985 to expand, protect and promote a network of parks, trails and open spaces throughout the state for use and enjoyment by all.  For more than 14 years PTNY has worked with the New York State Canal Corporation, CTANY, and Canalway Trail communities to foster development of the trail and oversee the Adopt-a-Trail Program.  PTNY promotes the trail through its annual 400-mile Cycling the Erie Canal bike tour, Bicyclists Bring Business community roundtables and Canal Clean Sweep events and its publications, Cycling the Erie Canal: A guide to 400 miles of adventure and history along the Erie Canalway Trail and Bicyclists Bring Business:  A Guide for Attracting Bicyclists to New York’s Canal Communities. For more information, visit www.ptny.org or call 518-434-1583.

The Canalway Trails Association New York is an all-volunteer organization that works both statewide and locally with citizens, state agencies and municipalities to develop the Erie Canalway Trail as a world-class multi-use recreational trail and international bicycle tourism destination. In partnership with the NYS Canal Corporation, PTNY and others, it encourages the proper maintenance of the trail by coordinating the Adopt-a-Trail Program.

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Erie Canalway Trail “Closing the Gaps” makes great progress

Interest in completing the Erie Canalway Trail among citizens, community leaders, and local, state and federal government officials has reached an all-time high.  The third annual Closing the Gaps: A Progress Report on the Erie Canalway Trail 2012, prepared by Parks & Trails New York and Canalway Trails Association New York, notes that 2012 was a year of many accomplishments:

- 7 miles of new trail are under construction, six miles between Newark and Lyons and one mile in the City of Little Falls. Completion is slated for 2013.
-14.3 miles of trail will go out to bid or be under construction in 2013.
-  The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council has begun to define a short and long-term route for the trail through the City of Syracuse with the first priority being the creation of a short-term, on-road signed route that would accommodate pedestrians and touring cyclists.
-Members of Governor Cuomo’s cabinet and senior staff experienced the Erie Canalway Trail from Buffalo to Albany as part of PTNY’s 14th annual eight-day Cycling the Erie Canal event.

In 2013, PTNY and CTANY will continue to work with local, state and federal officials to overcome logistical challenges, secure funding sources, and generate broad-based support for completing the remaining 84 miles of trail gaps.

source: PTNY newsletter

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Bikes on Trains – Sen. Gillibrand reaches out to Amtrak

As a result of PTNY’s advocacy efforts, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand reached out to Amtrak to urge it to allow roll-on bikes on trains between Buffalo and Albany to make it easier for bicycle tourists to enjoy the area. Stating that the inclusion of bicycle racks was a “commonsense step to remove barriers” between New Yorkers and the State’s natural beauty, the Senator underscored the potential of bicycle tourism to “jumpstart a new economic engine” in communities along the Erie Canalway Trail. Currently, bicycles are prohibited on Amtrak trains unless they are disassembled and boxed.

source: PTNY GreenSpace newsletter

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Job Opening: Assistant Ride Director for Recreational Bicycle Tours

Parks & Trails New York is looking for a part-time Assistant Bike Tour Director.  The position may be used for internship credit. See the job description and requirements.

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