Paddle sports taking hold in Rochester NY

Written by Caurie Putnam, Democrat & Chronicle, link to original post

Two years ago Carol Colton, 42, of Le Roy, was invited to go kayaking in Black Creek with friends. She had never been kayaking and didn’t have her own kayak, but it was no matter her friends told her, they had one she could borrow.

Take A Paddle – Western NY

“It took me about 10 minutes to fall in love with it and decide I would get my own kayak,” Colton, said. Now, she has five kayaks.

Kayaking has become an important part of Colton’s life and a way she spends quality time with her husband Brian and four children Natalie, 8, Sara, 10, Emily,11, and Sam, 13.

“The kids are growing up so fast; this is a way to slow things down,” said Colton, whose family usually kayaks in Oatka or Black Creeks, but have also kayaked in the Adirondacks. “There’s a sense of peacefulness and calm when you’re kayaking that’s hard to find in day to day life.”

All over the Rochester region individuals and families like the Coltons are discovering the benefits of kayaking and taking advantage of the plethora of waterways that run through the area. “We’ve seen a huge growth in kayaking over the past few years,” said Peter Abele, president of the Erie Canal Boat Company Inc., located in the village of Fairport.

In 2006, Abele’s company — which rents recreational kayak and canoes designed for those with little or no paddling experience — put 1,500 paddlers in the Erie Canal. In 2012, that number swelled to 4,000.

“It’s becoming more popular with families because it’s something all ages can do together,” said Abele, who last year saw kayakers ranging from ages 8 to late 80s in his boats.

Take A Paddle – Finger Lakes

Abele also believes that handicapped accessibility has played a part in the growth of kayaking. He has a Hoyer Lift on his docks that allows him to place wheel chair bound individuals into a kayak.

Abele considers the canal to be an excellent place for beginners to learn to kayak. “The nice thing about the canal is that there are virtually no waves,” Abele said. “In Fairport we have 16 miles of almost no currents, which makes it great for beginners.”

Another popular Rochester waterway to learn to kayak is Irondequoit Bay, which is home to several paddling companies, including BayCreek Paddling Center, founded in 1996

“Kayaking is a really easy sport for people of all ages to get into,” said Dave Hulburt, manager and head sea kayak coach at BayCreek. “And having the resource of Irondequoit Bay and Irondequoit Creek right here, 10 minutes from downtown Rochester is a huge advantage.”

Hulburt says BayCreek’s business has grown “leaps and bounds” over the years as Rochesterians discover the “secret wilderness” of the waterways around it. “We have five miles of wetlands in Irondequoit Creek and it almost feels like you’re in the Adirondacks,” Hulburt said. “On the bay there’s tons of wildlife and you see things you wouldn’t expect to see just 10 minutes from downtown Rochester.”

BayCreek offers sales, rentals, classes, overnight kayak camping excursions, and a kayak summer camp for kids ages 7 to 13.

Elena Vandebroek, 24, was one of the first campers to go through BayCreek’s camp. She was eight and fell in love with kayaking immediately. “I like being on the water,” Vandebroek, a Penfield native, said in an interview from her current home in San Francisco, Calif. “It’s like being on top of a mountain, but you’re looking out instead of down. ”

When Vandebroek aged-out of the camp, she was still too young to be an instructor, so she volunteered to wash boats at BayCreek just to be around the kayaking scene.

She later became a counselor and then an instructor of a kayaking class at Cornell University, where she attended college. Currently, she is a coastal engineer and sea kayaks in the San Francisco Bay and Santa Barbara area.

Before moving to California Vandebroek achieved a goal of kayaking in each of the eleven Finger Lakes — her favorites were Canadice and Cayuga. “It was really fun because each of the lakes is really different,” Vandebroek said. “Some have wetlands and secret waterfalls. Each lake has its own history and paddling experience.”

Vandebroek meticulously and beautifully chronicled each of her Finger Lakes kayaking explorations in a kayaking blog she still maintains called http://www.nakedkayaker.com/ “I’m really glad I grew up in Rochester,” Vandebroek said. “It was such a great place to learn how to paddle.”

Learning how to paddle is a key component of one of Rochester’s most important resources for kayaking: the Genesee Waterways Center (GWC). Founded in 1996, the GWC is an independent, not-for-profit organization, promoting affordable human-powered paddling, rowing, and related outdoor activities in the Genesee region.

Instructors at the GWC have taught students from around the world and with varying degrees of experience at their two facilities in Rochester: the GWC Boathouse on the Genesee River at Genesee Valley Park on Elmwood Ave. and The Lock 32 Whitewater Park, which opened in 2000.

“Lock 32 is unique and extremely fascinating,” said Cindy M. Stachowski, executive director of the GWC. “We took a spillway used for flood control and adjusting water levels and created a 700 yard whitewater kayaking course. There is no other such place in New York state like it.”

Lock 32, which opened in 2000, provides a controlled environment in which students can learn and a challenging area for experienced paddlers to practice. The course features a set of squirt lines, two wave and two holes and a constant source of water every day.

At the Genesee River facility, flat water kayak rentals and classes are offered for all individuals and groups of all levels. “You can paddle 26 miles to the Mount Morris Dam or north one and a half miles for a spectacular view of the city skyline,” Stachowski said.

Stachowski took over the helm of the GWC in 2009 and has seen tremendous growth. A Groupon promotion last May offering a ½ day of canoe or kayak rental at the GWC for $15 sold a staggering 3,000 coupons. “When I first started working here it was a hidden treasure and I said ‘We don’t want to be a hidden treasure,’ ” Stachowski said.

She believes the growing popularity of kayaking in Rochester is due to a greater awareness of our natural and water resources. “I’ve traveled the whole of the U.S., but the water resources here in Rochester are phenomenal,” Stachowski said. “We have the Genesee River, Erie Canal, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes, Letchworth, creeks, Irondequoit Bay… We’re very lucky.”

Two guidebooks offer detailed maps and information on paddling options in the greater Rochester NY area:
Take A Paddle – Western New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks
Take A Paddle – Finger Lakes New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks

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Syracuse Erie Canal Heritage Area Walking Tour – June 9

Click here for details: Syracuse Erie Canal Heritage Area Walking Tour – June 9

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Historic Erie Canal Lock 19 footbridge open in Vischer Ferry NY

By GLENN GRIFFITH, CNweekly, link to original post

Historic Erie Canal Lock 19 footbridge in Vischer Ferry NY

The president and CEO of the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County joined with representatives of a variety of public and private entities April 29 to open a footbridge over the Erie Canal’s historic Lock 19.

The wooden and steel span allows visitors access to the middle section of the canal’s 1842 historic double lock. More than a dozen private businesses partnered with the Chamber, the town and the Shenendehowa Central School District on the footbridge project. The site, which is in the hamlet of Vischer Ferry, is accessed from Ferry Park, at the end of Ferry Drive.

The idea for the project began with Chamber President Pete Bardunias. In the spring of 2012 he posed the project as a partnership between public and private entities as a way of putting the old lock site back into passive recreational use. The idea expanded from simply clearing brush and debris away to giving private business mentoring to 80 Shen students.

In addition to helping clear the brush, the students formed teams that were mentored by volunteer engineers to compete on a bridge design and its marketing campaign. The final design for the footbridge was chosen last June.

More than 1,700 volunteer hours and tens of thousands of dollars of donated materials and labor went into the construction, which was completed in December. The footbridge project will serve as a template for several more partnership projects on the Chamber’s agenda.

On Monday, representatives from the businesses and the public sector organizations joined Bardunias, Clifton Park Town Supervisor Philip Barrett, Shen Superintendent L. Oliver Robinson and New York State Canal Corporation Director Brian Stratton to officially open the facility for public use.

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Enjoy Ice Skating this Winter in & near Rochester NY

by Sue Freeman

Ice skating was an integral part of my childhood. My street backed up to the Erie Canal, so in winter, my brothers and I toted our skates and snow shovels down the rocky embankment, into the lowered Erie Canal. We shoveled away the snow and spent many wonderful hours playing hockey and pretending to be Olympic ice skaters on the often bumpy surface. For a smoother glide, we piled into the car and went to the outdoor rink at Potter Memorial Park in Fairport.

Years later at Holiday Harbour in Canandaigua, I shoveled a large area of the boat canals and invited a gang of friends over for a rousing game of broom hockey, followed by hot chocolate in my parent’s house. These were examples of ice skating in its raw, natural form – with lots of shoveling involved, and a high tolerance for bumpy ice. A potential skating rink exists anywhere you have shallow water such as a pond or canal that freezes solidly. For instance, people like to skate on Long Pond in Greece.

If you prefer less physical prep work and smoother ice, you probably want to opt for an indoor ice rink. You’ll have to pay a fee but ice rinks often offer skate rentals and a warmer environment or a warming hut. Ice rinks in the Rochester area offer open public skating as well as hockey leagues, and skating lessons. They even provide options for birthday parties and special events. Visit the web site for specifics on each venue.
- Manhattan Square Park and Ice Rink, downtown Rochester was renovated & expanded in 2008, www.cityofrochester.gov/article.aspx?id=8589935137
-The Sports Center at MCC in Henrietta, www.tscmcc.com/page/show/223069-public-skating
-Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena at RIT in Henrietta, www.rit.edu/studentaffairs/ciar/facilities_icearena.php
-Lakeshore Hockey Arena on Ling Road in Rochester, www.lakeshorehockeyarena.com
-Scottsville Ice Arena in Scottsville, www.scottsvilleicearena.com
-Genesee Valley Sports Complex Ice Skating Rink in Rochester, www.cityofrochester.gov/GVPSC
-Village Sports Ice Skating Rink on Baird Road in Fairport, www.villagesports.net
-Webster Ice Arena in Webster, www.websterarena.org
-Thomas Creek Ice Arena on Lyndon Road in Fairport, www.tcice.com
-Tuttle North Ice Arena in Brockport, www.brockport.edu/recservices/ice_arena/index.html
-Greater Canandaigua Civic Center in Canandaigua, www.gccc.org

For good free fun, outdoor rinks can be found at Churchville Park, Ellison Park, Highland Park, Fairport Junction Ice Arena next to the Box Factory in Fairport, and Veteran’s Memorial Park in Henrietta. There may be others in your neighborhood. In addition to being free, these rinks come pre-shoveled and are watered regularly to provide a smooth surface. Of course, you’re unlikely to have the rink to yourself as you would on a do-it-yourself pond.

Many ice rinks rent skates but, for a pair of your own, visit the Fairport or Canandaigua locations of RVE Bike & Skate (www.rvebike.com/skates.html), Rochester’s premier ice skate retailer. They’ll help you find the perfect pair for a winter full of skating fun.

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Winter 2012: Erie Canalway Trail Times

Winter 2012: Canalway Trail Times

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Movie and popcorn series at Erie Canal Discovery Center in Lockport NY

The Erie Canal Discovery Center (24 Church Street  Lockport, NY 14094) is pleased to announce a new series of weekly documentary movies, “Movies and Popcorn” to be shown every Saturday morning this winter at 11 a.m. beginning Dec. 15.

These full-length features will include several award-winning productions from around WNY as well as other documentaries and travelogues prepared by National Geographic and PBS.

The first film in the series is entitled, “Celebrate Niagara-USA,” a feature film produced by Trellis Marketing of Buffalo which aired this summer on local broadcast stations. This fascinating video includes segments of over a dozen local tourist and cultural attractions around Niagara County, including the Erie Canal Discovery Center and the Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride in Lockport.

“If you didn’t get a chance to see this film on TV, this would be a good opportunity to see the show, and we’ll even throw in the popcorn for your enjoyment,” said Discovery Center Director Douglas Farley.

The schedule of upcoming Saturday matinees includes:
• Dec. 22 “WNY from A to Z,” a local travelogue by WNED
• Dec. 29 “Lockport Old Home Week Parade,” the complete 2010 centennial parade by LCTV
• Jan. 5 “Lockport Remembers 180 Years of History,” filmed in Lockport in 2008 by Low Bridge Productions
• Jan. 12 “Lock-Tide,” the story of how boats travel uphill by Low Bridge Productions

Additional new films will continue throughout the winter months. Admission to these feature films is included in Erie Canal Discovery Center general admission of $6 adults, $5 seniors and $4 students.

Reservations, though not required, are encouraged and can be made by calling 716-439-0431.

source:MetroWNY

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Video: A Dog’s Cold Fall Day Hike Along the Erie Canalway Trail

Sophie is a 90 pound St Bernard Lab mix. She is three years old. On this day in the Fall of 2012 Blair & Sophie hiked about 5 miles along the New York State Canal Way Trail in Central New York. They visited Lock 20 and saw lots of NY Canal Corp boats and equipment getting their winter maintenance service such as scraping off the Zebra Mussels and Painting.

Sophie is a STAR! Blair loved seeing her enjoy the sights and sounds of the Erie Canal and the way her black and white beautiful coat stood out among all the shades of gray. Click here to watch: Hike Along the Erie Canal with Sophie

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FREE 2013 Erie Canalway Calendar Available December 1st

The public is invited to pick up a free 2013 Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor calendar starting December 1, 2012 at selected libraries and visitor centers throughout the National Heritage Corridor.

Each month features one of twelve winning images from this year’s Erie Canalway photo contest. The calendar captures the unique beauty, history, and character of New York’s canals and canal communities.

Fifteen thousand calendars will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, thanks to generous sponsorship by the NYS Canal Corporation and the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund.

See attached list of calendar distribution sites or visit www.eriecanalway.org.

ABOUT THE ERIE CANALWAY NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor spans 524 miles across the full expanse of upstate New York, encompassing the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain canals and their historic alignments, as well as more than 230 canal communities. The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission collaborates with government agencies, communities and organizations to preserve and share our extraordinary canal heritage and promote the Corridor as a world class tourism destination. www.eriecanalway.org

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Adventure Cycling Trip – Family Fun, Erie Canal-Niagara Falls – July 2013

Adventure Cycling Trip – Family Fun, Erie Canal-Niagara Falls – July 2013

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Invasive Hydrilla Found in Erie Canal

By Michael Regan The Tonawanda News, link to original post

A highly aggressive invasive species from Korea has been found in the North Tonawanda portion of the Erie Canal as state and federal authorities rush to identify the extent of the impending threat.

The discovery was made by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, Michael A. Goehle, who first identified the Hydrilla plant on Sept. 7 near a Sweeney Street boat ramp, as he was tagging fish for a catch and release derby in the Twin Cities.

Goehle said the plant, which also has been detected in the Cayuga Inlet of the Finger Lakes and in the New York City area, looks very similar to a native species, thereby makings it difficult to single out.  “Right now are top priority is determining where it is and whether it’s limited it to the area or expanding,” Goehle said. “We’re in the process of looking throughout Tonawanda Creek. We’re looking on both shorelines. The initial stage of that should be done next week.”

Goehle said last week he took a sample of the plant to a Syracuse symposium on Hydrillas, where biologists from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers identified it as an invasive species.

As a result, the DEC is working with a host of federal and state agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York State Canal Corporation, the Office of Parks and Recreation and the Western New York Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management to determine the breadth of the infestation and possible solutions.

Officials are labeling the discovery as having a high likelihood of spreading into the Niagara River, the canal and and into the Great Lakes.  “As invasive vegetation goes this is one of the worst,” said Paul McKeown, natural resource supervisor with the DEC. “Especially if you have clear water, it grows at a very dense level.”

Hydrilla is considered to be among the most invasive aquatic plants in North America, according to the DEC, and has resulted in significant ecological, recreational and economic impacts in other regions of the country such as Florida.

The plant’s biological traits enable it to out-compete native species and dominate aquatic ecosystems due to its ability to grow in a variety of environmental settings and to propagate and spread from the simplest of fragments, making it easy to attach to boats and spread.  “Inspect boats and gear for any clinging plants, mud or tiny animals,” advised Kathy Moser, DEC assistant commissioner for natural resources. “Remove them, and clean and dry all boats and gear. Use DEC’s aquatic invasive species disposal stations, when available.”

Those who have questions about the Hydrilla or want to report a potential finding can call 877-STOP-ANS, a a national invasive species hotline.

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