10 and More Reasons to Visit the Great Lakes Seaway Trail in Winter

Ready to get out and go this winter? Here are 10 good reasons to visit the Great Lakes Seaway Trail National Scenic Byway along 518 miles of freshwater shoreline in New York and Pennsylvania.
·      Quiet season walking experiences
·      The snow!
·      Spectacular photo opps
·      Winter War of 1812 history
·      Ice fishing
·      Lighthouses lovely in winter
·      To be inspired to quilt the Beauty of the Byways
·      Only-here winter birdwatching
·      Winter Wine Weekends
·      Indoor-outdoor events, shopping and festivals

Find details on 50 festive, fun and fresh reasons to visit the Great Lakes Seaway Trail National Scenic Byway this winter, go to www.seawaytrail.com/winter.

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New E-Currents Now Online for Those Interested in NY’s Great Lakes

Anyone who lives, works or plays along the Great Lakes shoreline in New York can now sign up for Currents, a quarterly E-newsletter from New York Sea Grant. The new online resource – which will debut mid-August – highlights New York Sea Grant’s research, extension, education and information endeavors for New York’s Great Lakes and marine waters.

The first issue includes items on Sea Grant’s clean and safe boating initiative, its unwanted medicines campaign, and efforts to educate the public about a variety of invasive species, from Asian carp to Hydrilla and water chestnut.

Subscribers have the option to download an entire issue or individual articles of interest.

Those interested can opt-in free of charge online at www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines. The Web site also includes the opportunity to electronically receive New York Sea Grant’s quarterly flagship publication, New York Coastlines. Both New York Coastlines and Currents will be E-distributed 3-4 times a year.

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 312 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s Great Lakes and marine resources since 1971. For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook Twitter and YouTube links.

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USA. Coast Guard gets ready for “Paddles Up Great Lakes”

USA. Coast Guard gets ready for “Paddles Up Great Lakes”

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Signs now grace the new Shoreline Trail in Buffalo NY

It’s getting easier for hikers to navigate through parks and trails in Erie County. New signs along the Shoreline Trail offer a unique and consistent way for visitors to get information on directions and regional information. The signs feature maps and facts about the area.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said, “We know the various ways we can enjoy this area, and we’re very proud we have these signs out here which let the native know what they can do this area, but also those who visit. And we have many people who visit to take advantage of the beautiful sites we have here along the Niagara River.”

The 56 signs are along a trail of about ten miles. Click here for photos & info on the Shoreline Trail.

Surce: WIVB.com

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“Learning to Walk” a memoir of hiking by Richard Shade Gardner

"Learning to Walk" by Richard Shade Gardner

What inspires someone to start hiking, or in Richard Gardner’s term, begin “learning to walk?” What compels one person to run marathons, another to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, and yet another to circumnavigate lakes?

This memoir provides a window into the motivation from Richard’s perspective, using flashbacks to formative events from his life. Richard began a habit of walking in two places in Rochester, NY – around a reservoir high on a glacial hilltop and on a beach along the shore of Lake Ontario. Walking allowed him to slow down and notice the small things. He shares these astute observations with his readers.

For example, one day while walking around the reservoir he tries, unsuccessfully, to correct the erroneous geography of some tourists by explaining that Toronto is west of Rochester, not to the north. He closes the chapter with the poetic words: “These visitors find the city panorama an interesting view. I find the viewers interesting. They provide a view into the cultures of the world, further than the horizon, true north.”

As he walked, Richard learned to cope with life’s challenges and find joy in the natural world. Walking can do that to a person – re-root them – and inspire them to greater adventures. For Richard, these small walks led to a passion to hike around lakes. It also opened up a passion for writing. “Learning to Walk” is the first of a trilogy of books. In the next two books (available late 2012) he’ll be sharing his insights from hiking around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. I’m hooked.

“Learning to Walk: Book I of the Trilogy,” by Richard Shade Gardner, is now available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle versions. It is also available at Simply New York, in Rochester, and Artizanns, in Naples.

By Sue Freeman, thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail, author & publisher of 14 outdoor recreation guidebooks to central & western New York State through Footprint Press, Inc.

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Photo: The Finger Lakes in Upstate New York as Seen From Space

I looked at this photo & wondered what they were smoking – then I realized the Finger Lakes are at the top of the photo, so the photo is looking south across Lake Ontario from Canada.

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Explore the Eastern Lake Erie Grape Belt with a New Guidebook

“The eastern Lake Erie region is filled with thousands of acres of grape vineyards, great scenic vistas with the

Traversing America’s Grape Country – A Personal Guide to the Eastern Lake Erie Grape Belt

blue waters of Lake Erie in the background, wonderful natural resources, and so much more that it deserves a guidebook to introduce and orient visitors”, says Andy Dufresne. And that is just what he produced, a  book titled “Traversing America’s Grape Country – A Personal Guide to the Eastern Lake Erie Grape Belt.”

The book is 112 pages, with over 200 color photos, maps and art work to illustrate the narrative. Dufresne draws upon his 33-year background as an agricultural educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension to explain aspects of grape farming and the grape industry to the visitor. He includes information about the natural resources – where to gain public access to Lake Erie, enjoy the outdoors on hiking trails, chase the creek headwaters, and note the footprints of glaciers from the Ice Age.

The book is broken into 18 chapters, including ones on local agriculture and the Amish Country, appreciation of country church architecture and old cemeteries, and geology of the region.

Dufresne highlights a dozen of his favorite vineyard vista photo locations. And he presents a 68 mile Grape Escarpment Scenic Drive Route that twists and turns from Sunset Bay, Hanover, NY to Shades Beach, Harborcreek, PA. Much of the route is on less traveled roads in the Allegheny Plateau Escarpment hills south of Route 20, offering a close-up view of grape farms and long views of grape vineyards. The route will be promoted jointly with the Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt Heritage Area.

Dufresne is confident that people who have lived here all their lives will also discover some gems of unvisited locations worthy of a visit. And the information makes it a reference book to the local grape industry.
“This is not a book to sit on a coffee table” Dufresne says. “It is a guide book to take with you when you are driving around or traversing the grape belt region. We are America’s grape country. We grow native American grapes, mainly Concords and Niagaras, as well as red, white and blue European hybrid varieties. ”

The book measures 8 ½” X 11″ and is printed in color, with a soft cover. It was printed by Falconer Printing and Design, Falconer, NY.

Dufresne hopes to have copies for sale in the area’s wineries and gift shops and notes that it is available at McClurg Museum, Jack’s Barcelona Drive-In, Arrowhead, Johnson Estate and Merritt Estate Wineries. The book’s list price is $34.95 and can be ordered (+$5 for tax & shipping) directly from him: Andrew Dufresne, 3965 S. Harold Avenue, Bemus Point, NY 14712, email and2@cornell.edu. It can also be ordered on-line, using PayPal at  www.GrapeBeltViewer.com.  A downloadable digital edition is expected to be available in the future.

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Great Lakes Seaway Trail GeoTrail

Geocaching is a hot new healthy outdoor adventure on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. Grab your GPS and search for the 75 hidden caches amidst our scenic, natural and cultural landscape.  Have fun and earn collectible geocoins; learn how at www.seawaytrail.com/geotrail.

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Byway Birding Bonanza

Bring binoculars on the free byway birding itinerary – http://www.seawaytrail.com/roadtrips <http://www.seawaytrail.com/roadtrips> – that reaches from the Pennsylvania Borderlands and Presque Isle to New York’s Braddock Bay and Derby Hill Bird Observatories, the Indian River Lakes and Lake St. Lawrence. The fall migration is a busy time on this important flyway.

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Peace Bridge Encourages Biking On The Bridge from Buffalo to Canada

By WKBW News, link to original post

The Peace Bridge connects the US & Canada

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority (Peace Bridge Authority) once again reminds local residents of the “Bike to the Bridge” campaign, which encourages non-vehicular border crossings and seeks to educate bicyclists and pedestrians on proper crossing procedures at the Peace Bridge facility. Such efforts include a combination of improved public outreach and information distribution, as well as continued promotion of current Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) document identification requirements.

“Every day at the Peace Bridge we welcome numerous bicyclists and pedestrians,” said Authority Chairman Anthony Annunziata. “And by educating additional area residents regarding border crossing identification requirements and procedures, we hope to encourage many more travelers to go green and experience the truly breathtaking views available to them of Lake Erie, the Niagara River, and the City of Buffalo skyline.”

A suite of promotional materials supporting the “Bike to the Bridge” campaign are available at www.peacebridge.com/biketothebridge. Such items include an instructional video on “how to cross” the bridge by bicycle, downloadable maps and pamphlets with travel routes, a complete listing of necessary identification requirements, as well as reference links for respective Canadian and American Customs agencies. Walk the bridge information can be found here.

The Authority’s commitment to engaging and educating the Southern Ontario and Western New York bicycling communities through the “Bike to the Bridge” effort was selected this past year by The League of American Bicyclists to receive an official support citation.
According to Bike League Director of Communications Meghan Cahill, “this Peace Bridge event is a great image for our cooperative vision and work to create more bicycle-friendly countries – a North America that recognizes the benefits of bicycling for the environment, personal health, and improving quality of life.”

For more information on the Peace Bridge Authority, visit www.peacebridge.com.

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority, a binational authority, has owned and operated the Peace Bridge since 1933. The bridge, which was opened to traffic in 1927, spans the Niagara River between Fort Erie, Ontario, and Buffalo, New York, and is a key international border crossing. The Authority is governed by a 10 member board with an equal number of representatives from Canada and the United States. As an international compact and in accordance with its enabling legislation, the chairmanship alternates annually between Canada and the United States.

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