Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, in partnership with the NYS Canal Corporation, has selected seven organizations to receive Erie Canalway IMPACT! Grants totaling $64,323. Funded projects include vital work to showcase canal heritage and welcome people to explore the canal in their local communities.
“We are thrilled to support these community-driven projects to strengthen the Canalway Corridor as a vibrant place to live, work, visit, and play,” said Bob Radliff, Executive Director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. “These exciting projects will foster greater awareness and pride in New York’s canals that will have lasting benefits for residents and visitors.”
The grants range from $2,000 to $12,000 and will leverage an additional $161,107 in private and public project support. Over the past 13 years, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has made 90 grants to communities and non-profit organizations that have spurred $2.4 million in additional investments in heritage preservation, recreation, and education.
New York State Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton said, “It is an honor to join with the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in supporting education, recreation, and tourism along New York’s canal system. The history of our canals provides the framework for our State’s great legacy, and we look forward to supporting and enhancing awareness of these storied waterways for years to come through these IMPACT! Grant projects.”
Erie Canalway IMPACT! Grants were awarded to:
•Village of Brockport, $5,000
Design and install a pair of outdoor interpretive signs that celebrate the history, design, and operation of the village’s iconic lift bridges.
•Corn Hill Navigation, Pittsford, $8,954
Improve educational and program delivery with new technology at a new visitor center being developed at Corn Hill Landing in Rochester.
•Erie Canal Museum, Syracuse, $9,015
Develop programming related to the Empire State Trail including a Syracuse-based Trail Ambassador Program and trail amenities that raise user awareness of the museum. Pilot both weekend and corridor-wide trail rides.
•Explore & More: The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Children’s Museum, Buffalo, $11,454
Design and present an Erie Canal themed educational play experience every Wednesday throughout 2022 that will engage children and families.
•Friends of Stewart Park, Ithaca, $5,900
Design and install five outdoor interpretive signs that showcase the history of the Erie Canal and Cayuga Lake as they relate to the City of Ithaca.
•National Abolition Hall of Fame, Peterboro, $12,000
Design and install two outdoor interpretive signs within the Village of Canastota to raise awareness of the National Abolition Hall. Funds will also support a reenactment of a dramatic event that shaped the abolition movement in the United States.
•Schoharie River Center, Esperance, $12,000
Implement a series of educational programs with at-risk urban and rural youth to investigate water quality on the Erie Canal/Mohawk River and adjacent tributaries.
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