WATERFORD, NY – Seven education and recreation projects will get off the ground this year with funding support from the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. The grants are aimed at inspiring people to learn more about New York’s legendary canals and further explore the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.
The grants range from $2,000 to $7,000 and are leveraging an additional $77,231 in private and public project support.
In Wayne County, the Village of Newark was awarded $2,000 to support art in education in the Newark School District. Working in partnership with Mural Mania, students will refurbish an existing mural and create a new mural about the Erie Canal.
“While large investments often draw the greatest attention, small projects are adding up to big results for communities and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor as a whole,” said Bob Radliff, Executive Director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. “We are grateful for the work of canal communities and organizations across the state for the great work they do to advance education, recreation, and preservation along this historic waterway.”
Over the past 10 years, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has made 69 small grants to communities and non-profit organizations that have spurred $1.67 million in additional investments in heritage preservation, recreation, and education.
2018 ERIE CANALWAY GRANT AWARDS
Corn Hill Waterfront and Navigation Foundation was awarded $6,000 to provide opportunities for students from the Rochester City School District to participate in a new environmental education/STEM program on the Erie Canal aboard the boat Sam Patch.
Lockport Locks Heritage District Corporation was awarded $3,750 to install interpretive signs to explain the significance of the Locktender Tribute Monument and the Erie Traveler, a replica Durham-style boat at the Flight of Five Locks in Lockport.
Madison County was awarded $7,000 to conduct a feasibility study for four potential hand-launch sites for paddlers along the Old Erie Canal State Park between the Town of Dewitt and Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum in Chittenango.
Montgomery County received $7,000 to develop an app for use along the Erie Canalway Trail through Montgomery County to share stories of the people and history of the Mohawk Valley.
Rochester Accessible Adventures was awarded $7,000 to expand access to recreational opportunities along the Erie Canal to people with disabilities and their family and friends. Funding will support replication of RAA’s adaptive paddling and cycling center model in Fairport to a second location at CityGate in Rochester and potentially a third location in Lockport. The CityGate location will enable use by Monroe Community Hospital rehabilitation programs.
Schenectady County Historical Society received $2,200 to support Rowin’ the River: An Early Mohawk Experience. This suite of programs and events enables visitors to experience rowing in a replica bateau – vessels that traveled and traded along the Mohawk River prior to construction of the Erie Canal. Funds will be used for boat repair and to promote rowing programs at the Mabee Farm.
Village of Newark was awarded $2,000 to support art in education in the Newark School District. Working in partnership with Mural Mania, students will refurbish an existing mural and create a new mural about the Erie Canal.
ABOUT THE ERIE CANALWAY NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor preserves our extraordinary canal heritage, promotes the Corridor as a world-class tourism destination, and fosters vibrant communities connected by more than 500 miles of waterway. It achieves its mission in partnership with the National Park Service, New York State agencies, non-profit organizations, local residents, and more than 200 communities across the full expanse of upstate New York.
www.eriecanalway.org
