In The News

July, 2014

1st or 6th Time, Riders Enjoy Erie

Rome Sentinel

Here’s the long and short of it on the 16th annual Cycling the Erie Canal — for some like the first-timer 9-year-old from Brooklyn it’s a big thing and for others, well, not so big. Although some got caught in rain Thursday, most were enjoying the sunshine in Rome as they set up camp on the lawn at Fort Stanwix.

Cyclists Set to Arrive in Area Thursday

Rome Sentinel

More than 500 cyclists kicked off the 16th annual statewide Cycling the Erie Canal Sunday, a 400-mile bicycling tour from Buffalo to Albany concluding this Sunday. Riders will arrive in Rome Thursday and depart Friday morning.The Rome Area Chamber of Commerce has issued its annual guide for cyclists. It outlines the schedule, attractions, where to eat and details for the shuttle bus service offered. Riders will camp on the west lawn at Fort Stanwix National Monument.

Erie Canal Bike Tour Makes a Pit Stop in Rome

WKTV News

The annual "Cycling the Erie Canal Bike Tour," brought cyclists through central New York, Thursday. Some 500 bikers are spending eight days traveling 400 miles across New York State, starting off in Buffalo and riding through towns along the canal until they get to Albany.

Oneida Reaches Out to Erie Canal Bike Riders

Oneida Daily Dispatch

Thirty miles into their fifth day of riding, more than four hundred bikers on the Erie Canal Trailway Tour were greeted by members of the Greater Oneida Area Chamber of Commerce, Oneida Rail Trail Committee and Parks and Recreation just outside Oneida.

Erie Canal Cyclists Ride Through Northern Madison County

Madison County Courier

More than 500 cyclists will be coming through Chittenango, Canastota, Wampsville, and Oneida on Thursday, July 17 as part of the 16thAnnual Cycling the Erie Canal Bike Tour. This is an opportunity to roll out the welcome mat and showcase our local businesses and area attractions.

Group Bicycling Along the Erie Canal (Video)

News Chanel 9, Syracuse

Orleans Rolls Out Big Red Carpet for Cyclists

Orleanshub.com

After a big welcome reception in Medina on Sunday night, about 500 cyclists on the Erie Canal are being treated today to refreshments and greetings in Albion and Holley. The top photo shows a group of cyclists by two welcome tents in Albion.

True Tales from On The Erie Canal (A Rider's Blog)

Cyclists Wake Up in Burnett Park (Video)

News Chanel 9, Syracuse

See 500 Cyclists Biking 400 Miles Across New York for Cycling the Erie Canal

syracuse.com

On July 13, more than 500 cyclists began pedaling along the historic Erie Canalway Trail from Buffalo to Albany.They arrive in Syracuse today, July 16, halfway on the 16th annual 400-mile Cycling the Erie Canal tour, organized by the statewide nonprofit Parks & Trails New York. At 3:45 p.m., the cyclists will stop at Rosamond Gifford Zoo for a half-way point celebration.

Hundreds of Bicyclists Roll Into Rochester as Cycling the Erie Canal Bike Tour Continues (Video)

Time Warner News

Bicyclists of all ages continued their trek Monday as they ride 400 miles along the Erie Canal, rolling into Genesee Valley Park in Rochester. "It's a really nice way to be outdoors," said New Jersey resident Priscilla Hayes. "Me and my dad, we really trained hard for it and I know I can do it," said 10-year-old Anika Galkiewicz, an Albany resident. These bikers will spend the next eight days traveling to Albany as part of the Cycling the Erie Canal Tour. The tour, which began Sunday in Buffalo, is meant to bring awareness to the canal.

500 Bicyclists Registered for Buffalo-Albany Canal Tour

Times Union

More than 500 bicyclists have registered for the annual Cycling the Erie Canal ride, a 400-mile tour that starts in Buffalo on Sunday and ends on Sunday, July 20, in Albany. The tour, which highlights the beauty, history, culture and recreational appeal of the canal system and the Canalway Trail, has attracted cyclists from 36 states and some foreign nations.

Lessons from the Canalway Trail

Adirondack Daily Enterprise

As the state considers the best use of our Remsen-Lake Placid rail corridor, there are lessons to be learned from a new economic impact study of the Erie Canalway Trail, which runs across the state from Albany to Buffalo. The ECT is more than 75 percent complete, with 277 miles now open as an off-road, multi-use trail for people of all ages who want to enjoy fresh air and good exercise while soaking up history and engaging with the natural world. END

Residents Along Erie Canal are Discovering it Via Bike

WRVO Public Media

Many New Yorkers who live along the Erie Canal are rediscovering the waterway via long-distance bicycle trips. The recreational trail along the canal is becoming a well-used resource by people living in towns that were built by the canal. And they’re spending money too. A survey by Parks and Trails New York finds a million and a half people take to the Erie Canal Trail every year. A large majority, nearly 90 percent, of those are bikers.

Upcycling the Economy

Metroland

On Monday, Parks and Trails New York released a new report on the Erie Canalway Trail demonstrating an economic impact of $253 million, from a volume of 1.58 million visits a year, and supporting 3,440 jobs in local economies along the trail. The report announcement coincided with PTNY’s 16th annual Erie Canal Ride, a nearly-400-mile, eight-day event that this year attracted 500 cyclists from 35 states and four countries. The canal ride began in Buffalo and will finish in Albany on Sunday.

Study: Canal Trail has Big Benefit

Democrat & Chronicale

Erie Canal Bike Tour cyclists whizzed by Schoen Place in Pittsford Monday as Parks & Trails New York officials announced the results of a study tallying the 1.5 million visitors and $250 million in revenue that the Erie Canal brings to upstate every year.

Continue Investment in Popular Canal

Democrat & Chronicale

Though it runs some 360 miles without a crossroads, the Erie Canal still has many important intersections: recreation and economic impact, for example, or tourism and historic attraction. Its spiraling popularity must be matched by legislative support in the form of passage of pending legislation to extend its designation as a National Heritage Corridor.

New Reports Touts Economic Importance of Erie Canalway Trail

Genesee Valley Penny Saver

Parks & Trails New York (PTNY), the state’s leading not-for-profit park and trail advocacy organization, today announced the release of its new report, The Economic Impact of the Erie Canalway Trail: An Assessment and User Profile of New York’s Longest Multi-use Trail. This first comprehensive study of the Erie Canalway Trail (ECT) visitor demonstrates an annual trail traffic volume of more than 1.58 million visits per year, which generates an economic impact of approximately $253 million and supports 3,440 jobs in the local economies within the trail corridor.

May, 2014

GE Volunteers To Help Make Saratoga Trail ADA Accessible on I Love My Park Day

Saratoga Spa State Park will get one step closer to seeing a long-held dream come true on May 3, when work done by GE volunteers and others will increase the accessibility of the one-mile Ferndell Trail. GE volunteers will work with Friends of Saratoga Spa State Park and park staff to widen the trail in several locations. The work will continue later this year when GE volunteers, the Friends and park staff will make the trail completely handicapped accessible with the addition of a 25-foot pedestrian bridge and new benches every 1000 feet, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.

Pop Group Capital Cities and L.L. Bean

Campus Consciousness Tour to pitch in at a New York State Park - Pop group Capital Cities and the larger-than-life L.L.Bean Bootmobile will make a stop in the Capital Region to participate in the third annual I Love My Park Day on Saturday, May 3. Capital Cities is currently headlining REVERB’s Campus Consciousness Tour presented by L.L.Bean. Capital Cities, REVERB, and L.L.Bean, along with student outing clubs and environmental groups, are taking part in community service projects that protect and beautify natural spaces.