FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17, 2006
CANAL CORPORATION AND LOCAL PARTNERS KICK-OFF
THIRD ANNUAL CANALWAYS PROGRAM
Four Day Educational Program Highlights Local History of the Canal
More than 275 Students to Participate in 2006
New York State Canal Corporation Director Carmella R. Mantello today announced the start of the third annual CanalWays program, a four-day educational program based in Waterford, Saratoga County that teaches local schoolchildren about the history of the Erie Canal.
“The CanalWays program is another example of the successful partnerships being created all along the Canal System to promote the history and heritage of this significant State and national treasure,” Director Mantello said. “The program continues to expand each year as more and more local schools recognize the benefits of this hands-on educational experience. We are pleased to again be working in partnership with the Waterford Historical Museum, the Town of Waterford and New York State Parks to showcase our Canal System and provide a wonderful educational program for local fourth graders.”
The multi-day program, which began in 2004, is administered by the Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center in partnership with the New York State Canal Corporation, the Town of Waterford Visitor Center, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Peebles Island Visitor Center. This year, the program is expected to host more than 275 local fourth graders.
State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro said, “This educational program is another example of the successful partnership between State Parks and the Canal Corporation which helps highlight the rich heritage of the Erie Canal for schoolchildren in local communities. We are delighted that through the Canalways program, we will welcome these enthusiastic students at the new Visitor Center at Peebles Island where they can experience an important slice of the canal's history in this unique setting.”
Director of the Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center Brad Utter said, “The Museum is excited to be able to collaborate with each of our partners for the third year in a row. By pulling together each of our resources we are able to offer a truly unique and valuable hands-on learning experience for local fourth grade students.”
Dick Hurst, Harbormaster of Town of Waterford Visitors Center said, “It’s crucial for local groups to come together to achieve a greater goal. The Town of Waterford is delighted to be a part of this program in order to benefit the local school children.”
The participating students spend roughly four hours in Waterford, visiting five different stations. While at each site, the students have the opportunity to learn hands-on about the local history of Waterford and the significant role the Canal System has played in our society and in the development of New York State and the nation.
The children visit the Waterford Historical Museum to view exhibits related to local canal history. At the Peebles Island Visitor Center, they learn about and compare various methods of transporting goods throughout history, including the canals impact on trade and commerce in New York State. The children next take a guided walk on the old Champlain canal and learn about how families and children lived and worked on the canal. The children also will tour the Tug Urger and learn about the importance of the Erie Canal in making New York the Empire State. The Urger, one of the oldest working vessels in the country still afloat, is the flagship of the Canal Corporation’s fleet and the centerpiece of its statewide educational program. Finally, the children visit the Waterford Visitor Center and Lock E-2, as well as the side-cut spillway and get to experience a modern lock in operation.
Since it’s inception in 2004, the CanalWays program has experienced tremendous growth. In 2004, the one-day program hosted 50 students from one local school. Just two years later, the program has expanded to four-days and will accommodate three local schools with more than 275 fourth grade students participating. The three schools participating in this year’s program are Gardner Dickinson in Wynantskill, Waterford-Halfmoon and South Colonie.
The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture.
In late May 2005, Governor Pataki unveiled his vision for the future of the Canal System and called for establishing an Erie Canal Greenway and, ultimately, an Empire State Greenway, connecting the Niagara, Erie and Hudson River Greenways. The Canal Corporation and an interagency task force conducted an extensive outreach campaign to gather input and ideas, and develop a comprehensive set of recommendations to create the new Erie and Empire State Greenways and examine certain roles and responsibilities currently assigned to the Canal Corporation. The recommendations were made public and delivered in a report to the Governor in late December 2005.
For more information on the CanalWays Program, please call Brad Utter, Director of the Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center, at 518-235-0809.
For further information about the New York State Canal Corporation and the Tug Urger Educational Program, please call 518-436-2799 or visit the Canal Corporation’s website at www.canals.state.ny.us and click on “Canal Culture.”
-30-