FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 25, 2006
FLOATING DOCK ALONG NYS CANAL SYSTEM OPENS FOR LANDING
AT MONTEZUMA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Thanks to a strong partnership between the New York State Canal Corporation and the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, the two agencies today announced the opening of a state-of-the-art seasonal floating dock, access ramp, and a connecting trail that links to and provides public boater access from the Canal System to trails, a visitor center, viewing towers and public facilities at the Montezuma NWR Headquarters. The dock is fully operational for landing and the Seneca Trail, newly open to visitors, offers a one-mile loop around the Refuge Headquarters area. Site interpretation is well underway.
“The Canal Corporation is pleased to partner with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge to increase and enhance public access between these two unique national treasures,” Canal Corporation Director Carmella R. Mantello said. “Both the Canal System and the Montezuma Refuge offer tremendous opportunities for tourism, passive recreation, interpretation and education. As we move forward the Governor’s vision to create an Erie Canal Greenway, and eventually, an Empire State Greenway, this partnership is a perfect example of the type of regional collaboration that will benefit local communities and enhance the experiences of visitors all along the canal.”
The Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge consists of over 9,000 acres at the north end of Cayuga Lake that is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Refuge represents some of the most significant waterfowl and wildlife habitat in the entire Atlantic Flyway, and is a critical resource for migratory and resident wildlife populations. Opportunities for viewing wildlife—especially birds—abound on the refuge. More than 160,000 people visit each year taking advantage of the Spring and Fall migrations to see the greatest variety of waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and songbirds the refuge has to offer. You may also see mink, weasel, fox and deer.
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.
The Canal System runs directly through the Montezuma NWR, with the Erie and Cayuga-Seneca Canals providing the largest greenway/waterway link. Nowhere along the 524-mile long New York State Canal System is the connectivity between the Canal to quality natural resources better evidenced than by the proximity of the Erie and Cayuga-Seneca Canals to the Montezuma NWR. This connectivity offers a tremendous opportunity to enhance both nationally-significant resources (Canal and Refuge) by improving passive linkages, enhancing wildlife-oriented education and recreation, and increasing public use by providing access between Canal users and public use facilities on the Refuge.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses more than 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For further information regarding the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, please call Andrea Stewart, Visitor Services Manager, Montezuma NWR 315/568-5987, fax: 315/568-8835 or Andrea_Stewart@fws.gov.
For more information about news and attractions along the New York State Canal System, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit www.canals.state.ny.us.