With a 524-mile long Corridor that is home to 3.2 million New Yorkers, we are tasked with looking at the big picture.
How can we ensure that New York's canals drive economic development and stimulate cultural innovation in the 21st century? How can we draw national and international attention to our distinctive heritage, communities, waterways, and trails?The answer lies in our ability to reach across the distance and bring diverse partners together. We are in a unique position to leverage federal, state, and local resources and focus public and private investment to benefit the entire region.
The NYS Canal System is a historic and multidimensional waterway. It plays a central role in tourism, recreation, agriculture, power generation, water supply, commercial/ industrial activities, transportation, and community development.
Created to honor significant places along the Corridor, the Erie Canalway Heritage Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding efforts by a community or organization in advancing the goals of the Erie Canalway Preservation and Management Plan.
Erie Canalway in partnership with the NYS Canal Corporation is installing dockside exhibit panels and wayfinding signs in 40 canal communities. The new signs will share canal history and help people find their way to services.
- The NYS Canal System supports over $6.2 billion annually in non-tourism economic activity, including: renewable power generation, industrial uses, public and agricultural water supplies, research and development, and commercial shipping.
- The annual economic impact of canal-related events and tours is $1.3 billion.
- Economic impact analysis of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in particular shows an annual economic impact of $307.7 million to upstate New York’s economy (Tripp Umbach, 2016). Erie Canalway supports 3,240 jobs and generates $34.9 million in tax revenue.