TRAIL BOSS ANNOUNCED

At the February 23rd Heritage Park Committee meeting, Mike Riley accepted the volunteer position as Trail Boss for the park project. When it comes to natural resources, trails and canal history, I can think of no one better qualified than Mike for the job. I'm so grateful he accepted it on top of all the other many activities he is involved in.

Mike Riley describes the workings of the Richmond Aqueduct 

Mike's by-day "real" job is foreman at Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation. His overall experience working to enhance and protect natural resources will be a valuable asset to the environmentally sensitive areas in the park. His knowledge of canal history is responsible for helping me to learn and understand the different stages and mechanics of canal building.  Through his study, he's uncovered little known facts and stories that contribute to Montezuma's unique part of Erie and Cayuga-Seneca Canal history.  Ten years ago, he wrote a book, "Twelve and a Half Miles: The Erie Canal in Cayuga County,"  and recently posted a web edition, free of charge on the Cayuga County Canals website, he helped to create with full color photos and maps.

He serves as a director with the West Onondaga-Cayuga Regional Trail Group of the Canalway Association. The Association is helping communities plan, develop and manage trail segments of the  524-mile continuous trail along New York's historic canals. He serves as a director with the Canal Society of New York, a non-profit educational organization that brings together canal enthusiasts from across the state. The Erie Canal Camillus Park has also benefited from his expertise on many projects, as well as conducting boat tours for them.  In his hometown, he serves as president of the Lock 52 Historical Society of Port Byron, Town of Mentz Planning Board member, and Town Historian. Here in Montezuma, the Town has benefited from his leading our yearly historic walking tours that has now expanded as part the Canal Splash Following The Flow Driving and Walking Tour and writes for the Cayuga County Canal Tours blog.  He attends monthly meetings of the Park Design Committee and gives valuable input.  

Mike and his wife Mary, along with their son, Shane, and daughter Kate, have enjoyed many camping trips that usually involve visiting a canal site. He is always learning more about trails and canal history that he is willing to share.  There's a saying, "If you want to get something done, just ask a busy person."  Thankfully, Mike's the man for this job!









 

NEW TRAIL BEING BLAZED

There's been been plenty of activity in Montezuma this winter to help raise some money for the park and develop a new trail that uncovers unseen parts of the original Clinton's Ditch. The work done  cleared the way for public access to the Cayuga-Seneca Lock 11 site now on the west side (towpath side) of the C&S only accessible from private land before. Much thanks is given to Bill Breen for the suggestion to raise money through logging some of the prime walnut trees we have in the area. The logging project was contracted by the town with William Haessner Logging who as part of the contract agreed to help create a trail exposing the part of Clinton's Ditch that joined into the C&S Canal here in Montezuma. Working with Bill, was Forester Doug Brico, who marked trees necessary for removal due to the state of maturity, disease or aspect making it undesirable as a park type tree.

On January 6, 2012, Bill Haessner drops the first tree and forges through the area east of Chapman Road and the drydock area. This begins opening up a new trail along Clinton's Ditch built here 1819.
The horse power of Bill's skidder is a sharp contrast to the axes, horses and stump pullers that would have been used to clear the land for the canal originally.

On a walk on January 10, 2012, Clinton's Ditch is clearly seen from 

 

the new trail opened up.

On January 21, 2012 my husband, Stan and I walked the newly cleared trail all the way to the C&S Canal and Lock 11. Clinton's Ditch is to the right of the trail.

C&S Lock 11 is now clearly visible from the west side of the newly formed trail.  The logging project gave public access to the site only before seen with permission through private owner's land.

The work on the enlarged Erie made it necessary to construct a lock at the junction of the C&S and the Erie in Montezuma. During the Clinton’s Ditch era both canals were at the same elevation and the Cayuga merely intersected with the Erie. When the Erie was raised to cross the Seneca River on an aqueduct, it was three feet higher then the C&S. The new lock, C&S Lock 11, was built just to the south of this junction, southwest of the present-day firehouse location. Cayuga-Seneca Lock 11 was put in use in 1853 and its remains are well intact today.

This early photo is near the site of the junction of the Erie and C&S Canals and Lock 11.

 

 

 

 

By the end of January. Bill had finished the project, and we now can look forward to further develop the trail this Spring.

DON'T LET THE LEGACY OF SMALL TOWN USA FADE AWAY

The lyrics to Justin Moore's song, Small Town USA go:

     "A lot of people called it prison when I was growin' up
          But these are my roots and that is what I love

               'Cause everybody knows me and I know them

                    And I believe that's the way we're supposed to live

                         I wouldn't trade one single day in small town USA."

                       

There's a lot to be said for growing up in a small town that I didn't so much appreciate when I was younger. Like Justin's song, my roots go deep here, and the things I used to take for granted are extremely important to me today. It seems like there was more of a sense of belonging and real connection that is slipping away.  Do we need to raise our vision higher to our physical environment to empower us to promote a more prosperous and enduring way of life?  How do we promote collaboration between community members to tackle the problems and opportunities in small towns today such as Montezuma? We need to wake up to the fact that its up to us to be more pro-active. With industrialization of agriculture, industrialized delivery systems and the globalization of our economy, our small towns are being by-passed and extremely challenged to endure. 

Today's challenges require us to find the possible solutions that are unique to a place and its people.  We must work towards a community that assures each citizen may hope to prosper and benefit from an inspired community life. We need to raise the bar on what we expect for our community and come together to create a stable, safe and healthy town that reveals our unique heritage and diverse values. One of the greatest challenges that our rural community faces today is the need to find ways for economic stability, growth and achieve a high quality of life.  Unfortunately, there are limited resources, with limited assistance and access to information or the means for implementation.
 
We need to focus on the appreciation for the character of a people and its place. I'm looking forward to hiring an architect firm through the EPF grant in the next few weeks that will offer creative and practical skills towards improving the environments in which we live, work and meet. It is my hope that we will begin coming together to identify our community's needs. We will then begin addressing how they might be accommodated with existing rich natural and historic resources of our region, so we can begin to organize our community towards a shared vision. Working with local leadership and partners, it is possible to protect our small home town legacy from fading away.

2012 -- Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Looking forward to all we can do to bring in the new year, and with it a new "sense of place" to live and support one another. 

HPDC MEETING SCHEDULED

The last meeting of the year of the Montezuma Heritage Design Committee (HPDC) will be held Thursday, December 29th at 7 PM in the Town Hall. We welcome community residents to attend. 

At this meeting we will be reviewing proposals for conceptual design services to develop the park. This planning project is partially funded through a grant received from the Environmental Protection Fund administered by New York Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. We also will be setting three main goals for the coming year as we partner with the Rivers, Trails, Conservation Assistance and Parks and Trails, New York Creating Healthy Trails, Healthy Places Program to assist us in putting together an Action Plan.

Park Plans Highlighted

I would like to thank Dorothy Long, Contributing Writer to the Post Standard Neighbors Cayuga County section for today's article highlighting Montezuma's plans for the park.  I enjoyed chatting with Dorothy about the article she did. Also, I enjoyed the walk to the aqueduct with Photographer, Stephen Cannerelli  as I shared with him about the historic sites in the park. I appreciate the article and photos helping us to educate the public about the important natural and historic resources we have here.   Supervisor John Malenick was quoted in the article as saying, "We are a very small community, but we are rich in history."  This is so true, and when we recognize the value of our history as an asset, it helps our community focus on what resources we do have.

I would like to make one correction regarding the grant that was received by the town mentioned in the article. It is an Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) grant administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). The purpose of the grant is to conduct a park design project that will include building understanding and community support, exploring alternatives and preparing the final concept plan. The Town will then use a landscape architect to develop final designs, construction documents. and begin the permit process for this project of the priority components of the park design. The Request for Proposals are due today and the Heritage Park Design Committee will review the proposals, and make a recommendation to the Town Board for final approval at their January town board meeting. 

The article may be read online at:
http://blog.syracuse.com/neighbors/2011/12/montezuma_inches_closer_to_new_park_with_new_planning_grant.html

A Gift Arrives in Time For the Holidays!

Creating a healthy environment is important for our community.  One way to do this has recently arrived for the Town of Montezuma wrapped in a bright green package just in time for the holidays.

To help manage residential organic waste that was previously burned and to build community understanding of the serious health and safety hazards of open burning, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) with the funding for the New York State Clean Air Grants Program under the Clean Air Act.  Open burning of leaves, branches and other organic materials poses serious health risks and safety hazards that results in  releasing harmful pollutants such as benzene, formaldehyde and lead.  Also, since open burning of residential waste is the single largest cause of wildfires, it puts the Montezuma Heritage Park and Montezuma National Wildlife that borders it at risk, and it is critical as stewards of this land we protect the habitat of these areas.

The Town of Montezuma received a Clean Air Grant through the DEC to help purchase a chipper. This will allow the Town to provide a service to residents to dispose of organic waste by bringing it to a designated site near the Recycling Center at the Town Highway Department barn. In return residents, will be able to use this recycled product as mulch as it becomes available. Another benefit is it will provide needed mulch along the newly self-guided nature trails now being developed in the Montezuma Heritage Park.

Denny Lapp (left) and Jeff Dawson (right) ready to tackle a huge pile of brush.

Jeffrey Dawson, newly elected Highway Superintendent will be in charge of the operation assisted by highway employee, Denny Lapp.  More information will be published as the needed guidelines for collection are established.

It's a win-win solution  and opportunity for the town -- thanks DEC!

Happy Holidays!