What is the Genesee Valley Greenway?

• An historic and natural resource corridor following the route of the former Genesee Valley Canal ( 1840-1878) and Pennsylvania Railroad , Rochester Branch, (1882-1963)

• 90-mile multi-use trail

History of the Corridor

Genesee Valley Canal York Landing, Livingston County

Genesee Valley Canal, Mt. Morris(Note boat in canal)

Four Bridges over Genesee River – Mt.Morris

Courtesy of Mt.Morris Historical Society

Covered Bridge over Genesee River – Mt. Morris

Courtesy of Tom Roffe, Leicester Historian

Another View of Mt. Morris Bridges over the Genesee River

Courtesy of Tom Roffe, Leicester Historian

Penn RR Bridge over Genesee River – Mt. Morris

Courtesy of Mt. Morris Historical Society

Genesee Valley Canal along Letchworth Gorge

Canal,Towpath, & Original

Portage Bridge

LetchworthState Park

c1870 Courtesy of Thomas S. Cook

"Canalduct near Portage, Genesee Valley, N.Y"American Stereoscopic Co, Langenheim, Lloyd & Co Philadelphia

Canal Aqueduct at Portageville

late 1850’s

Loading Bluestone

onto canal boat

Portage-ville

A railroad was built upon the canal towpath in 1882. Note the canal prism on the right

The Genesee Salt Works at Piffard, Livingston County, was served by the

railroad

In 1896, excursion trains ran on Sundays to Portage High Bridge from Rochester and

Bradford, PA.

Penn RR Depots, Livingston County

NundaCuylerville

Tuscarora

Riders on the Greenway at the turn of the century.

From Rochester to Scottsville

The berme side of the canal

was used as the

Scottsville Bicycle Path

from

1896 to ~1907.

Celebrating the opening of the Scottsville Bicycle Path in 1896

1963 - RG&E purchased 80 miles of the corridor in Livingston, Wyoming &

Allegany Counties

Transition to a Greenway• 1967 – 78: OPRHP purchased ~260 acres of the

corridor in the Towns of Portage and Leicester which were added to Letchworth State Park and became Trail #7 (includes Oakland Locks) and lands at the northern park entrance.

• 1975: “Old Genesee Valley Canal Trail” was included in the NYS Canal Recreation Development Program prepared jointly by OPRHP and DOT as part of the Statewide Recreation Planning Program.

• 1984: OPRHP purchased 118 acres from Penn Central Corp., 10 miles of corridor in Monroe County, the first segment of the “Old Genesee Valley Canal Trail”

• Mid 1980’s: DEC & FLTC proposed using Environmental Quality Bond Act (EQBA) funds to purchase the corridor from RG&E.

• 1990: NYPCA, now Parks & Trails New York (PTNY), and RG&E initiated efforts to transform the corridor into the Genesee Valley Greenway.

• 1991: PTNY formed a Steering Committee of interested stakeholders and held town meetings along the corridor.

• Local Committees in individual towns/villages obtained leases from RG&E to build Greenway trail.

• 1992: First two miles of GVG opened in the Village of Mt. Morris

• 1993: An additional three miles of GVG opened in the Towns of Nunda and Portage

• 1993: The Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway (FOGVG), a 501(c)(3) NYS not for profit, type B Corporation was formed

• 1993 - 94: The first NYS Open Space Plan gave AA rating to acquisition of the “Genesee River Corridor” in Livingston and Monroe Counties and talked about Major Linear Systems

• 1998: Open Space Plan priority list included the Genesee Valley Greenway and the OPRHP, DEC and FOGVG Partnership formed in 1994

• 1997 – 2000: Partners worked with RG&E ro resolve encroachments and NYS took posession of the entire corridor

Genesee Valley Greenway• Public-private partnership

- NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP)- NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)- NYS Department of Transportation (DOT)- Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway, Inc.

(FOGVG) - Local citizens, organizations, businesses and

governments

Dedication of Genesee Valley

Greenway

June 1996Governor

George Pataki

After 9 years of effort GVG purchase

completed in 2000

How has the Greenway been developed and maintained?

• DEC and OPRHP funds and personnel• Federal Transportation Enhancements Program funds

awarded in 1994 & 2000 ($3.245 M – FOGVG as applicant)• Recreation Transportation Program Grant to FOGVG

in 2007 & four in 2011 ( Mt. Morris Village in Livingston County, FLTC in Wyoming County, Town of Hume in Allegany County & NYS OPRHP)

• Donations of land, labor and materials• FOGVG and Adopt a Trail Program

What has been accomplished?

• Acquisition of 80 miles of corridor in 2000, formerly owned by RG&E

(Note: in 1984, OPRHP purchased 10 miles of the corridor in Monroe County)

• ~ 62 miles of trail officially open

New Greenway Equipment - 2007

Using Recreational Trail Program Grant

Trail Adopters help with maintenance

Henrietta Hill & Gully Trail Riders Snowmobile

Club2008

Bridges Installed

Livingston County

Allegany County

NYSDOT Installing Greenway Bridge over Genesee River near Mt. Morris on former railroad abutments - June 2011

Mt. Morris Greenway Bridge June 2012

Genesee River Bridge Dedication – National Trails Day June 2, 2012

& We Celebrated - Champagne Anyone?

Caneadea Culvert Replacement – Allegany County - 2006

Fowlerville Culvert Monroe County - Repaired in 2007

Parking Lots Built with Signs by DEC

Noyes Memorial Hospital Healthy Heart Program Grant Added

Materials for Kiosk at York Landing,

built as an Eagle Scout Project by Eric Welch in

2007

25 Benches

More Kiosks 2010 - 2012Eagle Scout Projects

Chris Michow Rt. 20 Kiosk -

AvonMichael LoVerdiGenesee River Bridge Kiosk

Cuylerville Kiosk by

Evan Magnussen

Signs have been installed to interpret the corridor’s rich history.

Many more are needed.

Typical gates installed at road crossings

Greenway Goals

• Public Recreation• Natural, historic, and cultural resource protection • Economic Development• Community Involvement• Connections

Recreation in any season

The Greenway – A Place for Training, Field Trips, Special Events

Horses also Jog on the Greenway

The Greenway

Snowmobile, in some locations Access Trout Streams

A Place to:

Being Preserved:

Nearby Wetlands

Canal Turning Basins

Man Made Rockville Lake - Water Source

for the Canal

Emerald Ash Beetle Infestation - Ballantyne

Rd. Area Logged in Spring 2012

Photos by Bob Melville

Looking South July 2013

Looking North July 2013

Monroe County

Canal Locks

Livingston County

Allegany County

Allegany County

Historic Black Creek Canal Culvert, Monroe County, reputed to be the largest

in the state

Many More Stone Culverts

Canal Warehouse Belfast, Allegany County

Railroad Mileposts

Economic Development:

The Yard of Ale Canal House Inn has served travelers along the corridor since 1840.

Mt. Morris Greenway Industrial Park

Greenway Motel

Greenway Cyclists Overnight at Inns in Livingston & Allegany

Counties

Community Involvement: Trail Adopters & Trail Work Volunteers

Projects by Eagle Scouts, BOCES, & Service Clubs

Eagle Scouts & Geneseo Kiwanis

installed 30 mileposts

BOCES Students

3 New Benches Built as an Ecology Class Project – Geneseo Central

Randy French Teacher

Sean Bennett Student

Spring 2013

Lakeland Rovers Hiking Club Clearing Debris – Monroe County

I Love My Park Day- May 2012

Monroe CountyBrook Road Parking Area

Lamas headed for Lock #2

Brook Road Parking Area

Photo by Bob Melville

July 2013

ILMPD 2013 - Lock #2 Monroe County

Photos by Bob

Melville

ILMPD 2013 Little Black Creek Park

Monroe County

An adjacent landowner in Caledonia, Livingston County, donated 8 acres to the

Greenway along the Genesee River.

Greenway Connections:

Lehigh Valley Trail

Genesee Valley Park & Rochester Trails Finger Lakes Trail - Livingston

& Wyoming Counties

Monroe County

Scottsville Boardwalk

Photos by Bob Melville

George Bridge - Scottsville

Photo by Bob Melville

Canawaugus Park - Scottsville

View South from George Bridge

Photo by Bob Melville

South from Rt. 251 - Mile 11

Lehigh Valley Trail Junction

~ Mile 12.5

South on Greenway

Picnic Area built on GVG as an Eagle

Scout Ptoject

Photos by Bob Melville

Keshequa Creek Sonyea Gorge Area

Photo by Bob Melville~ Mile 40

Keshequa Creek& Sonyea Area

BirdWatching

Photos by Bob Melville

Gorge in

Sonyea State Forest

The Greenway follows the edge of the gorge through Letchworth State Park.

Views from the Greenway - Mile 53

Erie Aqueduct - Mile 75

TEP funded Cuba’s Landmark Connections to the Greenway in 2011

 

100’ Bridge built at Prospect St.

80’ Bridge over Griffith Creek

Opening of GVG in Cuba Oct. 2012~ 1 mile of Greenway in Cuba

Cuba Project Connects Greenway

to local historic landmarks, including the only remaining station from the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad era at

Empire City Farms in Cuba, NY.

FOGVG Meeting

& Hike Cuba

Nov. 2012

Greenway Hike

Griffith Creek from the Bridge

Trail Surface

I Love My Park Day – May 2013 Mile 89

Greenway in

Cuba

ILMPD 2013 in Cuba

Planting Trees

Boy Scouts

TrimBrush

After Work -Refreshments

Busy Greenway Visitors

Another Connection?

Proposed Triple Divide Trail System

Rochester to Williamsport, PA

~ 230 milesUsing existing/planned

Greenways & Trails

Changes & What’s Next• The Greenway became a NYS Linear Park in

2011 with OPRHP assuming responsibility for trail previously under DEC

• The Greenway Partners now consist of OPRHP and FOGVG

• A 2006 Draft Management Plan was updated/modified, and the GVG Management Plan was completed in December 2013

FOGVG Greenway Wish List:• Completing Continuity of the Greenway by:

– resolving property title objections and encroachments– acquiring property where needed– building new trail and bridges where breaks exist

• Preserving Natural, Historic, & Cultural Resources by:– repairing and preserving historic stone culverts when

possible– being sensitive to other canal/railroad features and the

natural environment

Greenway Wish List continued

• Increasing Trail Enhancements by:– building parking areas, pocket parks, and

campsites– adding mileposts, interpretive signage, kiosks,

benches, and bicycle racks– expanding use of volunteers (i.e. Trail

Adopters, Boy Scouts, service organizations)• Connecting Greenway Trail to Olean,

Allegany State Park & Triple Divide Trail • Obtaining funding for the above projects

A Priority : York Landing Culvert

FOGVG 2014 Projects:

• Update GVG Map

• OnCell Audio Program for GVG

• Wegmans Passport Program for GVG

• New GVG Benches

The Genesee Valley Greenway A Tunnel of Green