Each year the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission recognizes a successful model of heritage development along its corridor from Albany to Buffalo and north to Whitehall.

The Mohawk Towpath Byway Coalition was recognized today for our contributions to our community. The award was presented at the Chittenango Canal Boat Museum prior to the ECNHC Commission meeting.

We were recognized for our regional collaboration of 8 municipalities including Clifton Park, Cohoes, Colonie, Halfmoon, Niskayuna, Schenectady and Waterford.  We effectively introduce visitors to numerous attractions that form an eastern gateway to the National Heritage Corridor, we have an inter-generational appeal, and we use the road to tell the stories of the Erie Canal, the waterway west and the role our communities played in the western expansion of the country and the Industrial Revolution.

“Since its inception in 2002, the Mohawk Towpath Byway Coalition has leveraged thousands of dollars in federal, state, and private funding to assist municipalities with improving visitor access and services. Interpretive signs, expanded bicycling and hiking trails, and a visitor guide tie together multiple attractions and share noteworthy stories of invention, innovation, and expansion that have shaped the region for hundreds of years.”

Henrietta O’Grady, Larry Syzdek and I were on hand to receive the award, but we all helped: hundreds of volunteers and our coalition of eight municipalities all deserve the spotlight!  Keep up the great work.