History and development of the Genesee Valley Greenway and transition to a New York State Linear Park.

2. 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

3. History of the Corridor

4. Genesee Valley Canal
York Landing, Livingston County

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

6. Four Bridges over Genesee
River – Mt.Morris
Courtesy of Mt.Morris Historical Society

7. Covered Bridge over Genesee
River – Mt. Morris
Courtesy of Tom Roffe, Leicester Historian

8. Another View of Mt. Morris
Bridges over the Genesee River
Courtesy of Tom Roffe, Leicester Historian

9. Penn RR Bridge over Genesee River –
Mt. Morris
Courtesy of Mt. Morris Historical Society

10. Genesee Valley Canal along
Letchworth Gorge

11. Canal,
Towpath,
& Original
Portage Bridge
Letchworth
State Park
c1870
Courtesy of Thomas S. Cook

12. "Canalduct near Portage, Genesee Valley, N.Y" American
Stereoscopic Co, Langenheim, Lloyd & Co Philadelphia
Canal
Aqueduct at
Portageville
late 1850’s

13. Loading
Bluestone
onto
canal
boat
Portage-
ville

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

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

16. In 1896, excursion trains ran on Sundays to
Portage High Bridge from Rochester and
Bradford, PA.

17. Penn RR Depots, Livingston County
NundaCuylerville
Tuscarora

18. 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.

19. Celebrating the opening of the
Scottsville Bicycle Path in 1896

20. 1963 - RG&E purchased 80 miles of the
corridor in Livingston, Wyoming &
Allegany Counties

21. 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.

22. • 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.

23. • 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

24. • 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

25. 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

26. Dedication of
Genesee Valley
Greenway
June 1996
Governor
George Pataki
After 9 years of effort
GVG purchase
completed in 2000

27. 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

28. 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

29. New Greenway Equipment - 2007
Using Recreational Trail
Program Grant

30. Trail Adopters help with
maintenance
Henrietta
Hill & Gully
Trail Riders
Snowmobile
Club
2008

31. Bridges Installed
Livingston County
Allegany County

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

33. Mt. Morris Greenway Bridge
June 2012

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

35. & We Celebrated -
Champagne Anyone?

36. Caneadea Culvert Replacement –
Allegany County - 2006

37. Fowlerville Culvert
Monroe County -
Repaired in 2007

38. Parking Lots Built
with Signs by DEC

39. 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

40. More Kiosks 2010 - 2012
Eagle Scout Projects
Chris Michow
Rt. 20 Kiosk -
Avon
Michael LoVerdi
Genesee River
Bridge Kiosk
Cuylerville
Kiosk by
Evan
Magnussen

41. Signs have been installed to interpret
the corridor’s rich history.
Many more are needed.

42. Typical gates installed at
road crossings

43. Greenway Goals
• Public Recreation
• Natural, historic, and cultural resource
protection
• Economic Development
• Community Involvement
• Connections

44. Recreation in any season

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

46. Horses also Jog on the Greenway

47. The Greenway
Snowmobile,
in some locations Access Trout Streams
A Place to:

48. Being Preserved:
Nearby Wetlands
Canal Turning Basins
Man Made Rockville
Lake - Water Source
for the Canal

49. Emerald Ash Beetle
Infestation - Ballantyne
Rd. Area Logged
in Spring 2012
Photos by Bob Melville
Looking South July 2013
Looking North July 2013

50. Monroe County
Canal Locks
Livingston County
Allegany County
Allegany County

51. Historic Black Creek Canal Culvert,
Monroe County, reputed to be the largest
in the state

52. Many More Stone Culverts

53. Canal Warehouse
Belfast, Allegany County
Railroad
Mileposts

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

55. Mt. Morris Greenway
Industrial Park
Greenway Motel

56. Greenway Cyclists Overnight
at Inns in Livingston & Allegany
Counties

57. Community Involvement:
Trail Adopters & Trail Work Volunteers
Projects by Eagle Scouts, BOCES, & Service Clubs
Eagle
Scouts &
Geneseo
Kiwanis
installed 30
mileposts
BOCES
Students

58. 3 New Benches Built as an Ecology
Class Project – Geneseo Central
Randy French
Teacher
Sean Bennett
Student
Spring 2013

59. Lakeland Rovers Hiking Club
Clearing Debris – Monroe County

60. I Love My Park Day- May 2012
Monroe County
Brook Road
Parking Area
Lamas headed
for Lock #2

61. Brook Road Parking Area
Photo by Bob Melville
July 2013

62. ILMPD 2013 - Lock #2 Monroe County
Photos by
Bob
Melville

63. ILMPD 2013 Little Black Creek Park
Monroe
County

64. An adjacent landowner in Caledonia,
Livingston County, donated 8 acres to the
Greenway along the Genesee River.

65. Greenway Connections:
Lehigh Valley Trail
Genesee Valley Park
& Rochester Trails Finger Lakes Trail - Livingston
& Wyoming Counties
Monroe
County

66. Scottsville
Boardwalk
Photos by
Bob Melville

67. George Bridge - Scottsville
Photo by Bob Melville

68. Canawaugus Park - Scottsville
View South from George Bridge
Photo by Bob Melville

69. South from Rt. 251 - Mile 11

70. Lehigh Valley
Trail Junction
~ Mile 12.5
South on
Greenway
Picnic Area
built on GVG
as an Eagle
Scout Ptoject
Photos by Bob Melville

71. Keshequa Creek
Sonyea Gorge Area
Photo by Bob Melville~ Mile 40

72. Keshequa Creek
& Sonyea Area
Bird
Watching
Photos by Bob Melville

73. Gorge
in
Sonyea
State
Forest

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

75. Views from the Greenway - Mile 53

76. Erie Aqueduct - Mile 75

77. 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

78. 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.

79. FOGVG
Meeting
&
Hike
Cuba
Nov.
2012

80. Greenway Hike

81. Griffith Creek from
the Bridge
Trail Surface

82. I Love My Park Day – May 2013
Mile 89
Greenway
in
Cuba

83. ILMPD 2013 in Cuba
Planting
Trees

84. Boy Scouts
Trim
Brush
After Work -
Refreshments

85. Busy Greenway Visitors

86. Another
Connection?
Proposed Triple
Divide Trail System
Rochester to
Williamsport, PA
~ 230 miles
Using existing/planned
Greenways & Trails

87. 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

88. 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

89. 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

90. A Priority : York Landing Culvert

91. FOGVG 2014
Projects:
• Update GVG Map
• OnCell Audio Program
for GVG
• Wegmans Passport
Program for GVG
• New GVG Benches

92. The Genesee Valley Greenway
A Tunnel of Green