Erie Canal Museum, Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum selected for Canalway grants

The Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse and the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum are among 13 nonprofit organizations selected for Erie Canalway IMPACT! grants.

The 2021 grants total more than $108,000, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor said.

The grants “advance vital work to preserve and showcase canal heritage, educate youth, and welcome people to explore the canal in their local communities,” per a news release. The dollar amounts range from $1,500 to $12,000 and will leverage an additional $146,630 in private and public project support.

“As the pandemic continues to present abnormal challenges it is especially gratifying to support diverse canal inspired innovations. We are so pleased to make these timely investments and contribute to the resilience of our canal communities,” Bob Radliff, executive director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, said.

IMPACT! Grants are made possible with funding support provided by the National Park Service and the New York State Canal Corporation.

Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor says it has made 96 grants to communities and nonprofit organizations since 2008 that have spurred $2.49 million in additional investments in heritage preservation, recreation, and education.

Grant recipients

Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse will use its $11,000 grant to partner with restaurants and other local businesses to offer public programming on the Erie Canal’s relationship to food, “specifically as it pertains to agriculture, irrigation and transportation of goods.”

Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum will use its grant of nearly $10,000 to produce a virtual 3-D tour of the museum complex to expand outreach efforts and create new opportunities for education. It additionally seeks to develop a STEM-based distance learning program for youth, blending concepts of robotics and canal infrastructure.

Montezuma Audubon Center in Savannah plans to use its nearly $11,000 grant award to organize a Canalway Conservation Corps to develop early detection invasive species management programs and STEM-based educational opportunities at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex.

Canal Society of New York State in Port Byron will use its $5,300 grant to install wayside signs to “improve outreach and accessibility to cultural and natural resources” at the Erie Canal Heritage Park at Port Byron.

The Village of Newark will use its $1,500 grant award to repair vandalism damage to a “prominent” Erie Canal-themed mural on the canal front and guard against further damage or deterioration with protective coatings.