Project Proposal

Bicycle and recreation map for Feeder Canal and Towpath Trail

Jeni Casinelli

Siena College

515 Loudon Road

Loudonville, NY 12211

October 13, 2010

Introduction:

The Feeder Canal and Towpath Trail is approximately 7 miles long. The trail extends through Queensbury, Warren County, Glens Falls, Washington County, and connects to the NYS Champlain Canal. In the 1822, construction was underway in developing the Feeder Canal which was used to transport water from the Hudson River to Champlain Canal, allowing Champlain locks 8 and 9 to operate. As years passed, the canal was widened and 13 more locks were built along the Glens Falls Feeder Canal to defeat the 130 foot drop near Sandy Hill, present day Hudson Falls. This allowed boats to travel throughout the canal bringing great commerce to the local Glens Falls area. As the canal continued to grow, it became a great access route for the Finch Paper Mill located in the Glens Falls and other various saw mills because the canals allowed logs to be transported from the Adirondacks all the way down to the various mills.

In the 1928, the canal was abandoned as other forms of transportation began to grow. The Feeder Canal and Towpath Trail became extremely overgrown by nature and were filled with large amounts of litter. However, some logs continued to run to the paper mill until the 1950’s when all use of the canal was stopped completely. In 1987, the Feeder Canal Alliance was created in order to restore the beauty of the canal.

The canal has now been restored and linear park has been built in conjunction with the canal. In June 2009, the Feeder Canal and Towpath Trail have been declared a National Recreation Trail as it connects the Warren County Bikeway, the Betar Byway and Park, and in the future will connect to the Champlain Canalway.

Using GIS technology, a beautiful bicycle and recreational map promoting the 7 mile trail and incorporating historical sites along the trail will be created. This map will not only be used for marketing to promote use of the trail but also be incorporated into brochures distributed by the Feeder Canal Alliance.

Objectives:

This project will develop a bicycle and recreational map of the 7 mile Feeder Canal and Towpath Trail. The specific objectives include:

·         Developing a map of specific bicycle and recreational areas along the trail.

·         Incorporating important historical sites along the trail.

Methodology:

To complete this map, a variety of data layers must be obtained. The data layers include:

·         River Channels

·         Roadways

·         Vegetation

·         Bike Routes

·         Historical Sites

·         Recreational Sites (parks, playgrounds, ect.)

Once data layers are collected, a bicycle and recreational map will be created using ArcGIS.

Work Plan:

10/27/10 - Draft #1 completed

11/3/10 - Draft #2 completed
11/10/10 - Draft #3 completed with all recreational sites included
11/17/10 - Draft #4 completed with all historical sites included
12/1/10 - Draft #5 completed
12/8/10 - Final Project completed