Write a commentVolunteer groups across New York State are making final preparations for the 17th annual Canal Clean Sweep, April 22-24, 2022.
Canal Clean Sweep is an annual clean-up event held across the NYS Canal system and Canalway Trail. More than 120 Clean Sweep events are scheduled across the 400-mile-long Canalway Trail system and the 524-mile-long Canal system, providing opportunities for thousands of residents to give back to their local communities and to show pride in one of New York’s most iconic cultural and recreational resources.
Canal Clean Sweep coincides with New York’s annual Earth Day celebrations and is one of many events scheduled around the state to recognize our shared commitment to improving the health of our natural environment, and as part of a nationwide celebration to encourage people to get outside and enjoy our exceptional trails and trail systems.
The 2022 Canal Clean Sweep follows the first full year of trail use since the completion and opening of the Empire State Trail, the 750-mile multi-use greenway spanning the state from Manhattan north to Canada and from Buffalo east along the historic Erie Canal corridor to Albany. Over the last few years, the Canalway Trail system has seen unprecedented use, reflecting significant investments made as part of the completion of the Empire State Trail, and increased interest and participation in outdoor recreational activities due to COVID-19. Through the efforts of volunteers across the state during Canal Clean Sweep 2022, communities will ensure the Canalway Trail system will remain a pristine recreational resource for locals and visitors alike.
Canal Clean Sweep 2022 is organized by the non-profit Parks & Trails New York, in partnership with the New York State Canal Corporation. To learn more about Canal Clean Sweep, and to view a map of scheduled events, visit: www.ptny.org/events/canal-clean-sweep.
“The annual Canal Clean Sweep is an incredible way to celebrate Earth Day while working to preserve the bucolic landscapes along our canals and trails,” said Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton. “We are exceptionally grateful to the thousands of volunteers for their dedication, as their efforts help preserve the health and beauty of our historic waterways and today’s modern network of trails for the next generation of New Yorkers.”
“We expect this year’s Canal Clean Sweep to be the most widely attended Clean Sweep in the seventeen years it has been held, a testament to the dedication of upstate New Yorkers to the Canalway Trail system” said Robin Dropkin, Executive Director of Parks & Trails New York. “This year, over 2,500 volunteers will come together for one weekend to give back to the trail that brings joy all year long.”
# # # About Parks & Trails New York
Parks & Trails New York is the state’s leading advocate for parks and trails. Since 1998, PTNY has been working in partnership with the New York State Canal Corporation to help canal communities plan, develop and promote the Canalway Trail. PTNY organizes Cycle the Erie Canal, an eight-day bicycle tour along the historic Erie Canal that attracts more than 650 participants each year. In 2021, the organization published an updated version of the popular guidebook, Cycling the Erie Canal: A Guide to 360 miles of Adventure and History along the Erie Canalway Trail. Learn more at www.ptny.org.
# # # About the New York State Canal System
The New York State Canal Corporation runs the New York State Canal System, which includes the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals. Spanning 524 miles, the waterway links the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain. In 2017, the Canal Corporation celebrated the 200th anniversary of the groundbreaking for the Erie Canal, which occurred in the city of Rome on July 4, 1817. The Canal System includes the Canalway Trail, a network of approximately 400 miles of multi-use trails across upstate New York. The Canalway Trail follows the towpaths of both active and historic sections of the New York State Canal System as well as adjacent abandoned rail corridors. Together, the canals and trail create a world-class recreationway that is a vibrant, scenic, and unique New York resource. To learn more about the New York State Canal and Canalway Trail System or to obtain a free map, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit the Canal Corporation’s website at www.canals.ny.gov.
