Syracuse.com - Officials paddling from Ithaca to Oswego to demonstrate how waterways connect the Finger Lakes with Lake Ontario

[HuntingNY-News]

The paddlers will leave Wednesday from Ithaca at the south end of Cayuga Lake, enter the Erie Canal on the Seneca River at the north end of Cayuga Lake, and enter the Oswego River Canal at Three Rivers. They plan to paddle approximately 20 miles per day before arriving Sunday at Wright’s Landing in Oswego

The following is a press release:

Five Central New York paddlers, including former Oswego County Planning Director Ed Marx, will travel water routes from Ithaca to Oswego July 18 through 22 to demonstrate the potential for developing a water trail that links the Finger Lakes with Lake Ontario.

In addition to Marx, who is now Commissioner of Planning for Tompkins County, the group includes Andrew Zepp, Executive Director of the Finger Lakes Land Trust; Chris Olney, Director of Stewardship of the Finger Lakes Land Trust; Geoff Milz, Senior Planner for Cayuga County; and Sue Poelvoorde, Senior Natural Resources Planner for New York State Parks.

The paddlers will leave Wednesday from Ithaca at the south end of Cayuga Lake, enter the Erie Canal on the Seneca River at the north end of Cayuga Lake, and enter the Oswego River Canal at Three Rivers. They plan to paddle approximately 20 miles per day before arriving at Wright’s Landing in Oswego around 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

Local paddlers are welcome to join the group as they travel the Oswego River Canal. The group expects to pass Indian Point Landing Park in Fulton at approximately 10 a.m. Sunday and pass through Minetto around noon.

“We are very fortunate to have a wealth of water resources for recreational use in Oswego County and the surrounding Central New York region,” said David Turner, Oswego County Director of Community Development, Tourism and Planning. “It’s only natural that we look at the potential of a designated water trail to connect the Finger Lakes with Lake Ontario.”

Last summer the Oswego County Tourism Office worked in partnership with Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca and Wayne counties to produce “On the Water,” a detailed map and guide that contains information on boating services, restaurants, attractions and accommodations on waterways in the Central New York. Copies are available by contacting the Oswego County Tourism Office, 46 E. Bridge St., Oswego, at 315-349-8322, or on its Web site.

There are several opportunities for the public to meet the group along the way: Tusday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Celebrate the Lake, Ithaca Farmer’s Market; Wednesday at Wells College Dock in Aurora, estimated arrival at 6 p.m.; Friday at Paper Mill Island in Baldwinsville, estimated arrival at 6 p.m.; and Sunday at Wright’s Landing in Oswego Harbor, estimated arrival at 3 p.m.

For additional information, contact the Finger Lakes Land Trust at 607-275-9487.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog