Happy Anniversary Erie Canal Neighbors Association...one year old today.

So the ECNA co-founders took a little time to go clean-up their adopted Erie Canal Trail... Oxbow Loop.

Here's Mike ready to trim



And Doug, ready to go



And here's what the view looks like today



And we managed to get the waterfront clean of all the ragweed and most cattails.. both on the invasive species list according to Mike. Here's a few other pictures showing the clean-up. Thanks to the Canal Corporation for moving some mounds, picking up the piles of debris and keeping ahead of the "stick piles" we keep building.



Have to say that the Oxbow Loop (as it's know by in Canal days of old) has quite a few folks using it now. Saw a good array of bikers, hikers and walkers, even one of our Adopt-a-Trail Members braved a night on the island. A Father & Son were fishing, probably wished we weren't working today with all the racket we made, and a couple kids playing in the shallows getting wet feet reminded us why the Erie Canal is a a real "gem" of New York State.

It's not hard to understand why the Governor & Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor folks are supporting NYPA & the Canal Corporation with their "Reimagine the Canal" efforts.

http://www.canals.ny.gov/reimagine/home.html

They want the Canal brought back to a time when you could actually see it. You could see the beautiful countryside and villages all around it... there were no trees growing on the embankments. And people all around, below the canal, saw boats that seemed to "float" above the ground in the sky... not trees obstructed the view either way.

It's not hard to Reimagine the Canal... you only need to uncover it bib by bit... town by town.

And that is what is happening right now.