File photo by Tom Rivers – This photo was taken last October from a sailboat on Lake Ontario.

County officials in Niagara and Orleans counties know an easy solution to blocking a controversial new plan for regulating Lake Ontario levels, a plan that could lead to greater fluctuations in the lake with more erosion in high waters and shallow marinas and ports in the other extreme.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo should step in and use his power to veto the plan, the Orleans County Legislature said today in an official resolution. The Niagara County Legislature is expected to pass a similar resolution.

Officials at both counties worry a new bi-national plan for regulating water levels will erode valuable lakeshore property and jeopardize the fishing and tourism industries along the lake.

“It’s not just a lakeshore issue, it’s an entire county issue,” Niagara County Legislator David Godfrey said today during a County Legislature meeting. A destructive lake could reduce sales tax revenues and property assessments, driving up taxes for inland property owners, he said.

Godfrey joined Lynne Johnson, an Orleans County legislator, about two weeks ago in Washington, D.C. They met with U.S. Department of State officials, Congressman Chris Collins and representatives from Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer. Collins has also called on Cuomo to kill the IJC plan because of the economic hardship it could have on the southshore.

Orleans and Niagara counties have formed the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance, which today called on Cuomo to “enact an all-inclusive and thorough analysis on the potential economic damages” of the lake plan on tourism, recreation, homeowners and businesses on the southshore, particularly in Orleans and Niagara which are projected to see the most damage from high and low waters.

“It’s a very radical plan,” Johnson said at today’s meeting. “It’s good for the ecosystem, for cattails and muskrats and such, but it’s very detrimental to lakeshore property owners and the fishing industry.”

The Legislature’s resolution also asks Cuomo to assess civil work and financial assistance needed to mitigate the lake level plan, and to identify funding sources to help offset those impacts.

Legislature Chairman David Callard said the lake proposal warrants a stern response from the county, as well as efforts to send a message in person, even if it means travelling to the nation’s capital.

“We will go to Albany, we will go to Washington, D.C. and we will go to New York City,” Callard said. “We will go anywhere we need to represent our rights.”

Canal communities urged to cater to cyclists

Photos by Tom Rivers – These four cyclists pass through Hulberton on Sunday, headed west to Albion where they said they would be staying at Dollinger’s Motel.

A new report that measures the economic impact of the Erie Canalway Trail counts $253 million in annual economic activity from the trail, with cyclists providing the bulk of that impact.

A study commissioned by Parks & Trails New York, a not-for-profit park and trail advocacy organization, found that the 360-mile-long trail also supports 3,440 jobs in canal communities through visits by 1.58 million people.

Communities can better capitalize on the trail with improved signage, amenities and lodging, according to the report. If visitors stay overnight, they spend far more in the community. Overnight guests represent 18 percent of the trail visitors, yet they generate 84 percent of overall spending.

Chris Van Dusen isn’t surprised to see the big numbers associated with the report. He opened Trailside Bicycles in Hulberton in June 2013. He sees one or two boaters pass by on the canal most days. However, he sees far more cyclists, typically 20 to 40 a day.

“Cyclists will be the lifeblood of the canal,” he said.

The village of Albion recently added four new bike racks to make the downtown more accommodating to visitors on bike. This bike rack is near the First Presbyterian Church.

Some cyclists travel in organized rides. Others travel on their own. Van Dusen believes Orleans County and other canal communities could be more welcoming and entice the cyclists into their downtowns to spend money. Each canal town should have signs pointing to lodging, restaurants, showers and other points of interests, said Van Dusen, who worked as a professional cycling guide.

“The general community doesn’t have any idea of the volume of traffic on the trail,” Van Dusen said. “The Baby Boomers are giving up their golf clubs and getting on their bikes.”

Day-trippers spend an average of $26.37 per visit on the canal, according to the report, while overnight visitors spend $531.47 per person. For the overnight visitors, 47 percent of their spending goes to lodging or camping fees, with 26 percent spent at bars and restaurants.

Cyclists stop in Albion on the Main Street lift bridge during the July 14 “Cycling the Erie Canal” ride.

The canal trail has tremendous name recognition, yet other trails are more popular because of the amenities for cyclists. That includes coordination with bus and train companies at the beginning and end of trails some cyclists can easily bring their bikes back to a car near where they started their ride.

Van Dusen said the Great Allegheny Passage between Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh, Pa., should be viewed as a model for being bike-friendly. The Katy Trail in Missouri has also been successful in drawing more cyclists than the canal trail, according to the report.

The Erie Canal trail could use more mile markers to let cyclists know how close they are to villages and canal towns, Van Dusen said.

Even with some shortcomings, the canal trail is popular and sought out by cyclists for its tranquil ride.

“People just love it,” Van Dusen said. “They can go on autopilot and not worry about cars and traffic.”

For more on the report, click here.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Two people were out for a walk along the canal in Medina this afternoon near the Horan Road canal bridge. It has been a sunshine-filled day with temperatures in the low 80s.

On Monday, there will be heavy rain with a high of 79, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Three boats were also in the Canal Basin in this photo framed by a tree.

This mural created by Arthur Barnes, faces the canal, and greets boaters and walkers by the Canal Basin.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Jason Karr was out fishing late this morning on the Erie Canal in Albion. Karr said he already caught a small-mouth bass near the Brown Street bridge.

Today is forecast to be sunny with a high near 79. The bottom photo shows Sandy Creek after it passes underneath the canal heading north.

Congressman says IJC plan ‘will absolutely devastate the counties of Wayne, Orleans and Niagara’

Photos by Tom Rivers – Congressman Chris Collins joins local and state officials this morning in speaking against a new plan to regulate Lake Ontario water levels. Collins said the plan would result in more fluctuations in water levels, leading to more erosion when the water is high and inaccessible marinas and docks when the water levels are low.

POINT BREEZE – Congressman Chris Collins joined local and state officials in speaking against a new plan for regulating water levels at Lake Ontario, a plan that could lead to more extremes in lake highs and lows.

Collins said the plan, if approved by the Canadian and U.S. governments, could pose devastating consequences for southshore counties. The binational International Joint Commission approved the new plan last month, the first significant change since 1958.

Prime real estate could be washed away, gobbling up back yards and the tax base. During times of low lake levels, boaters may not be able to get out of harbors and into the lake, harming the fishing and recreational industries that are important economic engines for lakeshore communities.

“This will absolutely devastate the counties of Wayne, Orleans and Niagara,” Collins said during a news conference this morning in front of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse at Point Breeze.

Six southshore counties have 10,025 parcels of land with a total assessed value of $3.7 billion, said Lynne Johnson, an Orleans County legislator. If they suffer a 10 percent loss, those communities would lose $370 million in value.
“At times of extreme water levels, the damage will be catastrophic with millions of dollars of damage occurring in a single day,” Johnson said.

Orleans County Legislator Lynne Johnson speaks during the news conference this morning. She will travel to Washington, D.C. next Thursday to speak with State Department officials about the plan and its potential havoc on the southshore counties. She will be joined by David Godfrey, a Niagara County legislator.

Sportsfishing and shipping industries will suffer when the lake levels are low, Johnson said, noting that shipping companies asked IJC not to implement new plan.

“The role of government should not be to harm the very citizens it is charged to protect,” Johnson said. “This is government at its worst.”

She and David Godfrey, a Niagara County legislator, will travel to Washignton, D.C. next Thursday to meet with officials from the State Department. They also want to meet with senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer.

One news reporter at today’s news conference said Gillibrand has told the media the U.S. government could help with erosion controls and property owners who suffer losses from the lake levels.

But Collins said the federal government doesn’t have the money to come to rescue if high lake waters destroy the shoreline.

“All too often both senators Schumer and Gillibrand, along with Representative (Louise) Slaughter just say, ‘Get more money, borrow it from China,'” Collins said. “My answer is not let’s borrow more money, dumping the IOUs on the backs of our kids. Let’s solve the real problems of this nation. That’s such an easy cheap shot answer. The federal government is broke.”

A boater approaches the break wall at Oak Orchard Harbor this morning.

Collins also challenged Gov. Andrew Cuomo to publicly denounce the lake level plan. The governor has the authority to veto the plan, the first major change in regulating the lake levels since 1958.

“Where do you stand, governor?” Collins said before the TV cameras and a crowd of about 50 people. “At the end of the day he can veto it.”

Adam Tabelski, communications director for State Sen. George Maziarz, said the Maziarz is working with the delegation that represents lakeshore communities to pressure Cuomo to reject the plan. Those officials will also appeal to President Obama to not support the plan, Tabelski said.

Several lakeshore property owners told Collins they have already lost big chunks of their back yards to high lake levels in the past two decades.

The federal government and Army Corps of Engineers makes it difficult for property owner to get permits for breakwalls and other protection, they said.

Godfrey, the Niagara County legislator, lives along the lake and he said he loses a foot of his property to the lake each year. The new lake plan will hasten that loss, he said.

The high waters will also swell the streams and rivers that feed into the lake, Godfrey said.

“It’s not just about the lake levels,” he said. “It’s about the feeder streams that reach far inland. The feeder streams will get higher.”

Ed Bellnier, president of the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association, said the lake levels is a pressing concern for property owners, who fear more erosion.

“Several people are already losing land,” Bellnier said. “We don’t want to lose more property.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A group of boaters passed through Albion along the Erie Canal this morning a little after 10. I don’t see too many caravans like this in the canal.

The big boaters passed through on a day when Orleans County is under a heat advisory. The National Weather Service says we’ll reach a high of 94 degrees today.

The heat advisory is in effect from 1 to 9 p.m. when the heat index values will range from 100 to 104.

“If proper precautions are not taken, heat exhaustion or other heat-related symptoms could develop in those exposed to the hot and humid conditions,” the Weather Service advised.

There is a little breeze today, which helps make the heat more bearable. Being on a boat would also help.

The boaters head west on the canal from the Main Street lift bridge. In the foreground is a bollard used to tie up boats.

Callard fears significant economic hit to southshore

Photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans County Legislature Chairman David Callard said leaders from Orleans and neighboring Niagara counties will try to thwart a lake-level plan that threatens property and businesses on the southshore.

ALBION – County government leaders in Orleans and Niagara counties will try to convince federal officials not to pass a plan for Lake Ontario water levels that could harm southshore property and businesses.

“The damage could cost billions of dollars,” Orleans County Legislature Chairman David Callard said about the lake level plan. “I cannot for the life of me understand why they would take this chance.”

The binational International Joint Commission last week recommended approval of the new plan for regulating Lake Ontario water levels and St. Lawrence River flows. “Plan 2014” now awaits approval from the U.S. and Canadian federal governments.

Congressman Chris Collins, R-Clarence, is scheduled to lead a press conference next Wednesday at Point Breeze to speak out against the plan. Callard fears the plan, which allows higher lake levels, will lead to more erosion on the south shore.

The plan allows more fluctuations in the water levels, with the chance for lower levels that could jeopardize marinas and run boats aground.

Collins will speak against the lake plan next week. The following week some of the county legislators from the two counties will go to Washington, D.C. to meet with federal officials, urging them to reject the IJC plan.

“We pray for your success,” Callard told Legislator Lynne Johnson of Orleans and Legislator David Godfrey of Niagara.

The IJC’s new water level plan would be its biggest change in two generations. The commission has sought public comments the past 14 years. The proposed plan would more closely follow a natural fluctuation pattern with spring water levels generally higher and the draining of water in the fall more gradual.

Southshore residents strongly opposed the plan in hearings in recent years, and Callard said that opposition delayed the plan’s implementation.

“Despite proclaiming to want their input, the IJC is ignoring the needs of vocal residents and communities on Lake Ontario’s southern shore whose property will be hurt by this plan,” State Sen. George Maziarz said in a statement. “The extreme variations in water levels that may occur with Plan 2014 could have severe long-term ramifications. Where will the IJC be when these property owners need help with erosion mitigation and land restoration? Plan 2014 gives short shrift to the very real and very negative consequences of its implementation and offers no help in these areas. Homeowners and municipalities who are already struggling to get by will be left to fend for themselves.”

Maziarz also is urging the federal government to reject the IJC plan.

“The IJC’s position shows no concern for the economic fate of our state’s people and places,” Maziarz said. “We need a new balance in protecting our freshwater resources and protecting our real property, but this plan is severely lacking and should be rejected by our federal government.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

Fishermen, boats and the lighthouse at Point Breeze are all shrouded in fog this afternoon.

The fog followed a morning rain. In the top photo, a fisherman walks along the western pier at the Oak Orchard Harbor.

The piers seem to vanish because of the fog when you look out towards the lake.

The top of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse can’t quite rise above the fog.