Please join us on April 16 to hear Jules Hoepting, Environmental Educator for New York State Parks in the Genesee Region, explore the canal’s history and modern-day significance.

What remains of the Genesee Valley Canal is a ditch, often swampy or filled in by ecological succession, running through forests and along the edges of backyards, farmlands and canyons. A new person might see it as a scar on the land, but a trained eye will see it as a faded tattoo with a fascinating backstory. Like the plot of a soap opera, the process of building the canal was long and drawn out with unexpected twists, fueled by illogical ambition. Seemingly overnight, the canal was replaced by a railroad to carry on the transportation storyline. So, why go through all that effort? And how is the corridor relevant today?