Governor Hochul Announces New Pilot Program to Improve Public Access along Western New York's Lake Ontario Tributaries Receiving Water from the Erie Canal

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a new pilot program to improve public access along Western New York's Lake Ontario tributaries receiving water from the Erie Canal in Monroe, Orleans, and Niagara counties. Through the Reimagine the Canals initiative, the New York Power Authority (NYPA), Canal Corporation, and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), have entered into a partnership to implement the "Access and Conservation Easement" program has been created to provide one-time payments to waterfront property owners to secure public fishing access and other conservation rights.