Black River Initiative launches projects

About a year after the Tug Hill Commission created the Black River Initiative to gather ideas and garner funding to address a multitude of concerns along the river, many small projects are under way to improve navigation, recreation, economic development and water quality.

By November, brochures should be available that feature attractions along the entire length of the river, part of the Black River Blueway Trail project, an effort to promote recreation on the river and link communities along it under a common tourism theme.

"Jefferson and Lewis counties have brochures, but there's nothing covering the river as a whole," said David J. Zembiec, the Tug Hill Commission's director of community development.

The brochures will be made available to chambers of commerce and tourism agencies along the river.

Funded by grants from the Environmental Protection Fund and administered through the state Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, the Blueway Trail project also includes a sign plan for boaters in the river. That plan should be completed in November, Mr. Zembiec said, although further funding will be needed to install the signs.

Also part of the Blueway Trail project are efforts to remove navigational hazards in the river and improve access points. Access improvement projects are nearly complete in Lyons Falls and Dexter, and another is slated for Turin.

The town of Martinsburg, which is leading the first navigational hazards project, should bid the removal of boulders, rebar and construction remnants in the river this summer. Work should begin either in the fall or next summer, Mr. Zembiec said.

Also slated for removal are several hazards for boaters between Lyons Falls and Carthage.

Falling under the Black River Initiative umbrella is a set of projects aimed at developing tourism along driving routes near the river. The plans for the Black River Trail and Maple Traditions scenic byways have been completed, setting forth the projects' goals and providing a framework for obtaining grants for efforts that support them. The state Scenic Byway Advisory Board will consider the plans this summer. Scenic byway status facilitates developing signs, information booths, land acquisition and tourism promotion.

"It takes all these small, individual communities that might not draw tourists on their own and packages them along a common theme," Mr. Zembiec said.

The Black River Trail Scenic Byway stretches from Rome to Route 46 in Boonville, following the old Black River Canal. It then follows the river until it connects with Lake Ontario in Dexter. The Maple Traditions Scenic Byway runs from Lowville to Ogdensburg, highlighting traditional crafts and agricultural products.

Since water quality is a crucial element in promoting tourism and recreational opportunities around the Black River, a waterfront management plan also is being developed.

"We're wrapping up planning on that," said Katie H. Malinowski, the commission's associate director of natural resources.

Local waterfront revitalization efforts, including in Black River and West Carthage, also have been part of the initiative.

All of the projects under the Black River Initiative umbrella "interconnect," Tug Hill Commission Executive Director John K. Bartow said.

"We're helping these communities accomplish what they want. It's about improving the viability and economic sustainability of the entire region."