Erie Canal Bicentennial Spotlight
Meet Our Dedicated Trails Manager Sasha
The Erie Canal turns 200 this year! While the Canal system spans hundreds of communities across the state, it’s the dedicated and talented individuals who operate, maintain, and improve this unique feature that truly makes it even more special. These professionals foster connection, enjoyment, and respect for the Canal through various activities and offerings.
Get to know our passionate and dedicated Trails Manager, Sasha. Based in the Albany area, Sasha’s hard work ensures that the Canalway Trail remains a beloved destination for nearly four million recreational users each year.
Her role touches numerous programs, including the Canalway Challenge, Cycle the Erie, Empire State Trail Towns and our various volunteer initiatives like Earth Day’s Canal Clean Sweep, Adopt-a-Trail and Water Trail Stewardship. Recently, she was a keynote speaker at the SUNY/Erie Canal Bicentennial Forum: Navigating the Canalway Trail.
As a lifelong nature enthusiast, Sasha says she and her husband love the outdoors. While they prefer hiking or white-water rafting, they appreciate areas of the trail where communities show pride and ownership of their connection to the Canals. “Those are the best places to visit,” she says. “They think about you. There’s signage to orient visitors, they have restrooms and public drinking fountains, and their shops have bike racks. They embrace you and make you feel welcome. What’s better than biking into a community and feeling like they rolled out the red carpet for you!” Her efforts with the Empire State Trail program helps build more of these welcoming communities.
Connecting Communities and People Through the Canalway Trail
In her role, Sasha tirelessly promotes the trailways and waterways. While the New York State Canal Corporation (NYSCC) funds partner organizations like Parks & Trails NY and the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor to help execute programs, Sasha’s responsibilities determine what these programs look like, how we reach communities and how we engage with stewards. “I work with our partners daily to make sure our voice and mission are integrated,” Sasha explains. “In many ways, these partners are just as close as my colleagues are to me.”
Volunteer stewards on the waterways and trails are equally important. “They are an invaluable asset to us to understand what’s going on – whatever issues arise, like downed trees,” she says. “They’re honestly our eyes and ears on the system.” The two stewardship programs focus on land and water:
Water Trail Stewards: This five-year-old program has 100% coverage – all 450 miles dedicated stewards!
Adopt-a-Trail Volunteers: This 15-year-old program currently has 26 groups covering 75 miles of adopted trail. The annual Canal Clean Sweep is also part of this program each April for Earth Day.
Challenges and Triumphs
Managing such a vast network comes with its challenges. Sasha points out that it’s not always common knowledge that NYSCC only owns about half the entire trail network. Instead, there are 48 different entities across the state with ownership or maintenance responsibilities.
While this sounds complex, Sasha views it as an opportunity, especially when all 48 entities come together biannually. “Traditionally, there’s more money and funding for capital projects than maintenance,” she says. “That relationship building and resource sharing have improved communication and coordination and has helped us enhance the trail network when there are fewer resources to go around.”
A Journey from Policy to Passion
Sasha's career path has always been rooted in ecology. With a background in environmental policy, she worked in former Governor Andrew Cuomo's office on environmental portfolios. During her time at Audubon NY (the state branch of The National Audubon Society), she advocated for conservation projects that protect birds and enhance the places they need, including working on the original initiative of the Empire State Trail. This experience paved the way for her current role at the Canal Corporation, where she transitioned from policy to programming, directly impacting communities and the environment she loves.
Looking Ahead
Sasha is excited about reaching new audiences, growing NYSCC programs and establishing new ones, like tourism and recreation grants that open opportunities to communities not typically thought of as Canal-centric. “There’s something tangible about those grants and small community projects happening,” Sasha says. “Events come to life through our funding. Going to ribbon cuttings and seeing them in person is incredibly rewarding," she shares.
We are grateful for Sasha’s dedication and passion, which ensures the Canalway Trail and its associated waterways remain a treasured resource for all who use them.
Resources to learn more about the Canalway Trail and its various offerings: