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NY's Barge Canal Designated As National Landmark

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The New York State Barge Canal has been designated as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced the designation on Wednesday. The New York Democrat had sought the national recognition, saying it will spur economic growth across the upstate region and honor the canal system's place in the nation's heritage.

Gillibrand says the canal shaped the course of settlement from the Northeast to the Great Plains and established New York City as the nation's premiere seaport and commercial center.

The 525-mile Barge Canal extends through Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. It includes the Erie, Oswego, Cayuga-Seneca and Champlain canals. Construction on the oldest, the Erie Canal, was started 200 years ago this July 4 in Rome in central New York.

© 2017 AP

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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