Project to develop scuba diving trails modeled after Lake George state park

Paul Post - 

Plans are under way to develop a statewide network of scuba diving trails modeled after the underwater state park that already exists in Lake George.

The village of Lake George, representing six communities across New York — from Lake Ontario to Long Island — has contracted with S&R Underwater to coordinate the New York State Underwater Blueway Trail Pilot Project.

The project’s goal is to boost heritage tourism by preserving and promoting significant underwater sites, including the expansion of Lake George’s Submerged Heritage Preserve, New York’s first underwater state park that was established in September 1993.

In addition to Lake George, the underwater trail would include Lake Champlain, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Seneca Lake and the Atlantic Ocean on the South Shore of Long Island. Other communities involved with the project are Dunkirk, Geneva, Oswego, Plattsburgh and Freeport.

“The idea is to link these six waterways into a trail to create shipwreck preserves, underwater parks for divers,” said Joseph Zarzynski of Wilton, an underwater archaeologist. He’s also executive director of Bateaux Below, a volunteer group instrumental in creating and maintaining Lake George’s marine park.

It’s hoped that similar underwater parks, accompanied by topside signage and museums, will be developed at each location within two years. S&R Underwater, based near Seneca Lake, will coordinate the project with participating communities. The firm’s selection was done by a committee of dive enthusiasts, archaeological historians, municipal leaders and state agency sponsor representatives, following a comprehensive screening of applicants.

Read more...

Posted via http://batavia08.posterous.com batavia08's posterous