News Archive

The Aqueduct became a cross-country ski resort in February 2013. Fresh, powdery snow lured dozens of skiers including Friends President, Mavis Cain and her family. This is the first year local residents have been able to get cross country skis and snow shoes easily – with an LLBean and REI within reach in Yonkers.

How many times did we hear ”Isn't it wonderful to have snow!” Often there were three tracks on the trail – one for walkers, one for skiers and one for snow-shoers. Do we have to wait another year for a day like February 9?

Parks and Trails New York has generously awarded The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct $1,250 for post-production (audio, graphics, color correction) for a short film to solicit donations and memberships and enhance knowledge and appreciation of the Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park.

Meet at the New York Public Library in New York City on Saturday, February 23rd at 11 am. The Library is located at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue -- a short walk from the Metro-North Grand Central Station Terminal. The Tour is limited to 25 participants and reservations are required. View the original stones from the Old Croton Aqueduct Distributing Reservoir that form part of the foundation of the New York Public library, which was built on the Reservoir’s former site.

The Wang family of Ardsley New York won our Bike Raffle on October 20th, 2012. They generously donated the bike right back to us! Thank you to all who participated.

In photo: Mavis Cain, Friends President, the Wang Family, Jason of Endless Trail Bikeworx who originally donated the bike to us for the raffle.

Did you know that the New York Public Library sits atop the site where an Old Croton Aqueduct reservoir once distributed Croton River water to a thirsty NYC? That it took 5 times as many years to demolish the reservoir and build the NYPL as it took to construct the 41-mile long Old Croton Aqueduct? Back by popular demand, on Saturday we are repeating our March NYPL tour. Hear the stories and inspect old documents, maps and photographs from the NYPL's and other archives. View the underground foundation of the NYPL, with its base of Old Croton Aqueduct Distributing Reservoir stones.

Aqueduct buffs may find two reports of interest. One is the excellent final report of a Columbia University graduate preservation studio, held in the spring of 2011, during which the Friends, among many others, provided assistance. The title is The Croton Waterworks: A Guide to the Preservation and Interpretation of Historic Infrastructure. To view this 291-page illustrated report, go to
http://www.arch.columbia.edu/files/gsapp/imceshared/Croton_Book.pdf.

School groups from NYC, Brooklyn and Westchester - as well as adult groups - have discovered that the Friends give an exciting presentation of the history of the Aqueduct with tours inside the tunnel and to the Croton Dam.

Here's a sample of the groups:

• 2nd Graders from the Buckley school for boys in NYC (see image right)
• Students from Eugene Lang College (part of the New School)
• The Columbia University Preservation department. (This group did an impressive study of the Aqueduct)
  

The opening of the Friends' trail improvement project in Dobbs Ferry was enthusiastically attended by local residents, state officials, Dobbs Ferry trustees and, of course, by the Friends.

Mayor Connett; Mavis Cain, Friends President; Patrick Kozakiewicz, State Project Manager; Commissioner Rose Harvey; Gary Ricci, site Manager; Bob Kornfeld, Friends Vice President.

Westchester Trails Association, a long-established hiking club in the county, has organized a series of monthly hikes on the Old Croton Aqueduct called “OCA and More," starting in November. The hikes will each be 7-8 miles long, and will incorporate the four sections listed in the book Walkable Westchester, beginning at Lamartine Ave.