August 4, 2014, Syracuse, NY — Continuing the New York State Fair’s aim to promote history in 2014, Commissioner Richard Ball and State Fair Interim Director Troy Waffner announced a new exhibit that will take place at this year’s Fair called “Great Shipwrecks of New York’s “Great” Lakes.”
 
New York Sea Grant is partnering with the Great New York State Fair, Great Lakes Seaway Trail, Great Lakes Research Consortium, Lake Champlain Sea Grant, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, H. Lee White Marine Museum, the USCG Auxiliary, along with other partners and sponsors to present this new exhibit, which will tell the story of various shipwrecks located throughout the state.

For more than three centuries, Lakes Erie and Ontario, and the Niagara and St. Lawrence Rivers, in addition to the Finger Lakes, Lake Champlain, and Lake George, have been major thoroughfares for military, shipping, and recreational endeavors. As a result, their waters are home to an extraordinary collection of historic shipwrecks. In fact, hundreds of shipwrecks are located across New York State, including Benedict Arnold’s gunboat Spitfire, which was discovered at the bottom of Lake Champlain in 1997.

Travelers and residents are fascinated by the story of these vessels, the people that lived and worked aboard them, and the scientists who study them today. This exhibit will guide fairgoers through a journey on the many ways they can continue discovery of New York’s shipwrecks whether it be diving underwater, exploring a historic site, or taking in a scenic view.

A 30 by 60 foot tent will be situated in the mini-state park, located just outside of the Horticulture Building on the Art and Home Center side.  It will display a replica 18th century bateau, which is a French and Indian War vessel.  The display will also provide fair-goers with information on various wreckages throughout the state through panels, photographs and videos.  In the reflecting pool, a remote sensing buoy will provide real time weather and water conditions.

David G White, Recreation Specialist at NY Sea Grant, and Associate Director at the Great Lakes Research Consortium, said, “New York is home to some of the most important and historically significant shipwrecks in the entire country, and this summer our goal is to help educate fair-goers on some of the history that took place right in their own backyards. Our ‘Great Shipwrecks of New York’s “Great” Lakes’ exhibit will highlight some of this history and bring New Yorkers back in time to when our waters were the most important transportation and strategic defense hubs in our entire nation. We want to take fair-goers on a journey through another place and time, and we can’t wait to show you what’s in store this summer.”


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New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published several times a year.