Lakeside Beach State Park expands smoke-free zones

Press release, Smoke Free NOW

CARLTON – Lakeside Beach State Park and other state parks have expanded their outdoor smoke-free zones.

Tom Rowland, Lakeside Beach park manager, is gearing up for the Memorial Day holiday with signage for the designated areas.

The policy includes:

Tobacco-free bathhouses, concessions and campground recreation buildings  and no smoking within 50 feet of them

Tobacco-free swimming beaches

Tobacco-free enclosed picnic shelters

Open-sided picnic shelters may have smoking prohibited during scheduled events as delegated through the authority of the Regional Director

Tobacco-free playgrounds

“This healthy initiative will help to reduce litter, second-hand smoke and eventually reduce youth smoking rates,” said Kevin Keenan, program director of Smoke Free NOW, a program of the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

The less smoking youths see, the less likely they are to start, Kennan said.

“Many municipalities in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties have adopted similar resolutions and we are hoping the counties will do the same,” he said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the smoking restriction at state parks on May 10.

“Our state parks embody the rich, natural beauty that New York has to offer and our residents should be able to enjoy them free of pollution from second-hand smoke,” the governor said. “This expansion is an important step forward in ensuring New York’s families can enjoy our great outdoors smoke-free, in a healthy environment.”