Sandy Island Beach State Park

Topographic map.
Topographic map illustrating the boundaries of Sandy Island Beach State Park (SP) and Sandy Island Beach Unique Area, which are on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario in New York State (NYS). The gray shaded areas within the Unique Area boundaries are privately owned.
Photograph showing a sandy beach with sunbathers and Lake Ontario in the distance.
Photograph of the main beach in July. American beachgrass is growing in the foreground; the walkway protects this beachgrass from beachgoers. The trees to the left are Eastern cottonwoods, which are the main dune-forming tree in this region.

Sandy Island Beach State Park is a New York State park on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. Its highlight is a 1,500-foot (460 m) natural sandy beach. The park is near the southern end of a notable 17-mile (27 km) length of sandy shoreline, coastal dunes, and wetlands (the Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes and Wetlands); a 1959 study noted that "The eastern end of Lake Ontario contains not only the finest beaches on the entire lake but also the finest wildlife habitat."[1]

The park's facilities include several lake swimming areas with lifeguards (in season), changing rooms and restrooms, and a concession stand; a parking fee is charged through the summer season. The park averages about 30,000 recorded visits each season.[2]

Prior to 2011, the park's area totaled 13 acres (5.3 ha). At that time, the adjacent 120-acre (49 ha) Sandy Island Beach Unique Area was a conservation area administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The Unique Area incorporated several additional acres of land near the park as well as most of the southern end of North Sandy Pond.[3][4] In 2011, administration and ownership of both the Sandy Island Beach Unique Area and the nearby Sandy Pond Beach Unique Area were transferred to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to be incorporated into Sandy Island Beach State Park.[5][6] As of 2014, the park covers a total of 229 acres (93 ha)[7] in the Town of Richland in Oswego County.

  1. ^ Great Lakes Shoreline Recreation Area Survey (1959). Remaining Shoreline Opportunities in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
  2. ^ 2008 New York State Statistical Yearbook: 33rd Edition. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2008. Table O-9. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
  3. ^ "Central New York: Region 7". New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008.
  4. ^ Hill, Mary Jo (May 14, 1999). "Sandy Island Beach plans await sale". The Syracuse Post-Standard. p. B1.
  5. ^ "2011 Land Acquisition Report" (PDF). NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  6. ^ "ENB - Region 7 Notices 11/24/2010". NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. November 24, 2010. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  7. ^ "Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook (PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. p. 674. Retrieved March 23, 2016.