Syracuse.com - Public boat launch for Otisco Lake at county park site under discussion

[HuntingNY-News]

Ultimately, the county Legislature will have to vote on it.

Onondaga County and the DEC are considering using Otisco Lake Park for a new public boat launch. The small county park is on the east side of Otisco Lake. Stephen D. Cannerelli Long-time Otisco Lake angler Jack Morrison called the newspaper this week, saying he’d heard that a proposal to convert Otisco Lake Park into a public boat launch was a “done deal.”

Not really.

What’s happened in recent months is that the state Department of Environmental Conservation approached the Onondaga County Parks Department about using a portion of the tiny county park on the northeastern side of the lake in Marietta for a public launch.

If approved, it would include a “modest-sized” launch for trailered, as well as for car-top water craft (kayaks and canoes), one DEC official said. Early discussions mentioned expanding the parking at the park from five to as many as 16 spaces.

Currently, some anglers or recreational boaters with canoes and kayaks park and carry in their craft. There’s no specific launch site.

“There is a high demand for public access to the lake and this site is one of several that have been considered over the years,” said Stephanie Harrington, a DEC spokesperson. “If this site were selected, the county would maintain ownership and the DEC would construct and maintain the launch.”

Currently, Otisco Lake, which is nearly six miles long, is the only Finger Lake without a public launch. Visiting anglers and recreational boaters get on the water by paying $9 each time, or by buying a season pass to launch at one of the two private marinas, the Otisco Lake Marina and the Otisco Lake Campgrounds.

Otisco Lake Park was dedicated in 2000. “The three-acre site includes shoreline commemorative benches, majestic evergreens, and hundreds of feet of great fishing access,” according to the county parks website. The land was a gift to the county from the estate of the late Waldemar F. and Marjory G. Hirsch.

“This park is a haven for walkers, dog owners, kayakers and on-shore fishermen,” said Lynne Smith, a 60-year-summer resident of Amber Beach.

Anita Williams, president of the Otisco Lake Preservation Association, said many of her group’s members are “passionately against” changing the situation at Otisco Lake Park. She said there are other locations should be considered, including an area by the Causeway. She expressed concern about increased boat traffic, which could result in “invasive weeds coming into our small lake.”

The membership of the Otisco Lake Rod and Gun Club is split on the Otisco Lake Park issue, according to Vince Legnetto, vice president of the Otisco Lake Preservation Association.

“The public has a right to have a public boat launch on Otisco Lake,” Legnetto said. He and Williams, though, both noted the low water in the adjacent Turtle Bay, where the launch could empty into. “It would cost a million dollars to dredge that,” he said.

Legnetto, who lives in Marietta, noted the park gets heavy use during the summer. With only five parking spaces, many kayakers, canoeists and others park on the side of the road near the park and carry their boats over, or alongside the road, creating a safety hazard.

“I’d favor increasing the parking lot size, but keeping the car-top boat situation,” he said. “The larger, trailered boats could continue using the two private marinas to launch.”

Matt Millea, a deputy county executive said the proposal is still in the talking stages. He promised that when a final decision is made to move ahead, a public hearing will be held.

Ultimately, he added, the county Legislature will have to vote on it.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog