About Gwendolyn Craig

Gwen is an award-winning journalist covering environmental policy for the Explorer since January 2020. She also takes photos and videos for the Explorer's magazine and website. She is a current member of the Legislative Correspondents Association of New York. Gwen has worked at various news outlets since 2015. Prior to moving to upstate New York, she worked for a D.C. Metro-area public relations firm, producing digital content for clients including the World Health Organization, the Low Income Investment Fund and Rights and Resources Initiative. She has a master's degree in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She has bachelor's degrees in English and journalism, with a concentration in ecology and evolutionary biology, from the University of Connecticut. Gwen is also a part-time figure skating coach. Contact her at (518) 524-2902 or gwen@adirondackexplorer.org. Sign up for Gwen’s newsletter here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bill Keller says

    “The only letter in favor of the boat launch and beach revamp came from the Adirondack Council”, surprise, surprise. Who would have guessed? Limit lake access for people on a man made reservoir. “The Adirondack Council said swimming is an incompatible use “considering the proximity to the boat launch and the lack of water testing” isn’t everything incompatible these days? Swimming in a lake with boats present, like that doesn’t happen every where. Never heard of buoys to mark off swimming areas? Are there state camping areas with boat launches next to the beach, I believe so, Moffit Beach comes to mind.

  2. Adk Resident says

    This is completely absurd. Shut off access for the people not fortunate enough to own waterfront property or a boat? This seems fine to the Adirondack Council. Clearly, the organization does not care about local residents. No one tests the water quality at the properties on either side and I’m sure those property owners are swimming. But the town also has to share some of the blame here. It is absurd that a town with a recreational asset such as GSL would not want to have a public beach for residents unless perhaps the town council is made up of the elites who own waterfront property.

  3. Dick Carlson says

    This is typical DEC/APA rejiggering a current beach/boat access to exclude some users. I grew up down the road in Fishouse – we all had our private HRBR access – which seemed like a joke, just unimproved shoreline. Why not establish high quality access sites for bathing, fishing, and launching? It’s a draw-down reservoir that loses 1/2 or more of it’s volume each year – hard to see where water quality issues could be coming from. DEC spends $millions on campground infrastructure for a 10 week season. Fire up a high quality access park, usable year ’round.

  4. D C says

    It’s only a matter of time before hiking/hunting in Wilderness areas is deemed “incompatible” with the forever wild clause. This is beyond ridiculous at this point.

  5. Andy says

    In reading the article on the beach closure, I find something very interesting. Even though I am not a user of this beach for swimming. The stance of NYS DEC that a boat launch and swimming beach don’t work at this location is very sad. Look at the Million Dollar Beach in Lake George. It’s a very busy beach area and a busy boat launch as well. Both run by DEC. Why can’t the DEC make it work on the Sacandaga?

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