Given its size, Lake George can, in theory, comfortably accommodate 4,500 boats at any given time; but even at peak times, on a Saturday afternoon in August, for example, no more than 2,500 boats will be on the lake.
In fact, between 2005 and 2015, the number of boats on the lake on a midsummer, weekend afternoon declined by as much as 20%.
That may account for the fact that when boaters were last surveyed – in the summer of 2015 – more than 90% said they were satisfied with their experience. Of those who said they were dissatisfied, almost one third said the lake was overcrowded.
How truly crowded is Lake George? The Lake George Park Commission will have an opportunity to test impressions and perceptions against reality this summer, when it revisits its 2015 Water-based Recreation Study.
The study will be used by the Lake George Park Commission to help guide policy over the next decade.
To conduct the new study, the Park Commission has retained Studio A, which in turn has recruited Tracey Clothier, CEO of the Lake George-based Clothier Planning & Consultants, to manage the project. Both Clothier and Studio A vice-president Jeff Anthony were among those responsible for the 2015 study, which was managed by the LA Group.
Charting trends in recreation since 2015, assessing current perceptions of the quality of the recreational experience on Lake George and evaluating the lake’s capacity to safely accommodate a myriad of water-based activities, are among the study’s objectives, said Kirsten Castellier, president of Studio A.
The study is expected to require roughly eleven months to complete, although interim reports will be delivered to the Commissioners periodically, said Jeff Anthony.
“At the end of the process, we will produce a document with our full findings as well as a summary,” said Kirsten Castellier.
Analyzing data from a variety of sources, including the Lake George Park Commission, the consultants will compare their findings with those recorded in the 2015 report “and determine what is key to understanding the lake today,” said Clothier, who has been tasked with data collection, research and analysis.
A survey will be released to sample public opinion, the results of which will be compared with perceptions of the recreational experience a decade ago.
Other opportunities for public input will include two open meetings, where the public can participate via ZOOM or some other remote technology, and numerous stakeholder sessions.
A so-called “Surface Use Assessment,” which will study boat traffic on days of peak-use over the July 4 and Labor Day holidays, will be supplemented by inventories and censuses of individual bays.
Clothier said she is particularly interested observing activity in the waters off Lake George Village, where the growing number of kayaks paddling too near the sternwheeler Minne-Ha-Ha has forced the Lake George Park Commission’s Director of Law Enforcement, Lt. Joe Johns, to divert patrol boats to the task of escorting the tour boat to its pier.
According to Dave Wick, the Lake George Park Commission’s executive director, advancements in technology since 2015 will
help produce “an even more granular analysis of uses and trends in water-based recreation than we had a decade ago, providing us with an even more detailed snapshot of boating patterns and recreational uses.”
Moreover, the last decade has seen a proliferation of new recreational watercraft, such as such as electric hydrofoils and flyboards, among other things.
The Park Commission will rely upon the updated water-based recreation study for guidance on how unfamiliar or novel commercial activities should be regulated, if at all, Wick said.
Wick added, “When completed, the 2025 Recreational Use Study will inform the Commission, marinas and the general public about how the lake is utilized throughout the season. In turn, that information will guide future Park Commission reviews and approvals over the next decade. We need to base decisions on the best available data.”
Commission chair Ken Parker commented, “This report is something our commission will use year-round, as we consider variances or requests for permits from marinas. anything. It’s a very valuable project.”
