| Crescent Beach State Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location in Maine | |
| Location | Cape Elizabeth, Maine,United States |
| Coordinates | 43°33′53″N70°13′27″W / 43.56472°N 70.22417°W /43.56472; -70.22417[1] |
| Area | 242 acres (98 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 3 ft (0.91 m)[1] |
| Established | 1966[3] |
| Administrator | Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry |
| Website | Crescent Beach State Park |
Crescent Beach State Park is public recreation area on theAtlantic Ocean inCape Elizabeth, Maine, United States. The park is open from 9 AM to sunset daily unless otherwise posted at the gate. Dogs are not allowed on the beach April 1 to September 30.Thestate park features a mile-long, crescent-shaped beach for swimming and sunbathing, fishing, sea kayaking, and trails for hiking and cross-country skiing.[3]
The park's 1.4-km pocket beach is subject to erosion from wind and water. Measurable erosion seen in 2005 and 2007 also occurred at the smaller, adjoining pocket beach known as Kettle Cove.[4]
The state has leased 100 acres of the park from The Sprague Corporation (owned by the privately held Black Point Corporation)[5] since 1961. In 2013, the state's lease was extended for five years at a cost of $500,000. Under the original 50-year lease, the state paid $1 per year for use of the land, an amount that increased to $10,000 annually with a series of one-year lease extensions that began in 2011. The state has expressed interest in purchasing the entire property, one of the largest revenue-generating parks in Maine, when the current lease expires in 2018.[6][needs update] In 2012, the Maine State Employees Association (MSEA) protested the possible privatization of the park by GovernorPaul LePage's administration, saying privatization would endanger the entire public park system.[7]
