The town of Orchard Park has become the first in the Erie & Niagara Counties to ban all smoking -- outdoors-- at town parks, beaches and other recreation areas,.

The town will posted several signs at places such as Green Lake Town Park, and authorized them at a February 17 board meeting, according to town board minutes posted online. The signs will be posted to deter smoking, but the town has not enacted any penalties for doing so.

The signs have been provided to the town at now cost through the Erie-Niagara Tobacco Free Coalition, according to coalition executive director Anthony Billoni. 

"They see that by eliminating smoking in an area where most people are trying to get fit, is a realy good thing to do," Billioni says.

"We are looking at ... the opportunity to model good behavior for kids, and the risk of toxic cigarette waste that litters the parks," he says.  A recent field survey  conducted with Roswell Park Cancer Institute visited 8 parks in a week and a half and collected  collected 20,000 cigarette butts, Billoni says.

Reached at her home Wednesday morning, Town Supervisor Janice Colarusso declined to comment to WBEN.