The following is from Fire Island National Seashore.
For more information go to the Links page and click on Fire Island
National Seashore/newsreleases.
Beach Nourishment Projects To Begin on Fire Island;
Work Expected to be Completed by the end of March 2009
Several beach nourishment projects on Fire Island are scheduled to
begin by late December or early January. The projects, which are
being undertaken by Suffolk County and eleven Fire Island
communities, are expected to be completed by March 31, 2009.
A pre-construction meeting for the projects was held on December 10,
2008 to finalize strategies for undertaking the approved projects.
Authorized driving on Fire Island, which is limited to permitted
vehicles only, is not expected to be affected by the projects. Work
is also expected to be completed before piping plovers begin their
annual nesting on Fire Island.
The short-term beach nourishment projects being undertaken by Smith
Point County Park and the Fire Island communities are not associated
with the Fire Island Inlet to Montauk Point Reformulation Plan
(FIMP). Partial funding for the projects has come from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) who is working with the New York
State Emergency Management Office (SEMO), with remaining funds coming
from Fire Island community erosion control tax district funds, and
from Suffolk County.
The Fire Island communities and the county park lie within the
boundaries of Fire Island National Seashore. Therefore, the National
Park Service (NPS) has been involved in the review and approval of
these projects including mitigation requirements to address
endangered species and other resource impact issues. The approval
process includes environmental monitoring during the entire project.
Fire Island National Seashore's superintendent, Chris Soller, said
after last week's meeting, "I appreciate the cooperation being
demonstrated by the communities, Suffolk County, the other public
agencies, project consultants and contractors, to help ensure that
Fire Island’s natural resources and processes are respected as a part
this project."
Fire Island National Seashore, as one of 391 units of the National
Park System, is to be managed for current use and enjoyment in such a
manner as to assure that it is passed unimpaired to future
generations. As part of the National Park Service’s procedures to
comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, the NPS provided
various ways for public review of the environmental assessments for
these two projects.
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