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.   
read more from "News From FINS on Community Beach Protection Projects"
    

By Bob Spencer

Many readers will be aware of some of the story about how Fire Island was saved from the paving of a highway, atop a sand-dike that had been first proposed by Robert Moses back in 1924, when he first became head of the Long Island State Park Commission. With each major storm after that, Bob Moses came back time and again with his same idea. But here, this reporter will try to set down a bit more on how the people of Fire Island, and just across the Great South Bay pulled off a little miracle.
read more from "How Fire Island was Saved from being Paved Over"

ON SPENCER’S POINT

The Seal Island Legend

By Bob Spencer

Four years ago, this reporter wrote here of a discovery on Fire Island, which is the current name for Seal Island — its Algonquin name. In this report it was revealed that a large collection of 40 wooden cases of wampum, along with some gold doubloons, silver pieces of eight, along with English coins and pieces of parchment were uncovered under an early 19^th century site of one of the life saving station “rescue huts” built by volunteers along Fire Island in 1805. Four years ago it was estimated that this might be worth ten million dollars.
read more from "The Seal Island Legend"

ON SPENCER’S POINT

“Whale — Off!”

By Bob Spencer

One of the earliest references to Fire Island I’ve ever found is for 1653 when Isaac Stratford set up whaling huts at Whalehouse Point on the Great South Beach, opposite Bellport, on what is now Fire Island. It is still called this today, and even has a private community ferry that chugs out there for recreational “beaching,” within the “Wilderness Area” of the Seashore. (It’s about halfway between Smith Point and Watch Hill.)
read more from "Whale — Off!"

Note: When reporters write about shore protection projects for the first time, or the article seems biased, FIA sometrimes sends comments to public officials as well as to the reporter. The following is an example:

To: Interested Public Officials

The following comments expand on points made in the article, “A Creeping Sensation For Fire Island Owners” NY Times, Long Island Section, Sunday, October 14, 2001.

1.               “Holes along Fire Island” Holes were in the sand bar offshore, not in the island itself. “Holes in the bar” allow wave energy to be focused, unblunted, on particular sections of the shoreline. If there are no holes (i.e., discontinuities) in the bar, it serves to remove most of the energy from waves by causing them to break well offshore.
read more from "October 2001 A Times article gets it wrong"

DON’T TREAD ON ME ! One oceanfront owner’s long-view of the struggle ahead to survive the onslaught of nature and government’s basic “acquisitive nature.” This is a personal commentary and does not necessarily represent the opinion of the Fire Island Association. I present strong evidence of an unfair intent to thwart your “sand civil rights” and your property rights. We must fight it!

By Bob Spencer

 
read more from "Don’t Tread on Me"

1. 80% of Fire Island is public park land and will remain open and undeveloped space? (That includes a National Seashore, a state park, a county park, and a couple of Town parks.)

2. Only 20% of Fire Island is developed with approximately 4,000 usable lots in
17 small communities? The homes in these communities offer the major rental resource for public access.

read more from "Did You Know These Facts About Fire Island…"