…With Facts About the Shore

By Gerard Stoddard

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) recently published on the internet (see nwf.org) a list of 25 Civil Works projects that NWF feels symbolizes the inherently anti-environment nature of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Project No. 10 on NWF’s list of “Top Twenty-five Environmentally Harmful and Financially Wasteful Corps Projects” is the Fire Island Interim Project. Called FIIP for short, this is a project with which the present writer is familiar enough to be able to point out unfair or inaccurate statements in the NWF analysis. People involved with the other Corps projects listed could probably provide similar comment.

 
read more from "NWF Plays Fast and Loose…"

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…"

by Carole Paquette

(Reprinted with Permission of the Fire Island Tide)

Fire Island homeowner Gerard Stoddard has been president of the Fire Island Association, which represents more than half of Fire Island’s property owners, since February 1987. A native Long Islander and graduate of Cornell University and NYU Law School, he is a public affairs communications specialist active in coastal issues. From 1973 to 1986 he was vice president of corporate communications for SCM Corporation. In 1989, he founded the Long Island Coastal Alliance, a not-for-profit forum for research and discussion of national and Long Island coastal policy issues. His firm, Coastal Reports, Inc., publishes a newsletter dedicated to analysis of issues affecting coastal property owners, communities and businesses.

read more from "Fire Island Tide, June 19, 1998"

A Reply to FINS

In the Fall 1999 newsletter of Save Our Seashore, Inc., the Superintendent of the Fire Island National Seashore set forth his position on the proposed Fire Island Interim Project, a transitional shore protection effort designed to protect Fire Island beaches until a longer term solution known as the Reformulation Study can be implemented.

In the course of doing so he demonstrated a bias against the project. The Fire Island Association believes the Superintendent’s position would place properties and government infrastructure, both on Fire Island and on the south shore of Long Island, at needless risk in order to effectuate a policy designed to facilitate removal of private development from the barrier island. Supt. Dillon’s statement is attached. His major points are encapsulated below in bold­face type, followed by comments from the Fire Island Association.
read more from "1999 — Seashore Opposes Interim Project"