A lot has changed at Fire Island National Seashore since
its last general management plan was approved in 1977. To cite two examples, the seashore now manages the William Floyd Estate in Mastic and the federally designated wilderness area along one section of the Fire Island beach.
So the National Park Service staff and community and user groups have a lot to consider 18 months into the 4-year, $750,000 process of preparing an updated master plan that will guide, for coming generations, management of the 32-mile-long park that encompasses 17 communities.
But so far community and user groups are onboard with park superintendent Michael Reynolds' handling of the project, even as Reynolds concedes some recommendations are bound to be controversial.
A complicated task
"It's a highly complex undertaking," said Gerard Stoddard, president of the Fire Island Association, which represents island residents and communities.
So far the management plan is mostly just a list of topics to examine: beach replenishment; climate change; driving on the beach; zoning and building near the dunes; improved visitor services; managing the often controversial deer population; protecting underwater resources; and turning over more facilities to commercial vendors or nonprofit groups.
But Reynolds said it is already clear that the first draft, to be completed next spring, will recommend increased management by the park staff in some areas, such as overseeing the underwater parts of the park, and decreased involvement in other issues, such as regulating zoning and driving.
What to do, if anything, about the loss of sand along the beach is the most contentious issue the plan will examine. "We know we have continuous conflict about sand management so we're going to have to resolve that," Reynolds said. Suffolk County and communities within the park want to continue periodic dredging of sand from offshore to deposit it on eroding beaches. They cite the Department of the Interior position that there needs to be study of the broader implications of the environmental impact of dredging and replenishment. Therefore, when it comes to coastal management, local park officials say sand replenishment is best used in concert with other "nonstructural alternatives" such as land acquisition.
Dealing with climate change
As climate change takes hold and sea levels rise, the park plan will address these impacts by looking at, for example, the possibility of building portable or floating facilities.
Visitor access and services is a major area of concern. "How do you best serve the growing population?" Reynolds asked. "Do you just keep maintaining places as they are or do we redesign them or create new sites?"
Reynolds would like to see ferry service from Patchogue expanded to other areas besides Watch Hill and operated year-round rather than for just three months. He is considering adding camping sites at Barrett Beach/Talisman, which now has a dock and only basic facilities. "I'd like to see more opportunities for overnight use that's low-cost for families," he said. The plan will also look at providing lifeguards at the Barrett ocean beach as well as the heavily visited nude beach by the Fire Island Lighthouse. It will also look at whether a nude beach is an appropriate use of that space.
To reduce the impact of driving on the barrier island, Reynolds said, the park needs to cut back vehicle use by encouraging businesses serving the island to travel by boat instead of driving on the beach. The plan will look at construction of municipal docks specifically for moving construction materials, food and garbage to and from the island at locations away from passenger ferry docks. Reynolds expects residents to oppose new construction along the waterfront.
Reynolds would like to have more of the management of driving on the beach handled by the communities, something he also expects to be controversial. Any changes in the driving rules - driving is limited on the island - has always been a hot topic.
Stoddard doubted the park service would be able to turn over that and other responsibilities effectively to the municipalities because, he said, residents tend to be concerned only about their own properties and neighborhoods.
Marine protection paramount
While marine protection was not addressed in the earlier plan, "we have to remember that 75 percent of this park is water," Reynolds said. Of the park's 19,579 acres, 13,000 are aquatic. The park boundary is 1,000 feet into the ocean and up to 4,000 into the bays behind it. Looking into fisheries issues or the management of the bay bottoms, said Reynolds, "would be a huge shift in management."
Increasing the visibility and visitation of the William Floyd Estate will be another topic. Creating a visitor center there and setting up some kind of shuttle bus system to get people there from public transportation centers are options.
The plan will also look at wildlife management, particularly controlling the deer population through culling because it has been held steady but not reduced by a contraception program.
Those interested in the planning process can sign up at nps.gov/fins for an e-newsletter issued every few months.
