$1.4T federal spending measure could keep Plum Island off sale block

The potential sale of Plum Island to the highest bidder — an outcome locals have long feared could bring development to the environmentally sensitive land mass — would be permanently off the table with the adoption of the 2021 federal spending bill.

Congress in 2008 ordered the government to sell the 840-acre island in Southold Town to the highest bidder, as officials prepare to move the livestock disease laboratory there to a new facility in Kansas.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he negotiated a provision in the proposed $1.4 trillion government funding bill that would repeal a requirement that the property sell to whoever is willing to pay the most for it and would stop any transfer of ownership until locals decide on the island’s future. The bill must pass by Friday.

Schumer said Tuesday that he has championed conservation efforts on Plum Island for 20 years.

"It’s unique, it’s special and to just sell it to a bidder doesn’t make sense," he said.

The provision also provides $18.9 million to the Department of Homeland Security to start cleanup of the land.

Similar bills sponsored by U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) previously passed in the House but have stalled in the Senate. In December 2019, President Donald Trump signed an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2020 that defunded Government Services Administration activities involving the sale, but that was considered a stopgap measure.

"Not only does Plum Island offer diverse wildlife, a precious ecosystem and critical habitat for migratory birds, marine mammals and rare plants, but it is an essential cultural and historical resource as well," Zeldin said in a statement. "The current law, which mandates the sale of the island to the highest bidder, is the wrong path forward, and securing a better future for the island through whatever means possible will preserve its rich history and tap into its limitless potential for generations to come."

The island is home to 111 species of conservation concern, 228 species of birds and a large seal population, as well as Fort Terry and the historic Plum Island lighthouse, according to the Preserve Plum Island Coalition, made up of 116 New York, Connecticut and national groups and individuals.

A report released by the coalition in July recommended the island become a sanctuary area for wildlife, preservation of the Army fort, with guided tours added, an educational facility on the island’s east side and a research facility on the west side.

"Now the path is cleared for the coalition to work with entities that might help us bring real conservation to Plum Island," said Louise Harrison, New York Natural Areas coordinator for Save the Sound, which coordinates the Preserve Plum Island Coalition. "We’re extremely grateful that we’ve been heard by our congressional leaders."

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Farmingdale-base Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said a visit to Plum Island is like a "walk back in time" and said many people worked together to preserve its future.

"Generations to come will forever be able to appreciate this island," she said. "I think it’s important to note this never would have happened without the public voice calling for the preservation of the island. This really is a public treasure preserved by the public."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of groups that make up the Preserve Plum Island Coalition.

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.