LI's Congress members must help make Plum Island a national monument

From the coastline of Fire Island to the 30-plus miles of hiking trails on the Greenbelt Trail, Long Island is home to many beautiful parks and natural areas enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. Due to climate change and stalled conservation efforts, however, many of these open spaces are under threat. With support from federal lawmakers, we can conserve these natural areas that Long Islanders treasure. One prime example is Plum Island.

The 822-acre federally owned island off the North Fork is home to rich biodiversity and cultural heritage. Its federally protected status has sheltered most of the island from development. The result is a pristine ecosystem that sustains diverse wildlife, including endangered or vulnerable species such as bald eagles and piping plovers and rare plant life. Plum Island has two sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places — Plum Island Lighthouse and Fort Terry Historic District — and reflects the deep cultural heritage of the Indigenous peoples who have lived in the region for thousands of years.

Starting in 2008, changes to federal law put Plum Island up for sale to the highest bidder. Development would endanger the island’s abundant resources. The Preserve Plum Island Coalition has been at the forefront of the movement to save Plum Island and successfully stopped its proposed sale in 2020. To permanently save Plum Island, however, the Long Island congressional delegation must urge the Biden administration to designate Plum Island a national monument or forge another means of preservation.

Several federal lawmakers have taken steps to preserve Plum Island over the years. In 2016 and 2017, Rep. Lee Zeldin introduced bipartisan legislation to prevent the federal government from selling Plum Island; it passed the House twice but failed in the Senate. Zeldin along with New York senators have also endorsed the idea of making the island a national monument. In April 2022, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand joined Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy in sending a joint letter to the Department of the Interior urging Secretary Deb Haaland and the Biden administration to ensure the permanent protection of Plum Island. Schumer and Gillibrand also got language included in this year’s federal spending bill that calls for a conservation plan for the island. In March, Rep. Nick LaLota introduced a bill to make Plum Island a national monument.

Under the Antiquities Act, President Joe Biden has the authority to make Plum Island a national monument. That would preserve its natural, cultural, and historical resources and provide managed, equitable public access that would generate money for the local economy and create jobs for Long Islanders. The Long Island delegation needs to voice its support for that and encourage federal agencies to collaborate and create a sustainable management plan.

Long Islanders care about the environment and have fought to protect their coastlines and natural areas for decades — and Plum Island is no exception. Local governments, organizations, and communities continue to fight to permanently conserve the island and its resources, but they cannot succeed without federal support.

It is time for Long Island's members of Congress to take action and call for the permanent preservation of Plum Island. As the climate crisis worsens and threatens our natural areas and resources, it is important for our federal lawmakers to act before it’s too late.