Don't let one of Long Island Sound's beautiful islands be sold to the highest bidder! Pursuant to a Bush-era directive, the government is taking the first steps along a path that leads to selling 840 acres of gorgeous coastal habitat located off the eastern tip of Long Island.

Plum Island and adjacent Great Gull and Little Gull Islands were identified for protection by the Long Island Sound Stewardship Initiative. Among the 33 Long Island Sound stewardship sites, the 2006 process identified Plum, Great Gull, and Little Gull Islands as possessing "exemplary" ecological value.

With the re-location of the lab housed on part of the island, Plum Island's fate is now up to officials at the General Services Administration (GSA), who must undertake an environmental impact study before making a final determination on whether the island will be put up for sale.

View a map of the Long Island Sound stewardship sites: Click to enlarge.

PLUM ISLAND COULD BE OPENED TO THE PUBLIC TO PROTECT AND ENJOY

Surrounded by pristine habitat that is critical conservation area for piping plovers and several species of terns, Plum Island offers ideal opportunities for passive recreation like nature trails, parks, and beaches.

Plum Island is home to piping plovers, whose chicks blend into the pebbles on the beach.