In addition to attending the Plum Island hearing in Old Saybrook last week, Save the Sound staff traveled across the Sound to check out the New York public hearing in Greenport on October 18. On the ferry over from New London, we got to see Little Gull Island and Plum Island from the sea and took some photos that we wanted to share.
We counted about 95 people who showed up to the Greenport hearing, including the Southold Town Supervisor, members of the Town Planning Commission, and staff for Congressman Tim Bishop and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Here are some of the highlights from the comments we heard:
“One-fourth of the bird species known in North America have been seen on Plum Island.”
“My apprehension: we are rushing, rushing madly, and we will make a wrong decision.”
“No one’s making land like this anymore.”
“This is our home…We’re not interested in an administrative process. We’re interested in a real process that will have value to us.”
“This is a rare gem that we will not see again in our lifetime.”
“Plum Island is a jewel in the Atlantic Flyway.”
“All politics is local, and the local politics here is that we do not want a low-density or high-density development.”
“This is a generational issue that will affect Long Island Sound for decades to come.”
“When people say Plum Island is unique, they mean more than that it is beautiful. They mean it is like no other.”
Here are a few news stories about the Greenport hearing:
Associated Press: Federal plan to sell Plum Island in LI Sound draws criticism in NY and Conn.
Newsday: Plum Island draft environmental report blasted
Patch: Crowd: Eliminate Idea of New Development for Plum Island
If you weren’t able to attend either hearing but still want to submit testimony, you have until this Friday (October 26) to get your testimony to GSA.
You can submit your comments via:
Email: phil.youngberg@gsa.gov and john.dugan@gsa.gov
Fax: 617-565-5720
Mail: Phil Youngberg c/o John Dugan, GSA, 10 Causeway Street, Room 925, Boston, MA 02222.
Posted by Rebecca Kaplan, director of communications for CFE/Save the Sound
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