Feds want Suffolk to take control of Plum Island

The fate of Plum Island, the mysterious 840-acre island off Orient Point that’s home to a departing federal laboratory, could rest in the hands of Suffolk County.

The federal government, which owns the island, approached the county recently “to explore the possibility of the county taking ownership of Plum Island,” said Mike Martino, a spokesman for County Executive Edward P. Romaine.

He said Romaine “is collaborating closely" with Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville), "who has been the driving force in Washington to ensure Plum Island’s preservation.”

The island’s future has been in flux for years and a focal point for preservation by a coalition of more than 120 organizations known as the Preserve Plum Island Coalition. The island was once at risk of being sold by the federal government to the highest bidder, sparking fears of development on the ecologically sensitive site.

The Plum Island Animal Disease Center, where scientists have studied highly contagious animal pathogens, opened on the restricted island in 1954. The operations have begun transferring to a new facility in Kansas called the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.

Louise Harrison, who has spent more than a decade advocating for the island’s preservation, said, “It’s wonderful to think that the federal government is talking to Suffolk about this.”

Harrison, the Long Island project manager and senior science adviser of the nonprofit Save the Sound, said the island is a "delicate place" with endangered species and "soils that are erodible."

She said the coalition envisions public access to the island in a sustainable way and a management plan to govern its use. 

"We don't want Plum Island to be a place where only rich people can go and visit," she said.

Further details on how the county would acquire the property or potential uses were not available. The Suffolk Times, which covers Southold Town where Plum Island is located, first reported the federal government’s outreach.

In March 2023, LaLota introduced the Plum Island National Monument Act to designate the island as a national monument. That legislation stalled but could be revived, Harrison said.

“Preserving Plum Island is vital not only to our environmental stewardship but also to the legacy of Suffolk County’s unique natural and cultural heritage,” LaLota said in a statement last November.

Angelo Roefaro, a spokesman for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.),  who has also pushed for the island's preservation, said in a statement the senator's office has been participating in "ongoing communication between the federal General Services Administration and Long Island municipalities and organizations regarding the future use of Plum Island, and has advanced dialogue between local leaders and the GSA to explore all options for Plum Island."

“We remain hard at work with local groups, Suffolk and local government and federal partners to preserve the unique beauty of Plum Island, and not let it fall prey to overdevelopment," he said.

LaLota could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

 In 2008, Congress passed a law mandating the island’s sale, putting at risk to be sold to the highest bidder. That risk remained until 2020, when the sale was taken off the table as part of the 2021 federal spending bill, Newsday previously reported.

The island had been in private hands from the 1600s through 1800s before the establishment of Fort Terry in 1897 to protect the East Coast during the Spanish-American War. The federal government purchased the remaining land in 1901. 

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

---