Park service expands off-road driving permits for Fire Island residents, workers during nonpeak summer months

The National Park Service plans to allow more off-road driving for Fire Island residents and workers during the nonpeak summer months, a move the agency contends will balance the need for greater transportation flexibility while protecting the character of the barrier island.

The Park Service's Fire Island National Seashore said Wednesday it had concluded a three-year review of potential changes to the island's driving regulations, which have remained unchanged for 37 years, and that it issued a "finding of no significant impact" for its proposed alternative.

The Park Service's selected plan would authorize a combined 200 year-round and part-time "residential permits," or one per household. The current cap is 145 for year-round residents and 100 for part-time residents, although only 36 part-time resident permits were issued in 2023.

The new cap, officials said, considered the current estimate of 433 year-round residents living in 222 households, the number of applicants waiting for permits and the phasing out of part-time resident permits.

The cap on construction or business vehicles would grow from 80 to 110, officials said, while the cap on public utilities or essential services would be removed. In addition, each of 17 communities on the Seashore would be allowed up to five permits each for municipal employees.

"Our goal is to ensure that vehicle access supports the needs of Fire Island’s communities while safeguarding the seashore’s natural and cultural resources," said Alexcy Romero, superintendent of Fire Island National Seashore. "These updates reflect years of collaboration and planning with residents, stakeholders and visitors, and they help us preserve the unique character of this barrier island for generations to come."

Since 2022, Seashore officials have met with stakeholders and local residents to gather input on their proposed changes, which they determined this week would not have a significant impact on dunes, vegetation, wildlife, visitor safety or local businesses.

The Park Service had been considering two other options — leaving in place the current regulations, which were established in 1987, or removing the caps and allowing all eligible year-round residents to obtain a driving permit.

Driving by permitted residents will continue to be prohibited from mid-June through August and limited from both late May to early June and between Labor Day and Columbus Day. Fire Island's population swells to roughly 15,000 in the summer, the Park Service said.

Many homes on Fire Island can only be reached via boat or by driving on federal land.

There are no paved public roads on the Fire Island National Seashore and the current regulations allow only for motorized off-road vehicles along the beach.

The new regulations expand access from exclusively four-wheel driving vehicles to all-wheel drive vehicles, although they'll be limited to areas the Park Service said they're capable of safely traversing.

There would still be strict requirements to obtain a permit, such as proof of residency or business on Fire Island.

Thomas Ruskin, president of Fire Island's Seaview Association, said 200 vehicular permits is too many and will "undoubtedly" have an impact on the community and on beach erosion. He'd prefer the Park Service focus on revoking permits for individuals who don't live in the communities and ensuring that all valid year-round residents have access to permits.

"I think to lift the caps is ill-advised," said Ruskin, who has lived on the island for more than 60 years. "There has to be much more emphasis given over the people who are driving onto the beach, as well as the periods of time in which they allow them to drive. And to relieve the caps right after Labor Day doesn't seem advisable."

Before the changes can be implemented, the proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register, followed by a final opportunity for public comment. The plan would be finalized next year and implemented in January 2027.

More than 2.2 million visitors come annually to the Seashore, which encompasses 19,580 acres of upland, tidal and submerged lands along a 26-mile stretch of the 32-mile barrier island.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.