LETTER: Give Plum Island a productive future

A couple of so-called environmental groups on the East End have now discovered Plum Island and are touting their plans to "preserve" it, perhaps sensing the possibility of federal funding ["Advocates seek to save island's natural habitats," News, Nov. 15].

Plum Island lends itself perfectly to an alternative energy research facility. What better place on the East End to research and implement wind, solar and even tidal power than Plum Island? Much of the man-made and natural infrastructure is in place, and the jobs that would be created would far exceed the couple of hundred there now.

More than a year ago, I seriously began to bring this idea to our elected representatives on the federal, state, county and local levels, all of whom promised to look into it. One did extensively, Marc Alessi (D-Shoreham), the assemblyman whose district includes Plum Island and who now appears to have become a victim of all of our frustrations with elected officials and may not be going back to Albany.

To turn Plum Island over to some local organization - which will only use it to partner up with some county agency and siphon off valuable tax money that will be used primarily to create jobs for the organization - is a travesty. I intend to make sure that Plum Island is a new and innovative model for responsible and effective use of tax dollars.

In doing so, we will have a facility at Plum Island that we can all be proud of, not scared of.

Bill Smith

Shelter Island

Editor's note: The writer is the former executive director of Fish Unlimited, a Shelter Island environmental group.