We have editorialized on this issue several times and believe that the federal government and the division of Fish & Wildlife in particular should be bearing more of the responsibility for plover protection on our beaches. Suffolk County Legislator Kate Browning has been a vocal supporter of working out a compromise to protect piping plovers but without impeding public access during the summer nesting season. Her update on this issue below, is much appreciated and self explanatory. We need support at the federal level to bring this effort to fruition.
From Legislator Kate Browning:
I wanted to take this opportunity to respond to the September 2016 editor’s log and provide an update on the efforts to relax restrictions at Smith Point County Park’s Outer Beach. As previously stated and known to everyone, the Suffolk County Parks Department is mandated by the Federal Government’s U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services to implement a plan to protect the piping plover. If the County fails to do so we face heavy fines in upwards of $25,000.
We all agree the recent closures at Smith Point have been unreasonable and unfair to recreational park users. With over six miles of beach there should and must be a way to coexist while protecting the birds. The biggest barrier to succeeding is the piping plover habitats that exist to the west, which are close to the outer beach entrance. These habitats were created by wash overs in the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy, but more importantly, continue to exist because U.S. Fish & Wildlife prevented full dune replenishment from moving forward that would have eliminated these prime plover areas. Monies used to create habitats to the east have been wasted because the birds are not utilizing them.
On September 20, 2016 I helped coordinate a meeting between U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services and the Suffolk County Parks Department to discuss implementation of a plan that would help keep outer beach access open in 2017 and beyond. Also in attendance were representatives from County Executive Steve Bellone’s office, Legislator Rob Calarco’s office and Congressman Lee Zeldin’s office. I was the only elected official to personally attend.
Unfortunately, I do not believe the meeting was very productive. Essentially the federal government is pushing full responsibility of formulating a plan onto County officials, which once created, would have to be approved by the federal officials. Any new management plan would require increased staffing and funding since access would most likely be achieved through an escort service. It would require constant bird monitoring while staff would need to walk vehicles throughout the outer beach areas. To date, no federal funding or staff would be provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. This unfunded mandate would be paid for by local taxpayers, and in the event any birds are harmed or harassed, the program would be shutdown.
It was brought to my attention that residents were recently told at a public meeting that there is no reason the outer beach should be closed one day during the 2017 summer season. I have concerns with these blanket statements since the plan will have to go through rigorous federal review by U.S. Fish & Wild Life with no guarantee for approval. I do not believe this is a reasonable compromise. A plan that places all responsibility, costs and liability on Suffolk County taxpayers without any guarantee that access would improve is simply unacceptable. Suffolk County and its beach users need more support from our Federal officials to make any plan feasible and successful in the long-term.
