James Lynch / NPS Photo
About the Park
Fire Island National Seashore is a 7,832-hectare protected portion of Fire Island, a barrier island along Long Island, New York. Over half the park is submerged in Great South Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Its eastern portion is the only federally designated wilderness in New York State and of all national parks in the northeast. Beginning as indigenous land, it later became the site of William Floyd Estate, the ancestral home of one of New York’s four signers of the Declaration of Independence, William Floyd.
Fire Island is home to native plants, including pitch pine, beach grass, wax myrtle, bayberry, shadbush, and common greenbrier. Its landscape comprises dunes, beaches, salt marshes, a unique maritime forest, and eel grass beds, all of which are threatened habitats. Recreational activities that damage dune vegetation, deer overpopulation from recreational feeding, invasive plant species, pollution from community marinas, and marina dredging all impact local ecosystems.
Our Work with Fire Island
Fire Island is a place of biodiversity, Native American heritage, and Floyd family history. One of its founding goals was to conserve and preserve the relatively undeveloped natural features for future generations. To help achieve that goal, the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network, along with Fire Island staff, collects ecological monitoring data on several ecosystem vital signs. Learn about our work below.
Monitored here:
Coastal Shoreline
Salt Marsh Elevation
Estuarine Water Quality
Seagrass
Weather & Climate
Publications
Source: Data Store Saved Search 5648. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Last updated: October 3, 2024