Lawmakers, coalition fight to block sale of Plum Island

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Pat Eaton-robb, Associated Press
Updated 4:13 pm CDT, Wednesday, September 19, 2018

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Lawmakers from New York and Connecticut have joined environmental groups in ramping up efforts to block the federal government from selling a mysterious piece of land in Long Island Sound that for years has housed a government animal disease research facility.

Members of Congress from both states asked the House and Senate Appropriations Committees this week not to provide any funding for the marketing or sale of Plum Island, which is part of New York state and is also home to rare birds, sea turtles and other animals.

In the past, the site was used for top-secret U.S. Army germ warfare research and studies that examined dangerous animal diseases.

"The 840-acre island is a critical habitat for over 200 bird species, many of which use the island as part of their north-south migration along the Atlantic flyway, and is the most important haul-out site for grey and harbor seals in southern New England," the members of the House and Senate wrote.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Lawmakers-coalition-fight-to-block-sale-of-Plum-13241576.php

[Glorfindel]

1. Isn't this the place Dr Hannibal Lecter called "Anthrax Island" in "The Silence of the Lambs"?

Seems to me it should be made into a national or state park, not sold to private parties.

[SergeStorms]

3. The very same.

It's been a backdrop for many books, especially in the science fiction genre.

[flotsam]

2. Island is featured

in Nelson DeMille's book, "Plum Island" (catchy, no?).

"Tom and Judy Gordon were bright, young, attractive scientists whom everyone seemed to like. So who would murder them--and why? Could their deaths have something to do with Plum Island, supposedly an animal research facility but possibly a top-secret site for biological warfare experiments? Could it involve a pirate's treasure buried in the vicinity more than 300 years ago?".

[Grasswire2]

4. My ancestors were keepers of the Plum Island light for 43 years in the latter 19th century...

....until 1903. It is a beautiful place with a brilliant ecosystem that needs preserving.

In the years my ancestors were there, they had many guests at the light house and it was often a sort of B&B for wealthy sport fishing parties from New York and other East Coast ports. The fishing was spectacular. Even President Grover Cleveland came while in office to fish and get fishing lessons from my ancestor they called Captain Billy. The lady of the house cooked for the guests -- fish, of course, and potatoes and mushrooms from the farm on the island. And pies.

I have a copy of the 300 page guest book/log book from that period. Every schooner, yacht, ship that stopped there signed in with the names of all the passengers and crew, and funny sketches and poems and so on. There were shipwrecks and rescues and one yacht on the way to Europe reported stopping there because they had already run out of liquor.

And so my family and I are very supportive of the fight to keep Plum Island from developers.

[Grasswire2]

5. And there is a tragic story as well.

In 1900, two little girls in the family lived on the island. Ruth and Blanche Emmaline. One day they were in the light house playing on the steps and somehow got matches. Blanche, age two, set her clothing on fire. Her father heard the screaming and came to the stairs to see her frozen in flames. He immediately went for the doctor -- ROWING miles to the town of Orient on Long Island. When they returned, she could not be saved.

I have a small carte d'visite photo of Blanche taken very soon before her death. I keep it on the book shelf so someone remembers this little tyke. I put little yellow rosebuds by it because she looks like that kind of little girl.