Local activists have a new plan for the future of Plum Island in Long Island Sound.
Plum Island is owned by the federal government, but they've been trying to sell it since 2008.
The preservation plan would restore historic sites, continue the island’s role as a research center and open a public park on the land. Advocates say the island is an “opportunity zone.”
“If Plum Island is lost, it cannot be recovered,” said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. “It is unique, absolutely unique in our country, maybe even the world, but certainly unique to Connecticut, New York, our region, our nation.”
Blumenthal says citizen activism has been key in the fight for preservation.
“I believe that the undeveloped land on Plum Island should continue to stay undeveloped," said U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin of Long Island, "and I also believe that there should be some form of public access on Plum Island.”
Zeldin says the sale of the island has been suspended, and $1.5 million secured to restore the Plum Island lighthouse. The congressman has sponsored legislation to save the island from private development.
