Mission
STATEMENT
The Friends of Fire Island Pines was established in 2025 with the mission to:
-
Protect the beauty and the ecosystem of Fire Island Pines by supporting sustainable development that respects our fragile wetlands, vegetation and wildlife.
- Protect property values by honoring federal National Seashore regulations, designed to maintain the character and sustain the island's infrastructure and water supply.
-
Advocate for innovative solutions to managing nitrogen and other pollutants on the island and in the Bay.
-
Educate residents and visitors about the unique nature of Fire Island Pines withing the Fire Island National Seashore.
-
Work with The Fire Island National Seashore and all other community groups that share our mission.
Newsletter
Help us in our fight to protect Fire Island Pines by joining our mailing list and hearing about our latest updates.
OUR SUPPORTERS
Our supporters currently include 57 households in Fire Island Pines.
Contact US
IN THE NEWS
Brookhaven Board of Zoning Appeals Approves Special Use Permits for 28 Fire Island Boulevard & 16 Atlantic Walk to Lodge Seasonal Staff
Friends of Fire Island Pines Files Article 78 Petitions
to Challenge the Decisions
You’ve smelled the sewage odors in the harbor and at homes near the water table. A six-year Suffolk County study has confirmed what our noses already tell us. The 2024, 215-page study is the first comprehensive look at Fire Island’s wastewater crisis. High groundwater is overwhelming septic systems across all 17 communities, creating health risks as sewage leaks to the ground surface and into the bay, increasing the risk of pathogen exposure. The Fire Island National Seashore has identified Fire Island as having exceeded its carrying capacity, where our infrastructure and the environment can no longer manage waste effectively.
Despite wastewater concerns and regulations prohibiting commercial construction in areas zoned exclusively for residential use, the Town of Brookhaven Board of Zoning Appeals approved two “special use permits” to construct housing at 28 Fire Island Boulevard and 16 Atlantic Walk to lodge seasonal staff. In doing so, the Board violated its own strict zoning rules put into place specifically to protect the unique and fragile nature of Fire Island.
The permits were granted over the objection of over 50+ Pines homeowners, and by the Fire Island National Seashore. The Fire Island National Seashore wrote, “Approval of this proposal would not only violate regulatory provisions but also set a troubling precedent for future development within the Seashore. It would further burden Fire Island's already strained infrastructure and fragile ecosystem. For these reasons, the Seashore urges the Town of Brookhaven to deny the proposed residence hall. Granting this request will render the property subject to condemnation under the authority of the Secretary of the Interior.”
We love The Pines and are fighting for its long-term sustainability. Last Fall,
Friends of Fire Island Pines filed two Article 78 Petitions — specialized filings used to challenge a decision made by an administrative agency in New York State. The Petitions allege that the Brookhaven Board of Zoning Appeals granted the permits arbitrarily and capriciously, in clear violation of zoning regulations designed to prevent commercial construction in a residential zone; and that the Board did not appropriately consider the applicable criteria under the Town Zoning Code. The Petitions also allege that the Board did not adequately consider environmental impact, the interests of the Fire Island National Seashore and the community, and available reasonable alternatives. We will keep you abreast as these matters develop.
We want a thriving commercial district. We want habitable staff housing. We need smarter solutions — ones we find together. Just as we did with Whyte Hall. Whyte Hall didn’t happen by accident. It happened because this community came together, respected the process, respected our neighbors, and found a solution that worked for everyone. We did it then. We can do it again. Viable alternatives exist, and we can find them together, as a community.
What can you do. The Pines is special. There is nowhere else like it. We can embrace change, welcome progress, and house seasonal staff — and still protect what makes this place irreplaceable. But the moment we allow our local government to override zoning laws in the interest of well-funded applicants, we weaken every protection we have, for every homeowner, resident, and visitor, and for our fragile ecosystem. This is not hypothetical. It is happening right now. And it will keep happening unless we stand together. Sign up for our mailing list. Donate. Add your voice.