A comprehensive account of the history of the Fire Island National Seashore since its creation in 1964.

This book is illustrated with history of Fire Island. Declared a national seashore in 1964, this barrier island is now managed by the National Park Service and has year-round residents as well as being visited by tourists and seasonal vacationers.

Small coastal communities stand up to the giant of mid-20th century urban development in this chronicle of a true David and Goliath drama. With its unspoiled, tranquil shorelines, Fire Island has been an oasis for vacationers for well over a century. But from the late 1930s into the early 1960s, it was an obsession for Robert Moses, the political power broker and "master builder" who reshaped much of New York. His urban development projects helped create Long Island’s suburbs, and he dreamed of turning Fire Island into an extension of Ocean Parkway. Standing up to those ambitions were the seventeen individualistic communities of Fire Island, unified in their love for their sun-washed sandy beaches. To maintain a traditional way of life with limited access to motor vehicles, the community began the fight for federal protection through the creation of the Fire Island National Seashore.

This book provides a comprehensive account of the establishment of the Fire Island National Seashore and its management from 1964 to the present. Located off of Long Island s south shore, Fire Island is one of only five national seashores in the national parks system. Focusing on the major policy issues generated during the past forty years, Lee E. Koppelman and Seth Forman explore the tensions between local and national interests as well as the desire to conserve resources unimpaired for the benefit and use of future generations. The book includes a brief history of the island before its induction into the national parks system; a discussion of the battle to control erosion; the conflict between preservation and public access; the establishment and maintenance of many historical and cultural resources, including the William Floyd Estate, the Fire Island Lighthouse, Sailor s Haven/Sunken Forest, and High Dune Wilderness Area; and the Seashore s changing management and organizational structure.

Describes the Fire Island community members' fight for federal government protection of their land against exploitation by New York public official Robert Moses.