June 24 2014 (c) Charles Flagg
EA supported the National Park Service in the development of the Fire Island Wilderness Breach Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for Fire Island National Seashore. On 29 October 2012, Hurricane Sandy created three breaches in the barrier island system off the south shore of Long Island, New York, including one within the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness Area (Fire Island Wilderness). The purpose of this project was to determine how to manage the Fire Island Wilderness breach. The project had several goals: ensure the integrity of the wilderness character, protect the natural and cultural features of the Seashore and its surrounding ecosystems, protect human life, and manage the risk of economic and physical damage to the surrounding areas. EA’s tasks included internal and public scoping, alternatives development, working with outside researchers to understand and incorporate ongoing studies into a published, peer reviewed technical report that formed the basis of the analysis in the Environmental Impact Statement, and Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision preparation. EA completed the Fire Island Wilderness Breach Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for public review within 14 months of Notice to Proceed. The Environmental Impact Statement was prepared using the new National Park Service National Environmental Policy Act Handbook, published 1 month after Notice to Proceed, and was the first Environmental Impact Statement published using this new guidance, affording EA staff the opportunity to work closely with senior National Park Service staff as they implemented new guidance for the first time.
