This makes taking in a ranger-led interpretive program or tour a must. In some areas dunes are whipped into low cliffs in one season and the cliffs later dissolved to sloping beach.įrom the unassuming insectivorous sundews lurking in swales to the tops of the wind-pruned trees in the Sunken Forest, Fire Island is a varied and most interesting barrier beach ecosystem. On the west end of the island new land has formed at the rate of 50 meters a year. Swamp species such as red maple and sour gum are then able to thrive there. The Sunken Forest area is the result of high dunes built up on both sides of the trees which protect them and allow their protected growth. In 1980 Congress set aside 1,400 acres (570 hectares) as the Otis Pike Wilderness area.Īll barrier islands are shaped to some degree by the ocean, and that certainly applies to Fire Island. In 1964 the rest of the lands were designated the Fire Island National Seashore. By the 1950s real estate was booming as the island became a fashionable retreat from the city. In the 1920s Fire Island began its life as a Bohemian beach community. The state set aside part of Fire Island as a state park in 1908, making it the first state park on Long Island. The island still grows at its western end and is constantly reshaped. In less than a century four miles of sand accumulated between the lighthouse and the western tip of the island. For many immigrants the lighthouse was their first sight of land when arriving to America. The foundation of the original lighthouse can still be seen today. In 1868, a new lighthouse was built to a height of 168 feet, 100 feet from the old. The Fire Island Lighthouse was first built in 1826 at a height of 74 ft (23 m) due to the large number of shipwrecks. The island also has a bit of pirate history as pirates were known to build fires on the island to attract passing boats on which to prey. Whalers would watch for spouting whales from towers, then launch their boats after them. In the mid-17th century, Fire Island was used as a base for whaling. Not a visitor center, but brochures and information are available. Park Headquarters, 120 Laurel St, Patchogue, ☏ +1 63, fax: +1 63.Fire Island is a barrier island protecting Great South Bay and a portion of Long Island to its north.
Most of the Fire Island NS is on Fire Island with one section in the hamlet of Mastic Beach in the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island. Fire Island National Seashore is a United States National Seashore in the state of New York.
0 kommentar(er)
