Open space doesn’t defend itself. Once a coastline is developed, the wetlands that filtered nutrients, buffered storm surge, and anchored the shoreline are gone. The window to act is narrow, and on Long Island, it’s closing. In June, the Town of Brookhaven approved spending nearly $475,000 to acquire 17 properties in Mastic Beach, permanently preserving […]

Can sports bridge trust and mend the past within different communities? On Fire Island, the official Cherry Bowl Tournament has helped mend wounds of distrust with a competitive volleyball game between Cherry Grove’s Grovettes and the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) Coppettes since 1984. With a crowd of a few hundred watching intently, the Grovettes […]

When you think of American innovation, your mind probably goes to automobiles, computers, or smartphones. Yet one of the most overlooked examples of everyday innovation hangs right in front of your windows. Modern blinds and shades have evolved over thousands of years, from simple coverings made of reeds, bamboo, and cloth in ancient Egypt, China, […]

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) Marine Bureau Officers came to the aid of a family of four stranded at the mouth of Fire Island Inlet in Babylon. The family resides in the hamlet of Copiague. The party included a father, age 30; his wife, also 30; their 2-year-old […]

Get ready to lace up your running shoes for the third annual JKW Live Well Foundation 5K run/walk, taking place in Bay Shore on Saturday, Sept. 19. The race honors Joseph Keenan Walser, a 2019 Bay Shore High School graduate who died in September 2021. Joseph’s parents, John and Kathleen Walser, of Bay Shore, and […]

Weekend of August 22 &23 Arts Project of Cherry Grove Art Show The Arts Project of Cherry Grove (APCG) Art Show is returning this summer, reimagined and inside the beautiful air conditioned Cherry Grove Community House. Artists and artisans from the Grove, Fire Island communities, and as far away as the city will be displaying […]

The image on the cover of this issue of Fire Island News is a classic South Shore Long Island bay house—a pen-and-ink with watercolor rendition of a familiar site that Great South Bay boaters and ferry riders see all the time. The charming cottages that dot the islets in the bay are full of wonder […]

For many people, a Fire Island house is more than a summer place. It has a name, a story, and, often, a hand-painted sign that becomes part of the home’s identity. For Lauren Pineda Jones, finding the sign from her childhood home meant reconnecting with a piece of family history she never expected to see […]

On August 5, the People’s Arc of Suffolk donated $1,000 to St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in Sayville to support the restoration of its historic bell tower, further strengthening a partnership that has created meaningful opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout the community. The restoration project will preserve one of Sayville’s historic landmarks and ensure the […]