Environment News » Fire Island News & Great South Bay News

A new round of funding is now open to Long Island property owners willing to trade some lawn for native plants—and the reasons to apply go beyond a reimbursement check.

How Native Plants Pay Off for Long Island Homeowners

Posted on June 24, 2026

Weeks after a stretch of Kismet’s oceanfront beach was carved away by unusually concentrated wave action, local officials say the community may have little choice but to wait.

Kismet

What’s to Be Done About Kismet’s Localized Beach Erosion?

Posted on June 23, 2026

Have you ever looked out over the Robert Moses Bridge and wondered what lies below the surface of our waterways? Well, researchers at Stony Brook University in the Frisk-Shipley Laboratory can tell you using something called “acoustic telemetry.” The researchers have granted me access to their data from 2023 to 2025 for their equipment located off Ocean Beach and beneath the Robert Moses Bridge.

Acoustic Telemetry Explores Beneath the Surface of the Shores of Long Island and Beyond

Posted on June 8, 2026

A missing house cat from the Fire Island Pines has been reunited with his owner overseas after more than a year and a half.

Fire Island Pines

A Cat Called Kevin: The Missing Fire Island Feline Found After 18 Months Travels Across the Atlantic

Posted on May 31, 2026

On April 20, after 18 months of deliberations, the Incorporated Village of Saltaire entered into a 40-year lease with the Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) to manage and operate its public water infrastructure. The motion was unanimously adopted by the Saltaire Village Board of Trustees, and the agreement becomes effective June 1.

Saltaire

Saltaire Village Enters into 40-year Agreement with Suffolk County Water Authority

Posted on May 29, 2026

Toasted Oysters AKA

New York State Awards $3 Million Long Island Aquaculture Grants

Posted on May 14, 2026

May arrives at the Great South Bay with familiar signs of the season—the days are longer and friendlier, boats are returning to the water, and communities are easing into the peaceable rhythm of late spring. It’s a time when neighbors reconnect, when outdoor spaces fill again, and when our calendars begin to hum with the quiet anticipation of summer’s respite. However, May has yet another layer of significance: Mental Health Awareness Month. Once observed more quietly, it has become an increasingly visible part of community life across the South Shore, marked not just by clinical messaging, but by active conversation, education, and, perhaps most importantly, connection.

OP ED: May and its Meaning During Mental Health Awareness Month

Posted on May 9, 2026

A walk past Argyle Lake in Babylon after the blizzards revealed the mute swans no going anywhere—massive white birds, with their reddish-orange bills and black face patches, gliding through half-frozen water as if it was just another day at the park.

Swan Story: Those Beautiful Birds Are Staying Put

Posted on May 3, 2026

Opening Friday, May 1 Awakenings The BAFFA Art Gallery will feature a multi-media exhibit by Women Sharing Art in May. The exhibit includes painting, photography, mosaics, sculpture, fiber arts, and mixed media. “Awakenings explores moments of transformation, discovery, and renewed awareness.” The show can be viewed at the Gallery, Thursdays through Sundays, from Noon to 4:00 p.m. An artists’ reception and awards for students whose work was exhibited at the student art show will take place on May 2 from 1 - 4 PMp.m. The BAFFA Gallery is located in the historic Gillette House at 47 Gillette Avenue in Sayville. This exhibition runs through May 31. The gallery is open Thursday-Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. For further information: www.baffa.org or www.womensharingart.org.

Books & Authors

May Day and More: Things To Do this Weekend and Week Ahead Along Great South Bay Long Island

Posted on April 30, 2026

Obtaining local, farm-fresh produce on Long Island became infinitely easier and more accessible when I joined my first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share in the early 2000s.

CSA Continues to Grow on Long Island

Posted on April 29, 2026

Saturday, April 25 (9-11 a.m.) Creek Defender Community Clean-Up with Save The Great South Bay Swan River & Mud Creek, East Patchogue: Caring for the Great South Bay begins on the land. Improve the quality of the water entering our bay by removing litter, debris, and invasive species through a group volunteer effort! Everyone is welcome, regardless of experience or age, to participate. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Clean-up gear will be provided. Meet at Pine Neck Boat Launch. Please wear eye protection, long sleeves, and pants; sturdy, water-resistant boots are recommended.

End of April, Come What May: Things To Do this Weekend and the Week Ahead

Posted on April 23, 2026

the summer. It’s not uncommon for people to point to a group of birds and say, “There’s a ton of plovers right there! Why does the beach need to be closed?” As a former “plover monitor,” I often see people mistake the wrong birds for piping plovers.

Is this a Piping Plover? Know Your Shore Birds!

Posted on April 21, 2026

More from our sister sites

NYHS-Tang-Democracy_061626_001e2 (c) Karen Rubin

Long Island Press

Going Places: New York Historical’s New Tang Wing for American Democracy Couldn’t Have Come at a Better Time

City Council Speaker Julie Menin (l.) with Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams, who according to the Quadrennial Advisory Commission, testified in May 2026 that , increasing the salaries of the city’s elected officials was a long-overdue cost of living adjustment.

NYC elected officials could get nearly 20% pay raises this summer – far more than they asked for

Schneps Podcasts

Billie Manton, Thank You For Coming Out (Minisode)

The crowd at the Queer Liberation March on June 28, 2026.

Eighth annual Queer Liberation March emphasizes trans and immigrant rights