The Fight to Save Fire Island from Robert Moses
As Fire Island emerged as a car-free, idyllic beach getaway in the 1950’s, island real estate boomed! Newly established beach bungalows, and even whole new communities, were built by New Yorkers who escaped their urban lives in the summers to soak up the sun and appreciate the wonders of nature on a barrier island.
By the early 1960s, however, growing concerns about unregulated development prompted residents from several communities to take private steps to preserve some of the more fragile and unique areas of Fire Island, such as the Sunken Forest. After a severe nor’easter caused widespread damage and flooding in March of 1962, Robert Moses revived his 30-year-old proposal to build a four-lane highway down the 32-mile length of Fire Island. Moses claimed that his elevated road would hold the dunes in place and protect island homes from hurricanes. He also argued that his road would provide access to the beach for thousands of people across the New York metropolitan area.
Fire Islanders, led by Dunewood’s Murray Barbash and his brother-in-law Irving Like, were alarmed and outraged by the Moses road plan. They soon realized that they urgently needed the protection of the federal government. The Fire Island Voters Association, formed to unify the disparate island communities, begin fund raising and writing letters, petitioning Congress to create a Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) to preserve the island’s natural habitat and manage future development on a roadless island. The David vs. Goliath fight by island residents against Moses, the Power Broker, gained strong support from a growing and influential environmental movement. The Governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller, also saw an opportunity to use opposition to the road to rein in the seemingly unstoppable Moses.
In a stunning victory still celebrated by Fire Islanders, the Fire Island National Seashore was formally established in September, 1964. Robert Moses suffered a rare defeat and never saw his fiercely opposed road built on the island. But Rockefeller did rename Fire Island State Park for him in 1964. The Fire Island Voters Association also changed its name-- to the Fire Island Association --and we are still going strong, working to enhance, preserve and protect the island we all love!
CLICK on this link for articles on the FINS website about the history of the Park, and how it was created by Fire Islanders Fire Island National Seashore's 60th Anniversary - Fire Island National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
CLICK on this link for the inside story on the fight to stop Moses Moses, Rockefeller, and Fire Island — Fire Island Association
CLICK here for Chris Verga’s book, Saving Fire Island from Robert Moses, at Amazon.