Repairs Of Storm Damage To Start On Fire Island National Seashore

FIRE ISLAND, NY — Fire Island National Seashore will begin a four-phase project to repair boardwalks and beach access stairs that were damaged in the December and January flooding events, the National Parks Service said Thursday.

The first phase will begin with repairs to beach access stairs at Carrington and Watch Hill in the spring, while Phase Two will focus on repairs to sections of the Sunken Forest boardwalk.

Phase three will be a partial repair to the damaged 1,500 linear feet of boardwalk at the Watch Hill Nature Trail, with about 600 linear feet to be completed this spring or summer and the remaining 900 linear feet will be completed in 2025.

Phase Four will focus on the Talisman/Barrett Beach boardwalk removal by contractors. The dock there was damaged in September unrelated to storm events and will not be in place this summer.

The agency is advising visitors to stay out of closed areas, but other access areas to the beach and bay are open and accessible to the public. Closures will be updated on the parks services' website.

FINS Superintendent Alexcy Romero said the approach was chosen "to maximize the use of our limited staffing to ensure safe working conditions and to ensure that final products are of good quality for our visitors' enjoyment and safety."

“We are optimistic the first two phases can be completed by mid-June, followed by the ongoing
effort of the partial repairs at Watch Hill,” Facility Manager Jim Dunphy said.