Aboard the newest ferry for Plum Island Animal Disease Center last Tuesday, Alice Kramer of Southold did the honors, cracking a bottle of champagne over the hull.
The christening ceremony was held in honor of Ms. Kramer’s late husband, for whom the boat is named: Edward V. Kramer.
Mr. Kramer, who died in 2015 at 79, worked at Plum Island for more 60 years. READ
The federal government decided in 2009 to sell Plum Island to the highest bidder, presumably a private owner. In 2013 Donald Trump announced his desire to purchase Plum Island to create a golf resort. Southold Town had no interest in that plan, which quickly fizzled.
Leading conservation organizations, including Save our Sound and Group for the East End, are suing to block the sale. A federal judge denied a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in January. Congress can and should act to permanently block the sale. It has failed to do so. READ
Southold Bay constables John Kirincic and Kristopher Dimon helped the Coast Guard Sunday after a boat ran aground near Plum Island, Southold Town police said. READ
On your mark, get set, paddle!
More than 75 kayakers plan to drop their boats in the waters off Orient Beach State Park Saturday, Aug. 18, for a display of activism. The feat of endurance will see paddlers from both New York and Connecticut taking a stand against the commercial sale and development of Plum Island. READ
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill Friday in the latest attempt to save Plum Island from being sold.
Offered by Representative Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), the legislation allows Congress to stop the General Services Administration from using appropriations to market the sale of Plum Island “while we continue to fight for a permanent solution that will preserve the island for conservation and education,” Mr. Zeldin said on the floor Friday morning. READ
Tours of federally owned Plum Island have been halted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, citing pending litigation and the anticipated relocation of operations from the island. READ
Members of the Orient Fire Department, Southold Town Police Department and Plum Island ferry were honored Tuesday by the U.S. Coast Guard for their role in a water rescue last month. (more…)
On Saturday evening, with dusk soon to arrive, the wind rising and temperatures dropping, rescuers put their own lives on the line to save three men whose boat, a 34-foot Chris Craft, had struck rocks in the challenging waters of Plum Gut off Orient Point. READ
On a cold and blustery evening Saturday, a group of determined rescuers saved three men whose boat had sunk in Plum Gut, pulling one of them — who showed signs of hypothermia and was “barely hanging on” — to safety aboard the Plum Island ferry. READ
Environmentalists who filed a lawsuit against two federal agencies in an attempt to block the prospective sale of Plum Island to the highest bidder celebrated a victory Thursday when a federal district court judge denied a motion to dismiss. (more…)