Audubon New York Secures Temporary Restraining Order Against US Army Corps of Engineers in Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet Recovery Project

 Audubon New York Statement on Temporary Restraining Order Issued Regarding the Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet US Army Corps of Engineers Stabilization Project

The following is a statement from Erin Crotty, Executive Director of Audubon New York and Vice President of the National Audubon Society regarding litigation filed against the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet Stabilization Project (FIMI Project). 

“The FIMI Project as currently designed is in violation of federal law. Audubon New York has consistently called for an improved plan that protects coastal communities while ensuring the continued survival of the state endangered and federally threatened Atlantic Coast piping plover.

Audubon is concerned about less than 3 miles of the 19 mile project area.  Our concerns center around work planned on parkland -- at Smith Point County Park and Fire Island Lighthouse Beach.  These areas provide rare nesting and foraging habitat that is essential to the survival of the Atlantic Coast piping plover.  The FIMI project as presently designed will destroy that habitat and further diminish the plover population which has been declining in recent years.    

The Corps ignored the advice of government scientists who recommended that the project be revised to mimic natural formations to make the areas more resilient and sustainable – precisely Audubon’s position.   

The process that resulted in the present plan was deeply flawed and cannot serve as a model for future coastal protection projects. The US Army Corps of Engineers has a responsibility to make sure it’s done right from the start to protect our communities and the irreplaceable habitat on Fire Island.

Audubon’s request for a temporary restraining order preventing the Corps from starting work in these two areas was granted on Friday, September 12, 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.”

Audubon New York has 50,000 members and 27 chapters throughout the state and is dedicated to conserving and restoring natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.  The statewide network of community-based nature centers and chapters, conservation and educational programs, and advocacy engage people of all ages and backgrounds in helping birds and their habitats.  Learn more at ny.audubon.org and follow @audubonny.