Plum Island (New York)
Encyclopedia
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the Town of Southold
Southold, New York
Southold is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is located in the northeastern tip of the county, on the North Fork of Long Island. The population was 20,599 at the 2000 census...
in Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The island is in Gardiners Bay
Gardiners Bay
Gardiners Bay is a small arm of the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 10 mi long and 8 mi wide in the U.S. state of New York between the two flukelike peninsulas at the eastern end of Long Island...
, east of Orient Point
Orient, New York
Orient is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The CDP's population was 709 at the 2000 census.Orient and Orient Point are used almost interchangeably...
, off the eastern end of the North Fork
North Fork, Suffolk County, New York
The North Fork is a 30-mile-long peninsula in the northeast part of Suffolk County, New York, roughly parallel with an even longer peninsula known as the South Fork...
coast of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. It is about 3 miles (4.8 km) long and 1 miles (1.6 km) wide at its widest point. September 29, 2011 US Government is considering the sale of this island as part of a debt lowering package.
Geology
The northern portion of Plum Island is a recessional moraineMoraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
deposit, and is part of the Harbor Hill-Roanoke Point-Fishers Island-Charlestown Moraine, thus is one of the Outer Lands
Outer Lands
The Outer Lands is a term denoting the prominent terminal moraine archipelagic region off the southern coast of New England in the United States...
. Boulders in the moraine can see be seen in the eroding northern slope of the island.
History
The island was called Manittuwond by the Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
Pequot
Pequot
Pequot people are a tribe of Native Americans who, in the 17th century, inhabited much of what is now Connecticut. They were of the Algonquian language family. The Pequot War and Mystic massacre reduced the Pequot's sociopolitical influence in southern New England...
Nation. Plum Island was probably first seen by Europeans in 1614 when Adriaen Block
Adriaen Block
Adriaen Block was a Dutch private trader and navigator who is best known for exploring the coastal and river valley areas between present-day New Jersey and Massachusetts during four voyages from 1611 to 1614, following the 1609 expedition by Henry Hudson...
, a Dutchman employed by the Dutch West India Company, charted the area. The island was named from the beach plum
Beach plum
Prunus maritima is a species of plum native to the Atlantic coast of North America, from Maine south to Maryland. Although sometimes listed as extending to New Brunswick, the species is not known from collections there, and does not appear in the most authoritative works on the flora of that...
s that grow along the shores, and an old Dutch map made about 1640 shows the name “Pruym Eyelant” (Plum Island). In 1659 the little island was purchased by Samuel Willis III, son of the Governor of Connecticut, from Wyandanch, the ruling local Indian Chieftain of Long Island, for a coat, a barrel of biscuits and 100 fishhooks.
On August 11, 1775, General David Wooster
David Wooster
David Wooster was an American general who served in the French and Indian War and in the American Revolutionary War. He died of wounds sustained during the Battle of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Cities, schools, and public places were named after him...
dispatched 120 soldiers to the island, then known as Plumb Island, who were immediately fired upon by the British. After firing a single return volley the soldiers retreated back to Long Island. Although no casualties were reported, this brief skirmish is believed to have represented at least one American military first, the first amphibious assault by an American army.
The historic Plum Island Light
Plum Island Light
Plum Island Light, also known as Plum Gut Light, is located on the western end of Plum Island, which lies eastof Orient Point which in turn is at the end of the North Fork of Long Island...
house is located at the west end of the island. The first lighthouses were constructed in 1787. The lighthouse marked turbulent tidal waters and shoals.
After passing through the possession of more than 20 families, in 1899, the island was purchased by the United States Government about the time of the Spanish American War for approximately $90,000. A Coast Artillery post, later known as Fort Terry
Fort Terry
Fort Terry was a coastal fortification on Plum Island, a small island just off Orient Point, New York, USA. This strategic position afforded it a commanding view over the Atlantic entrance to the commercially vital Long Island Sound. It was established in 1897 and used intermittently through the...
, was established there. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was activated as an anti-submarine base and deactivated after World War II; it was later reactivated and assigned to the Army Chemical Corps.
In 1954 the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
established the Plum Island Animal Disease Center
Plum Island Animal Disease Center
Plum Island Animal Disease Center is a United States federal research facility dedicated to the study of animal diseases. It is part of the DHS Directorate for Science and Technology....
. The center conducts research on animal pathogens to protect farmers, ranchers, and the national food supply. Because of the nature of the research, access to the island and the research facility is restricted.
In 2003, the Department of Homeland Security took ownership of the island and facilities; the Department of Agriculture continues to work on the island.
Plum Island was considered a potential site for a new high-security animal disease lab, NBAF (National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility
National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility
The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility is a planned United States government-run research facility that will replace the 1950s-era Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York, which is "nearing the end of its lifecycle and is too small to meet the nation’s research needs." The NBAF will be...
). In September 2008, the U.S. Congress passed a law that directed the General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
to close the animal disease center and to sell the island to the public, and to use the proceeds towards the construction of NBAF, if it were decided that NBAF would be built elsewhere. In January 2009, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security chose the city of Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
, as the site for NBAF, and decided to move the animal disease center there as well.
As of May 2011, the U.S government is in process of creating an Environmental Impact Statement
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
for the island (expected by late 2011), whose objective, among others, is to determine whether the impact of 60 years of animal testing on the island constitutes a threat to public health that could preclude the sale. The government has not performed a formal appraisal of the island yet. The value of an island of this size and location was estimated to be in the $50 to $80 million range; however, due to the need of extensive cleanup, the stigma of being a former site of a disease lab, and potential land use restrictions, opponents of sale expressed skepticism that the sale of the island could generate any profit at all, let alone be able to finance the construction of NBAF.
Popular culture
- Plum IslandPlum Island (novel)Plum Island is a 1997 novel by American author Nelson DeMille. It introduces NYPD detective John Corey, convalescing on the North Fork of Long Island from gunshot wounds sustained in the line of duty...
is a novel by Long IslandLong IslandLong Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
author Nelson DeMilleNelson DeMilleNelson Richard DeMille is an American author of thriller novels. His works include Word of Honor , The Charm School, The Gold Coast, Plum Island, and The General's Daughter .DeMille has also written under the pen names Jack Cannon, Kurt...
, who uses the island as one of his settings in the book. - The Silence of the LambsThe Silence of the Lambs (novel)The Silence of the Lambs is a novel by Thomas Harris. First published in 1988, it is the sequel to Harris' 1981 novel Red Dragon. Both novels feature the cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, this time pitted against FBI Special Agent Clarice Starling.- Plot summary :The novel takes...
(1989) mentions "Plum Island" as a potential supervised vacation site for Hannibal LecterHannibal LecterHannibal Lecter M.D. is a fictional character in a series of horror novels by Thomas Harris and in the films adapted from them.Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer...
as a reward for helping to catch Jame GumbJame GumbJame Gumb, known by the nickname Buffalo Bill, is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1988 novel The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, and its 1991 film adaptation, in which he was played by Ted Levine...
. He derisively refers to it as "Anthrax Island". - Lab 257: The Disturbing Story of the Government's Secret Plum Island Germ Laboratory by Michael Carroll, Ph.D., examines the Plum Island Animal Disease Center.
- Conspiracy Theory with Jesse VenturaConspiracy Theory with Jesse VenturaConspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura is an American television series hosted by Jesse Ventura and broadcast on truTV . It premiered on December 2, 2009, and is produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions. A second season premiered on October 15, 2010...
Plum Island is the focus of one of the show's conspiracy theories in episode one of the second season.
Further reading
- McMullen, K.Y. et al. (2010). Surficial geology of the sea floor in Long Island Sound offshore of Plum Island, New York [Open-file Report 2010-1005]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
- U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2005). Plum Island Animal Disease Center: DHS and USDA are successfully coordinating current work, but long-term plans are being assessed: report to congressional committees. Washington, D.C.: Author.
- U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2007). Plum Island Animal Disease Center: DHS has made significant progress implementing security recommendations, but several recommendations remain open. Washington, D.C.: Author.
- U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2008). High-containment biosafety laboratories: DHS lacks evidence to conclude that foot-and-mouth disease research can be done safely on the U.S. mainland: testimony before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives. Washington, D.C.: Author.
- U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2009). Biological research: observations on DHS's analyses concerning whether FMD research can be done as safely on the mainland as on Plum Island: report to congressional committees. Washington, D.C.: Author.
- U.S. General Accounting Office. (2003). Combating bioterrorism: actions needed to improve security at Plum Island Animal Disease Center. Washington, D.C.: Author.
- U.S. House of Representatives. (2008). Germs, viruses, and secrets: government plans to move exotic disease research to the mainland United States: hearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, one hundred tenth congress, second session, May 22, 2008. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.