My family were caretakers of a small plot of land on this barrier island in the North Atlantic for six generations. I have deep memories of growing up and spending August days on this string of an island. I loved walking from the inlet to Sunken Forest in my youth. I remember visiting Sunken Forest before the NPS built its station there, and built boardwalks to wind through the amazing tree canopy that hovers under the salty spray of the ocean. On a recent visit in May I watched in awe as the horseshoe crabs made their annual trip to deposit their eggs in the sandy beaches of the Great South Bay. My mother served as a NPS docent at the lighthouse for years, leading countless groups to the top for windswept views all the way into New York City on clear days. I am grateful that this barrier island is protected by the guarding hands of the National Seashore.
Sincerely,
Fire Island National Seashore
This 32-mile stretch of barrier island offers beaches and historic buildings, dunes and maritime forests, and a dynamic coastal landscape with hiking, boating, camping and wildlife-watching opportunities.
State(s): New York
Established: 1964
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Greetings from Kettle Creek Battlefield
By Retired Col. Irma Hagans Cooper, former member of NPCA’s Pacific Regional Council MAMMY KATE, Enslaved Patriot of the Revolutionary War Mammy Kate was a Black woman enslaved by Colonel Stephen Heard of Georgia, a man who would later become governor of the state. Before she was kidnapped, sold, and…
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Greetings from Yosemite National Park
I travel to, and paint the US National Parks. I am passionate about conservation in “the People’s” Parks. I’ll be a guest painting teacher in Yosemite where I hope to share shifting color palettes of the Park depending on time of day, weather, and season.
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