Conservation Group Announces Plans To Sell Fire Island Cabin

FIRE ISLAND, NY - A Boston-based company recently announced plans to sell the beloved Fire Island cabin

The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), the oldest conservation and recreation group in the U.S., will be selling the 90-year-old cabin located in Atlantique right on the Great South Bay.

The 1.4 acre property offers members an accessible and affordable way to explore a unique destination, educate themselves about ocean and bay ecology, and use the cabin's fleet of kayaks, canoes and sailboats.

A petition to stop the sale was created on Change.org and has already received 3,246 signatures.

"Many of us who volunteer at Appalachian Mountain Club's Fire Island Cabin are shocked to learn the AMC HQ plans on selling the facility without having consulted the hundreds of constituent NY/NJ Chapter members," Peter S. Crosby, the creator of the petition wrote. "We do not agree with AMC's plans to remove this valuable asset, sustainable nature, and vibrant community from the NY-NJ Chapter, and want the process stopped for a full, transparent, and local review of alternatives."

A vote to approve the sale is scheduled for March 15 at the AMC headquarters in Boston.

According to Fire Island Cabin Committee of the Appalachian Mountain Club, the property was donated to the AMC in 1928 and is the only 100 percent volunteer run and led facility owned by the company.

"The programs and experiences available at the Fire Island Cabin are unlike those at any other AMC property," John Maier, a sailing program instructor at the organization said. "Selling the property will only increase development in this precious ecosystem. It would be a direct negation of the mission of the AMC to turn the property over to private hands, and it would be unconscionable to do so without an open dialogue with the members of the AMC."

The Atlantique property includes a main house, which sleeps 24, and an education center. It is open from May to October, and more than 2,000 people enjoy the facilities every season.

Members and their guests have attended workshops led by the Fire Island National Seashore, the Littoral Society, Audubon Society and others.

Monarch butterflies and horseshoe crabs use the property on their annual migrations.

In a statement, AMC stated that the Fire Island Cabin raises some specific concerns such as the residential character of the surrounding neighborhood, limited flexibility in lodging options and access, and its proximity to rising seas.

"Given these concerns, the board is weighing AMC’s continued presence on Fire Island against the likelihood that increased investments elsewhere would allow us to engage more constituents in the outdoor recreation, learning, and conservation that lies at the heart of the AMC mission," the statement reads. "The board will therefore consider a proposal to sell the Fire Island cabin and deploy funds elsewhere in greater New York. Additional expansion in Harriman State Park may be one opportunity where increased investment enabled by a sale will have a greater mission impact."

AMC also stated that it recognizes "how difficult this potential change will feel to many members."

"While appreciating our collective traditions over many decades, AMC must remain agile and current in its work and priorities in order to remain strong and effective for our mission serving the public and membership," the statement reads.

Photo: Facebook.com/Save the AMC Atlantique Fire Island Cabin