The Preserve Plum Island Coalition (PPIC), via Save the Sound, submitted the attached testimony on H.R. 1584, the Plum Island National Monument Act, and then gave a quick 5-minute summary of the testimony at the House Natural Resources Committee’s Federal Lands Subcommittee hearing on March 7, 2024.

Plum Island, a hidden ecological treasure, boasts the largest seal haul-out in New York and habitat for 229 bird species. The Preserve Plum Island Coalition, coordinated by Save the Sound, successfully campaigned to save the Island from the federal auction block; the future of the island, however, remains unclear. Louise Harrison, Save the Sound’s Long Island natural areas manager and conservation biologist, guides us through the island’s natural, historical, and cultural significance and why over 120 national, regional, and local organizations are fighting to ensure it becomes a national monument or receives another equally protective designation.