The National Park Service Should Improve Its Land Acquisition and Management at the Fire Island National Seashore

Highlights

The National Park Service's zoning standards at Fire Island National Seashore are more restrictive than necessary to meet the requirements of Federal regulations, and the Park Service is unnecessarily acquiring private lands at Fire Island. GAO was requested to review these issues.

Recommendations

Matter for Congressional Consideration

Matter	Status	Comments
Congress should exempt land acquired from the 2-year limitation stipulated in the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, as amended. The purpose of this recommendation was to give the last owner(s) in the recreation area the right to match the highest bid price and require property sold to the National Park Service.	Closed	Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Department of the Interior	The Secretary of the Interior should require the Director of the National Park Service to stop routinely objecting to variances, unless the Park Service specifically shows why the variances would harm Fire Island's natural resources, and revise the zoning standards accordingly.	Closed Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
Department of the Interior	The Secretary of the Interior should require the Director of the National Park Service to explain in its letters to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources requesting declarations of taking specifically why variances would adversely affect Fire Island's natural resources.	Closed Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
Department of the Interior	The Secretary of the Interior should require the Director of the National Park Service to revise the Fire Island acquisition plan to state (1) more specifically the circumstances under which properties will be acquired; and (2) that all properties will not be acquired just because they were rebuilt at variance with a local ordinance.	Closed Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
Department of the Interior	The Secretary of the Interior should require the Director of the National Park Service to sell to the highest bidder all acquired lands in exempt communities that are compatible with the purposes of Fire Island. The previous owner should be offered first opportunity to reacquire the property at the highest bid price unless the Park Service can demonstrate that the last owner's use of the property adversely affected Fire Island's natural resources. The Park Service could attach scenic or developmental restrictions to the deeds before selling the properties to assure that their use will be consistent with the enabling legislation.	Closed Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.
Department of the Interior	The Secretary of the Interior should direct the Director of the National Park Service to revise the Fire Island zoning standards to make it clear that homes rebuilt or improved in accordance with approved variances to local zoning ordinances will not be subject to condemnation unless the variances adversely affect Fire Island's natural resources.	Closed Please call 202/512-6100 for additional information.

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Natural Resources and Environment

Coastal zone managementNational parksNatural resourcesProcurement practicesReal property acquisitionZoningCommunity developmentLocal communitiesRiversHearings