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Rules and Boundaries for Personal Watercraft
After environmental assessment and a period of public review, a final rule for Fire Island National Seashore Personal Watercraft Use was published in the Federal Register on July 6, 2005. |
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| PWC Access Restricted at Fire Island National Seashore |
Since 2002, personal
watercraft (PWC) have been prohibited in all National Park Service
waters including Fire Island National Seashore. This was the
result of a legal challenge over the effects of PWCs on other
visitors, their safety, water and air quality; submerged and
shoreline vegetation, and wildlife and its habitat. New regulations
were drafted with public participation in a series of meetings
and the effects of PWCs on park resources and other users
were fully evaluated through the environmental assessment process. (See links below.)
The proposed new rule and environmental assessment (EA) were available for public review and comment from August 23 through October 22, 2004. The final rule was published on July 6, 2005. Under the new regulations:
* PWCs are allowed within park boundaries in the Long Island Intracoastal Waterway and in marked channels into any private communities on Fire Island that allow them.
* PWCs are not allowed in Sailors Haven or Watch Hill marinas or at the Barrett Beach or Old Inlet docks.
* PWCs are prohibited within 1,000 feet of the Atlantic shore of Fire Island and, in the Great South Bay, within 1,000 feet of shore of Fire Island, East Fire Island and West Fire Island from the eastern boundary of Robert Moses State Park to the western boundary of Sunken Forest, with the exception of navigational channels marked by buoys or identified on the NOAA navigational chart (12352) to include access channels to and from Fair Harbor, Dunewood, Lonelyville, Atlantique and to the communities of Kismet, Saltaire, Ocean Beach, Ocean Bay Park, Point O’Woods, and Oakleyville at “flat-wake speed” (maximum 6 mph).
PWCs may not cross restricted areas to access private piers or waterfront residences.
* PWCs are prohibited within 4,000 feet of Fire Island in the Great South Bay from the western boundary of Sunken Forest to Moriches Inlet, with the exception of navigational channels marked by buoys or identified on the NOAA navigational chart (12352) to include access channels to and from Cherry Grove, Fire Island Pines, Davis Park and the community of Water Island at “flat-wake speed” (maximum 6 mph), and in navigational channels in Narrow and Moriches bays.
PWCs may not cross restricted areas to access private piers or waterfront residences.
* PWCs may not be used in the channels to Bellport Beach or Great Gun Beach.
* PWCs may not be used to access any of the small islands within the boundaries of Fire Island National Seashore, regardless of land ownership.
PWC restrictions do not preclude access to the shoreline by other appropriate modes of transportation where not otherwise restricted.
Personal Watercraft must comply with State and Federal laws, including age restrictions and navigation rules of the road. The State of New York has implemented new requirements that all PWC operators must earn a safety certificate. All PWC users must wear a U. S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD) or life jacket. See New York State Boater’s Guide, page 59, for further information. Responsible boat operation is enforced by the National Park Service, U. S. Coast Guard and Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau within the waters surrounding Fire Island.
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 Current
Fire Island National Seashore PWC Regulations
[Federal Register: July 6, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 128)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 38759-38767] (05/12/2005)
(Adobe Acrobat) [9 pages]
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Finding of No Significant Impact, Fire Island National Seashore, Personal Watercraft Use (05/12/2005)
(Adobe Acrobat) [45 pages]
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Background Information:
Proposed PWC Regulation
Federal Register/Vol. 69, No. 162/Monday, August 23, 2004/Proposed Rules
[36 CFR Part 7, RIN 1024-AC94]
[Page 51788-51795]
(Adobe Acrobat) [8 pages]
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Fire
Island National Seashore Personal Watercraft Use Environmental Assessment
ERRATA (03/01/2004)
(Adobe Acrobat) [25 pages]
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Fire
Island National Seashore Personal Watercraft Environmental Assessment
August 2002
(Adobe Acrobat) [200 pages]
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Fire
Island National Seashore Personal Watercraft Economic Analysis March 2002
(Adobe Acrobat) [88 pages]
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National Park Service Moves Forward With Management of Personal Watercraft Use
[04/16/02]
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Previous
National Park Service PWC Regulations
[Federal Register: March 21, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 55)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 15077-15090]
(Adobe Acrobat) [14 pages]
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