Fire Island National Seashore

Job announcement! Fire Island National Seashore is seeking applicants for a new Chief Ranger in the Division of Visitor and Resource Protection. The incumbent will be responsible for the leadership and management of the Division of Visitor & Resource Protection, and will be a key member of the park's leadership team. The incumbent directs all law enforcement, fire, dispatch, search and rescue, lifeguard, natural disaster preparation, natural and cultural resources and visito...r protection at the park, and coordinates law enforcement (LE) activities with concurring jurisdictions. To learn more about this opportunity visit USAJobs.gov: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/596557300 Image Description: A graphic reads "National Park Service, seeking applicants for Chief Ranger Visitor and Resource Protection, Fire Island National Seashore" and features a line illustration of a park ranger in front of a photo of a ranger and visitors walking on the beach. Photo/NPS Sucena

Due to the inclimate weather, today's Full Moon hike is canceled. For information on future programs visit our website: https://www.nps.gov/fiis/planyourvisit/calendar.htm Photo/NPS... Image description: View of a stormy beach from a visitor center window.

Join our team! Fire Island National Seashore is currently recruiting a seasonal museum technician to join our Cultural Resource Division. Technicians will assist in the maintenance and management of our collection of over 25,000 historic objects along with the Old Mastic House at the William Floyd Estate. To learn more about this position and how to apply visit USAJobs.gov: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/596514500... Photo/NPS Sucena Image Description: A Park Ranger gently scans an historical document.

Our furry friend Frankie wants to remind all other Bark Rangers that the season for walking your leashed pets by the sea has come to a close. Please let your puppy-loving pals know that ocean beaches at Fire Island National Seashore sites are closed to pets March 15 through Labor Day. Frankie also wants to remind you that although ocean beaches are closed dogs, and other pets are still welcome on boardwalks, marinas, parking areas, and bay beaches. If you're not sure where t...o walk, just ask! Just be sure to remember the Rules of B.A.R.K.: B - Bag your poop - always collect and dispose of dog waste properly. A - Always wear a leash - pets must be restrained on a leash no longer than 6 feet (2 meters). R - Respect wildlife - don't harass or harm wildlife by making noise or chasing them. K - Know where to go - Bark Rangers are permitted in parking lots, marinas and on bay beaches. Ask a ranger about seasonal rules. Photo/NPS Slinney

Come work with us! Fire Island National Seashore is currently seeking qualified applicants for a permanent and several seasonal Biological Science Technicians. Biotechs will work together on a variety of projects to assist in the management of Fire Island's abundant natural resources. To learn more about the permanent opportunity visit:... https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/595666800 To learn more about seasonal opportunities visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/595583900 Image description: Three scientists in protective white lab suits weigh and document a small mammal within a lush green forest. Photo/NPS

Thank goodness it's Friday! It may be too cold for swimming but this weather has us ready to jump right into the weekend. Remember though, it's rude to splash your friends. Image description: ... In the first image six harbor seals lounge on a small sandbar. In the second image one harbor seal creates a big splash disturbing the other five. Photo/NPS

Are you a current college student or recent graduate looking for a paid experience with the National Park Service? Do you want to get a chance to explore Fire Island National Seashore and work alongside Park Rangers and gain career experience? Fire Island National Seashore will be pleased to host a 2021 Intern from the Latino Heritage Internship Program this summer to be our Community Outreach and Education intern. Apply today to get the chance to add to your set of skills, e...volve your knowledge in numerous fields of study, and have your office be the beach! An experience I will never forget, Interning for Fire Island was everything I could ask for! - 2020 LHIP Intern, Jhulian Gutierrez Application deadline is February 7th, 2021 For more information on the position and to apply for Fire Island's 2021 Latino Heritage Internship: https://latinoheritageintern.org/.../public-history.../ For more information email us at [email protected]

The first light of the New Year is here. It's the perfect time to take a breath, reflect, and appreciate all of the natural beauty around us. Happy New Year from your friends at Fire Island National Seashore! Video description: Small waves moving in slow motion wash over an ocean beach as light from a rising sun reflects off of their surface.

All across the country the National Park Service and our partners at the Geological Survey of America are bringing bright young minds into parks to work on a variety of exciting projects through the Scientists in Parks (SIP) program. Fire Island National Seashore is currently recruiting an SIP intern to work side-by-side with our resource management division to survey wildlife, plants and other natural resources. Last summer we had the pleasure of welcoming Justin Wilson thr...ough a program called Mosaics in Science. Justin worked closely with park scientists to help monitor threatened and endangered species. Check out this video to learn a bit more about Justin and his experiences working with Fire Island National Seashore's resource management team. To learn more about this opportunity visit: https://rock.geosociety.org/eo/viewJob.asp?jobID=2970 And to learn more about the Scientists in Parks program visit: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/science/scientists-in-parks.htm See comments for video with audio description.

Good morning from the Otis Pike Wilderness! It may be rainy today but Fall and Winter still promise some beautiful sights. This morning we were lucky enough to see a flock of Snow Buntings dashing across the dunes.

There are so many fun ways to craft your own seashell holiday ornaments, but before you do, you'll need to gather up some shells yourself. Join a Park Ranger this Saturday at 11am at the Wilderness Visitor Center for a fun winter seashelling program. Take a half-mile stroll on the beach with a ranger to collect and identify seashells and learn about the creatures that inhabited them. Instructional handouts and some sample creations will give you ideas for making holiday ornam...ents from your treasures at home. Dress for the weather and for walking on sand. Rain or snow cancels the program. To learn more about this and other programs visit our website: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/event-details.htm And to register for the program email: [email protected] Or Call: 631-281-3010

It’s a windy one here at the Fire Island Wilderness. The waves, wind, and weather have the ocean beach packed down nicely for a chilly winter hike. Perhaps you’ll join us New Years Day for our annual New Years Day Breach Hike? The three mile round trip walk along the ocean beach will be a great way to welcome 2021. Learn all about the dynamic barrier island, and the breach created by Hurricane Sandy. Dress for the weather. Bring water and a snack. Space is limited to ensur...e safe social distancing. Call ahead to register at 631-281-3010. Video description: a flock of small shorebirds fly across view as the camera pans over a windy ocean beach.

Sing-A-Long! Parks across the country are hosting special events, like virtual musical performances, solstice observances, craft-making, caroling, resolution h...ikes, and more. Be sure to review safety requirements before attending any event in person. Come to an event or create your own holiday traditions of visiting a national park. Find more tips to recreate responsibly for a fun, safe visit at https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/holiday-happenings.htm #FindYourPark #RecreateResponsibly Image: 12 things to see in a park with text: On my twelfth trip to a park my best friend showed to me: 12 wolves A-Howlin’ Eleven pointy Sea Stars Ten dolphins jumping Nine happy trees Eight eagles soaring Seven cacti waving Six moose A-Grunting Five ranger hats Four hikers hiking Three stoic bison Two hungry bears And a selfie going very badly.

Happy Holidays from the Department of the Interior, and all of us at Fire Island National Seashore! Watch for a message from the William Floyd Estate at 3m19s.

We couldn't be more proud of Fire Island National Seashore's very own Latino Heritage Intern, Jhulian Gutierrez, who has done some amazing work with us this summer. Learn more about the Latino Heritage Internship Program from Jhulian in this video! If you're a college student or recent college graduate apply today for Fire Island's 2021 Latino Heritage Internship:... https://latinoheritageintern.org/.../public-history.../ For more information email us at [email protected]

We're walkin’ in a winter wonderland It's a beautiful morning here in the Fire Island Wilderness. We hope you can join us tomorrow as we celebrate the coming winter solstice with our "Winter Solstice Walk and Storytelling." Join this family friendly program to explore signs of winter on Fire Island with an outdoor walk. We'll be learning the legends and traditions of the winter solstice just in time to celebrate it on Monday. Dress warmly for the outdoors. Space is lim...ited so be sure to register in advance. The program begins at 3PM at the Wilderness Visitor Center next to Smith Point County Park. This will be a socially distanced program. To register call: 631-281-3010 For more information visit our website: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/event-details.htm Photo/ NPS Image description: Foot prints from birds and other small creatures trail through snow on the face of a dune.

Tomorrow, Saturday November 7th, join us and our friends at the New York Marine Rescue Center for a special workshop about the sea turtles that live in our ocean waters, and what you can do to help protect them. Find out where and when sea turtles may strand on Fire Island’s shores, and what you should do if you find one. This virtual event begins at 1pm. To register contact Nicole Valenti at the New York Marine Rescue Center. [email protected]

Are you a student or recent graduate? Have you ever dreamed of working at Fire Island National Seashore? Our friends at the Latino Heritage Internship Program are currently recruiting an Education and Community Outreach Intern to join us this summer! The Latino Heritage Internship Program is designed to provide internship opportunities to young adults in diverse professional fields throughout the National Park Service. The program helps raise awareness of our national parks a...nd historic sites, their accessibility, and the need for the Latino community’s involvement in their preservation. Interns work alongside National Park Service Park Rangers to assist with visitor operations, community outreach, and program and media development on a variety of topics including marine life, recreational fishing, barrier island ecology, shoreline dynamics, maritime and American history, and more! If you'd like to learn more about these amazing internship opportunities visit: https://latinoheritageintern.org/ And if you're interested in applying to work with us here at Fire Island check out: https://latinoheritageintern.org/j/public-history-associate

Just because its getting cold out there, doesn't mean these sunsets aren't still full of fire Image description: The setting sun leaves a line of red light across the horizon between a cloudy sky and a sandy wilderness.

It's Bat-urday! Which means bat week is coming to an end. And on Halloween no-less! Lot's of folks around here tell us that they think bats are a little scary, but every year Bat Week gives us a chance to talk about how important and special bats truly are. When it comes to these furry fliers there's so much to appreciate. ... Bats play many important roles within our ecosystems, from pollination to pest control. Unfortunately, they face a number of challenges, including loss of habitat and the spread of white-nose syndrome. So even though bats remind us of the spookiest season, don't forget to show them a little love. #BatWeek Visit our website to learn more about bats in National Parks: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bats/index.htm Or click here to learn more about how we're monitoring bats here at Fire Island: https://www.nps.gov/gis/storymaps/Cascade/v1/index.html

Its a beautiful and misty autumn morning here on Home Creek at the edge of the William Floyd Estate in Mastic Beach. Happy Halloween everyone Sucena/NPS... Description: A light mist lifts off of a small creek as morning sunlight shines through trees.

Bats are an important part of ecosystems and food webs. Though some species of bats feed on fruit, seeds, or pollen, the species that live in New York are insectivores. They consume huge numbers of insects every night, filling a unique ecosystem role as nocturnal insect predators. To better protect bats, biologists here at Fire Island National Seashore are studying how local bat populations, including this threatened Northern Long-Eared bat, are changing. NPS photo / Mor...gan Ingalls To learn more about bats, and what the seashore is doing to protect them visit: https://www.nps.gov/articles/fiis-bat-monitoring.htm #BatWeek

What's that? A bat!? It's Bat Week and wow! We're so lucky to share Fire Island National Seashore with these furry flying friends. Bats might seem a bit spooky, but they play a critical role within our environment. On Fire Island bats feast on mosquitos and other flying insects. While we know mosquitoes are important in the food web, they can sure ruin a nice day at the beach. Bats help keep their numbers in check.... This little guy is a Silver Haired Bat, one of five species recorded here on Fire Island and at the William Floyd Estate. We caught it sleeping on our flag line at the Fire Island Lighthouse. Bats are nocturnal, so we had to apologize for accidently interrupting a good night's (day's) sleep. To learn more about Bats on Fire Island visit: https://www.nps.gov/fiis/learn/nature/bats.htm #BatWeek

Batweek's back!

Happy Saturday! Its great to see all of our friends out fishing from here at the Wilderness Visitor Center. As a reminder, weekend driving restrictions are still in place until the end of October from 9am to 6pm. Learn more about fishing on Fire Island:... https://www.nps.gov/fiis/planyourvisit/fishing.htm See more

The crowds may have moved on, but there's still so much to enjoy on Fire Island. We hope you'll join us, and our friends at the New York Marine Rescue Center tomorrow, October 18th, to help keep Fire Island's beaches beautiful. Learn about the sources of marine debris and the impact it has on marine life; document the trash collected to help inform ocean policy and ensure the future health of the marine ecosystem.... Cleanup starts tomorrow at 10am, at the Wilderness Visitor Center next to Smith Point County Park. Bring work gloves if possible, drinking water, and face coverings. This will be a socially distanced event. To register for the program, or for more information email: [email protected] or call: 631-281-3010 To learn more visit our website at: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/event-details.htm

Join a Park Ranger this Saturday, October 17th for an exciting outdoor tour of the historic grounds of the William Floyd Estate at Fire Island National Seashore. The Estate was the center of the Floyd Family’s life for over 250 years. Explore the changing culture and rich history that took place during their lives here in Old Mastic. Advance registration for these free programs is required. Space is limited to ensure safe social distancing; participants will be asked to fol...low CDC and local public health guidelines for COVID-19. Tours will be offered at 11:30am and 2pm. To register email: [email protected] Or call: 631-687-4780 For more information visit our website and event calender at: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/event-details.htm We hope to see you there! (See comments for video with audio description)

Una de las ventajas de vivir en Long Island es que tenemos una hermosa costa nacional casi en nuestros patios traseros. Desde la costa salvaje del océano de Fire Island, hasta la única naturaleza salvaje federal en el estado de Nueva York y el icónico faro de Fire Island, explore lo que hace que este tesoro nacional sea especial y único. Jhulian Gutiérrez, pasante del Programa de Pasantías de Herencia Latina (LHIP por sus siglas en inglés) de Fire Island National Seashore, s...erá su guía. ¡Únase a nosotros este sábado a las 11am para una visita virtual con nuestros amigos de la biblioteca de Patchogue-Medford para un evento virtual en español! ¡Este evento virtual es gratis y abierto a todos. haga clic aquí para el enlace del programa: https://pmlib.libnet.info/event/4639035 One of the advantages to living on Long Island is that we have a beautiful National Seashore almost in our backyards. From Fire Island's wild ocean shore, to the only federal wilderness in New York State and iconic Fire island Lighthouse, explore what makes this national treasure special and unique. Fire Island National Seashore's Latino Heritage Intern Jhulian Gutierrez will be your guide. Join him this Saturday at 11am with the Patchogue-Medford library for this Spanish-language event to find out all that Seashore has to offer. This virtual program is free and open to all! click here for program link: https://pmlib.libnet.info/event/4639035

And here's our last post for #AskAnArchivist Thank you so much for joining us today. We had a blast! Q: What is the strangest thing you have in your archive?... A: Strangeness is a difficult thing to quantify, but we can share with you one of our favorite surprises. This document, originally copied for Nicoll Floyd (1762-1852) in 1812 from the state archives in Albany, documents a witch trial that occurred in 1665. During the trial, Ralph Hall and his wife Mary were accused of practicing some detestable and wicked arts commonly called witchcraft and sorcery near what is today, Setauket, New York. While the trial must have been dramatic, it would seem that Ralph and Mary were eventually released for lack of evidence. #AskAnArchivist #americanarchivesmonth #findyourpark #archivesmonth #archives #museumsmatter

Q: What importance has technology played in an archivist’s role and are archives being digitized? A: Technology has transformed my job. It use to be that my days were filled with on-site visits, but now most researchers can get what they need through the exchange of scans and photographs. I miss the visits, but it is so amazing to be able to minimize the handling of our records and objects so dramatically while extending our reach to people around the globe. Our digital datab...ase also made it easier to access, document, and manage our records. And, as we get our handwritten documents transcribed and typed into the computer, we now have the ability to search documents in seconds that would have taken an inordinate amount of time to comb through. But, to make all this real for you, most of the images and documents posted today were also scanned or photographed today. It honestly still blows my mind. #AskAnArchivist #FindYourPark #AmericanArchivesMonth #ArchivesMonth #Archives Photo: NPS/Fire Island National Seashore

Q: Can you suggest what papers from today we should save for future generations? The Floyd family saved so much, things that would end up in our waste can. Is there a better, yet practical way, to store things other than a shoebox? A: It’s true, by today’s standards the Floyds might be considered hoarders. But, the receipts and invoices, scribbled notes, correspondence give us such amazing insight into the past. But what to save yourself? That’s a really good question. Her...e are some suggestions: Photographs, of course, are great documentation. Studio portraits are always nice, but I find the most meaning in casual, everyday snapshots. Sometimes I come across photos in which the shadow of the photographer is in the picture. It has surprising meaning to us today, because so often we don’t know who took the family snapshots, but the shadows give us a clue. Recipes and meal plans are excellent items to save because people connect to food in such a visceral way. And, through food we can take a plunge into the past. Receipts and invoices: These are probably the most likely to be discarded when they have passed their useful life for you, but try to save at least a few each year to show things like how much you spent on utilities (and even what utilities you used), the cost of food purchased, and the cost of a dinner out or a movie. Your future self might even find these interesting. Correspondence: The letters in our collection make the people I study come alive. Yes, the way we communicate has changed. But even emoticon filled conversations are important to document for the future. Often what seems most mundane for us today is the most interesting when looking back. Notes, scribbles, notebooks with doodles in it, schoolwork, etc.: I love finding things like humorous doodles in school notebooks and scraps of jotted down knitting instructions. These kinds of record make a person real and human. For storage concerns, my first recommendation is to print the photos, emails, and texts you want to save. You can’t trust today’s technology to be accessible in the future...remember floppy disks and zip drives? Second, get an archival box, folders, and other archival supplies. Look for items that are acid-free and lignin-free and that pass the P.A.T. (Photo Activity Test). Most plastics are unstable and off-gas, so look for Mylar for see-through, protective envelopes for your photos. I love L-shaped enclosures because they are so easy to load still quite secure. Have fun! #AskAnArchivist #FindYourPark #AmericanArchivesMonth #ArchivesMonth #Archives