Environmentalists fret about Plum Island's future

By FRANK ELTMAN, Associated Press Writer Frank Eltman, Associated Press Writer
Wed Oct 6, 9:29 am ET

PLUM ISLAND, N.Y. – Researchers since the 1950s have studied dangerous animal diseases here that if unleashed could imperil the nation's livestock. Cold War germ warfare testing also occurred on Plum Island, and for decades the U.S. Army used it as a coastal defense post.

Nevertheless, many environmentalists characterize Plum Island as a "remarkable gem" and "exemplary site for fish and wildlife" when describing its attributes.

The federal government wants to relocate the animal disease lab to Kansas and is proceeding with plans to sell the isolated, 840-acre pork chop-shaped island off the eastern tip of Long Island, a move that has some environmentalists fretting about Plum Island's future.

On Wednesday, more than two dozen environmentalists and civic leaders were taking part in a daylong tour of Plum Island. It's sort of a real estate "open house," in which they will get a rare public glimpse of operations at the lab, as well as visit remote parts that are home to endangered bird species and other wildlife.

"We'd like to see a continuation of the research and development in some form, coupled with a more formalized protection of the rest of the island as a national wildlife refuge," Randy Parsons, policy adviser for the Nature Conservancy, said as the environmentalists gathered for remarks in an auditorium and a tour in an old green bus along winding roads through lush landscape.

Some of them also lined up to buy $12 souvenir T-shirts — offered in pink, blue, brown or yellow, and bearing an outline of Plum Island.

Although Agriculture Department scientists perform the lab studies, the island has been overseen by the Department of Homeland Security since 2003. About a dozen community groups have been granted access under tight security restrictions in the past year, DHS spokeswoman Kristine Garland said.

Because of the island's status as a potential target for terrorists who might want to steal dangerous pathogens or wreak other havoc, all visitors must undergo FBI background checks and all bags are inspected before visitors are permitted onto a ferry for the 1 1/2-mile trip.

Despite its mystique as the subject of a 1997 Nelson DeMille best-selling book of the same name, and its mention as a possible home for Hannibal Lecter in the film "Silence of the Lambs," Plum Island could be an ideal place for day trips because of its pristine beaches, some environmentalists say. They'd rather see that than homes or condo developed there.

[Related: See more private islands for sale]

"It would be a terrible insult to the millions of people who live within an hour's drive of the (Long Island) Sound for this to be developed as a playground for the few, as opposed to making it a managed and loved place for the many," said Curt Johnson, program director of a group called "Save the Sound."

He said the island has been identified as "an exemplary site for fish and wildlife, and in particular colonial birds." Nearby Great Gull Island, Little Gull Island and Plum Island combined have a large population of nesting roseate terns, an endangered species, he added.

The U.S. General Services Administration, which has responsibility for selling the island, is compiling a draft environmental impact statement, a preliminary step necessary to proceed with any sale. The statement, expected last month, has been delayed until late November or early December, GSA spokeswoman Paula Santangelo said. The delay is to allow input from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Documents, some obtained earlier this year by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Law, reveal that hundreds of tons of medical waste, contaminated soil and other refuse already have been shipped off the island. Other island sites have been cleaned in compliance with federal regulations.

And the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined in 2006 that no munitions or ordnance remain from the Army base that once housed as many as 4,000 troops from the Spanish-American War through World War II. As late as 2007, New York government inspection reports said there is no environmental threat on the island.

"The opportunity to visit an island where very few have visited in 50 years is remarkable," said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment. "We're delighted that Homeland Security would welcome environmentalists. Any new start for the island needs to include preserving what's valuable; that's our goal, to preserve the environmental integrity so it's not lost forever."

Also under way is a congressional risk assessment of Homeland Security's decision to move the animal disease lab to Manhattan, Kan.; some lawmakers question the wisdom of studying dangerous pathogens in the so-called Beef Belt. DHS has determined that an accidental release of foot-and-mouth disease would have a $4.2 billion impact on the economy, regardless of the lab's location.

Still, the tour Wednesday appears to be another incremental step toward an eventual sale.

Alan Schnurman, a real estate developer in the Hamptons on Long Island's east end, said he has heard estimates that Plum Island could fetch as much as $50 million.

"As a high-end real estate project, whether it's developed as a resort or for high-end individual homes, Plum Island is very appealing to a certain segment of the population," Schnurman said. "I'm an environmentalist at heart, so I'd probably like to see a combination of both. They should develop the area where the lab is located and set aside the rest for environmental purposes."

In addition to the laboratory, Plum Island features a water filtration plant, sewage treatment facilities and other amenities that would be attractive to any developer.

"We just think that given the importance of Long Island Sound generally and the fact that there is an ever-shrinking pool of natural open space on the coastline, any sale should really be sensitive to the environmental values," said Charles Rothenberger, a staff attorney for the Connecticut Fund for the Environment. "If there is going to be any development, it should be limited to the current infrastucture and conservation arrangements should be made to protect the majority of the island."

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Dracocephalum peregrinum “Blue Dragon”-Dragonhead

For the ideal home landscape Dragonhead will add a burst of color when other perennials are fading, early summer to early fall of violet-blue flowers, and will spread rapidly in full sun or partial shade. The best time to propagate is in the spring by dividing the root ball and plant in a moist well drained soil mixture. Dragonhead is native to Russia so it can take the cold possibly down to zone 5 with protection. It will reach a height of 8"-12" and it’s sometimes used as a cut flower.

Pennisetum alopecuroides “Moudry”-Black Fountain Grass

Propagating Black Fountain Grass as to increase the color of your garden is simple, just dig up the root ball in the spring and divide it more then likely with a spade after you cut the plant back to the ground. There was conflicting information as to the height ranging from 18"-24" and 29"-35" so be sure that you don’t plant it in front of something that will hide what’s behind it. Also some say to cut off the seeds to prevent self-seeding and another says the flowers are sterile and seeds will not be true to form so be safe and cut the seed heads. The flowers are striking, black/purple in late summer to early fall and they are excellent cut flowers, fresh or dried. If you have a wet spot on your property the plant should do well and is drought as well deer resistant. There is also a dwarf variety that only reaches 6"-12". Pennisetum is native to tropical and warm temperate climates but will survive down to Zone 6 with protection.

Meconopsis betonicifolia-Himalayan Poppy

Propagating Himalayan Poppy, which is not a true poppy takes patience, but the rewards are stunning. First collect the seed either from other plants or purchased. Lay them on a wet paper towel, rung out and store in the fridge for 4 weeks. The dormancy needs to be broken. Then remove from the fridge and let the seeds sit, covered with the paper towel and never allow it to dry out, until the seeds germinate and are about 6" tall then transplant outside into a rich moist humus soil in partial shade. It will not flower the first year and may not the second, the plant is not long lived but its purple flower will leave you gasping. It blooms in early summer and reaches a height of 20"-28" but could reach as high as 6'. The plant is a native of China and does best in colder zones, down to Zone 3 and are rabbit resistant.

Tricyrtis formosana-Toad-lily

Propagating toad-lily to increase the color and diversity of your landscaping is done in the spring by dividing the clump although it is a slow grower and should be planted so they can be seen from the house or outside sitting areas. They reach a height of 16"-20" and come in purple/white. They can be used as cut flowers but like most perennials they don’t last long once cut. Toad-lilies bloom in the fall up until frost and although they are hardy down to Zone 5 but they could use extra protection against deep frost and prefer shade and rabbits do not munch on them. They prefer a moist rich well draining soil on the acid side like azaleas.

To the medical team killed in Afghanistan needlessly.

KABUL, Afghanistan – The first sign of danger was the crackle of gunfire over their heads. Ten gunmen, their faces covered, rushed toward terrified humanitarian workers and began shouting "Satellite! Satellite!" — a demand to surrender their phones.

Moments later, 10 of them lay dead, including two women hiding in the back seat of a car the attackers hit with a grenade, according to an Afghan official familiar with the account the sole survivor gave police.

It is the first detailed narrative of the slaying of six Americans, two Afghans, one German and a Briton on Aug. 5 in remote northern Afghanistan. They were ambushed and shot Aug. 5 after journeying about 100 miles — much of it on foot and horseback — through the Hindu Kush mountains, giving eye and other medical care to impoverished villagers.

Afghan and U.S. investigators spent at least four hours this week questioning the survivor, a 24-year-old father of three named Safiullah. He was employed as a driver for International Assistance Mission, a nonprofit Christian organization that has worked in Afghanistan since 1966.

Safiullah, who like many Afghans uses only one name, told investigators that the killings occurred around 7:30 a.m. or 8:30 a.m., according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose details of the ongoing investigation.

The official, whose information has proven reliable in the past, said Safiullah, who is being held but not behind bars, gave the following account of how the killings unfolded.

At the end of the trip, the team spent their final night in a village. The next morning, riding in four-wheeled drive vehicles, they encountered a river swollen by heavy rains.

An Afghan man in the area offered to help the team as it was trying to cross the river. Two members of the team — including leader Tom Little, an optometrist from Delmar, New York, who had worked in Afghanistan since the late 1970s — rolled up their pants legs and waded in to find a spot shallow enough for the vehicles to ford the river.

After successfully crossing, the team stopped to take a break in a forested area at the side of the road, which ran through a narrow valley. They wanted to get ready for their long journey back though Badakhshan province and on to the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The Afghan man who had offered to help the group left. Then came the attack.

The gunmen rushed in, firing bullets over the medical team members' heads.

"What's happening?" Little shouted.

A gunman struck Little in the head with the back of an AK-47 rifle. Little fell bleeding to the ground. When he tried to get up, the attackers fatally shot him in the torso.

Two of three female members of the team had jumped inside one SUV to hide. The attackers tossed a grenade at the vehicle, killing them both. Then, one by one, they killed the rest of the group — except the driver.

Safiullah told investigators he believes the lead gunman was Pakistani because he yelled "Jadee! Jadee!" — a word used in several regional languages that means "hurry up." It is more commonly used in Pakistan and India than Afghanistan. He said all the attackers understood Dari and Pashto, the two main languages spoken in Afghanistan, but conversed in Pashaye, a local dialect used only in parts of the northeast corner of Afghanistan.

Safiullah said he doesn't know why he survived while two other Afghan members of the team were killed. He said he raised his arms in the air and recited verses from the Islamic holy book Quran as he begged the gunmen for his life.

The official said Safiullah speculated that the gunmen might have shot the team's Afghan cook, who was lying under one of the vehicles, because they thought he was armed. Safiullah said they might have killed the second Afghan, a guard employed at International Assistance Mission since 2007, because he was wearing a head scarf wrapped in a style favored by northern militias.

A fourth Afghan on the trip, Dr. Said Yasin, left the group a day before the killings, saying he was tired and wanted to take a more direct route back to Jalalabad where he has family. Dirk Frans, the IAM executive director, said Yasin told the team he was suffering from a kidney ailment and asked permission to leave on his own.

"He is fine now," Frans said about Yasin. "He's OK. He is well — of course extremely sad that all but one of his colleagues are gone."

After the killings, the gunmen took Safiullah with them on a seven- or eight-hour hike through a forest. During the journey, one of the gunmen spoke on a radio with a high antenna, saying, in Pashto, "Everything's finished. We killed them," Safiullah told investigators, according to the official.

The attackers stopped to pray in the evening, then continued on, walking toward a flashing light that Safiullah said was meant to guide them to a village near Barg-e-Matal, scene of heavy fighting in recent weeks between government forces and militants who crossed over from Pakistan.

There, they met up with another group of people, who asked Safiullah if he was a Muslim, his father's name, how many children he has and how he got a job working for foreigners.

The gunmen told Safiullah that he could leave, but he told investigators he feared he would be shot in the back if he did so. He said he dropped to his knees and began hugging the legs of one of the men. Eventually convinced that they had no plans to kill him, Safiullah said he started running. He said he rested by a large rock, and then despite extreme fatigue began running again.

An older man he met along the way let him briefly ride a donkey. Safiullah said he eventually found his way back to the town in the Kuran Wa Munjan district of Nuristan province where the group had left their three four-wheeled drive vehicles and rented eight horses at the beginning of the trip.

The group had assembled last month in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, and then drove south, according to Safiullah.

They left their vehicles in Kuran Wa Munjan and then trekked nearly half a day on foot and horseback over mountainous terrain to reach the Parun valley. The valley is a harsh, isolated area about 9,500 feet above sea level where an estimated 50,000 people eke out a primitive existence as shepherds and subsistence farmers.

Safiullah said he was not aware of any threats to the team during the two weeks they spent walking from village to village providing medical care.

The Taliban said they carried out the attack because the team members were spying and trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. IAM said it is registered as a Christian organization with the Afghan government, but does not proselytize.

"IAM would not be invited back to villages if we were using aid as a cover for preaching," Frans said in a statement. "This specific camp, led by Tom Little, a man with four decades experience in Afghanistan, has led eye camps for many years to Nuristan — and was welcomed back every time."

The bodies of four of the Americans, escorted by FBI personnel, were flown to the United States on Wednesday aboard U.S. military aircraft, according to Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. "In accordance with their families' wishes, the remains of two American citizens will remain in Afghanistan and be laid to rest here, in the country they selflessly and courageously served for so many years," she said.

Tradescantia “Concord Grape”-Spiderwort

Propagating Spiderwort is easily done in the spring by digging up then dividing the clump. What is neat about this spiderwort are that its leaves are steel-blue and its blooms are a violet-purple shade. It will bloom most of the summer and early fall if you deadhead and will reach upwards of 18". Although it likes full sun this is one plant that prefers a moist, rich soil and will even tolerate wet sites beside a stream or pond. The flowers attract butterflies and rabbits prefer not to munch