Earlier this month, I wrote in these pages about Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) rangers harassing men making use of the Meatrack, as the wooded area between Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines is familiarly known. To begin with the most recent development, and then backtrack, FINS Superintendent, since September 2008, Chris Soller, though unable to determine exactly which rangers have been patrolling the Meatrack's paths on foot and harassing men who are nude and/or having sex there, because no ranger would admit to doing so, is concerned about the situation and has, fortunately, mandated sensitivity training for the rangers, in an effort to keep them from threatening gay men who frequent the region.

This was relayed to me by Jay Pagano-Vice-President of the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association (FIPPOA) and expected by many to succeed Ron Martin as FIPPOA President soon-in the most recent of many communications-conversations and exchange of emails-that I have had with a variety of individuals about this situation. Jay also told me Chris Soller, who is gay and lives in the Pines with his partner, said that rangers-legitimately-monitor the Carrington Houses, at the western end of the Pines, which have been designated an historic site-which does not explain why some rangers have strayed onto the nearby, but not immediately adjacent, paths through the woods-and that he was impressed with how clean the woods were kept. Chris Soller, I was told, had also heard that the ranger activity this summer could be traced back to one male ranger telling another that he had been 'hit on' by another man, a surmise I find so subjective that it might mean as little as that a gay man gave a jittery ranger a friendly greeting.

Earlier this summer, I heard repeatedly about rangers stopping men on the paths through the woods and, ordering them to dress, telling them that the woods and dunes are, unlike the beach, not areas where nudity is permitted, and threatening men that they caught together, and suspected of having sex, that 'the next time' they would be arrested for 'public lewdness.' Eyewitnesses attributed this heavy-handed behavior to a male-and-female pair of rangers, who had done the same thing two seasons ago, until their supervisor told them to cease and desist and to concentrate on such legitimate ranger activities as looking for arsonists and litterbugs and testing mosquitoes for West Nile Virus. During Labor Day Weekend 2010, and particularly on Labor Day itself, this ranger harassment intensified, attributed now to a pair of male rangers, whom eyewitnesses described as 'chubby blonds.'

I contacted FINS through the National Parks Service web site on Labor Day and received an email from Superintendent Sollertwo days later. Here is that exchange, in full:

From: BMGBear
Sent: 09/06/2010 05:55 PM CST
To: Paula Valentine
Subject: From NPS.gov: Rangers Hassling Men in Woods Between Cherry Grove
& FI Pines
Email submitted from: BMGBear@aol.com at /fiis/contacts.htm
Rangers have been hassling men in the woods between Cherry Grove and Fire
Island Pines, charging public nudity and 'lewd behavior,' which are, at
worst, victimless 'crimes.' Men in these woods are bothering no one. The
Superintendent of the Fire Island National Seashore has gotten bad press
about this sort of thing before and had seen fit to call self-appointed
watchdog rangers off. Our taxes are paying these rangers' salaries. Surely
they have something better to do than tell men to put clothes on and stop
having sex.
Sincerely,
Bruce-Michael Gelbert
[Editor, Fire Island Q News.com; Columnist, Fire Island News; Photographer, Violet Letter, Cherry Grove; Mr. Fire Island Leather 2001 (the first)]

Mr. Gelbert
Ms. Valentine forwarded your email to me earlier today. The National Park
Service does conduct regular patrols along the main sand trail between
Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. These occur about once a day over the
weekends and a couple other times during the week. The primary function is
to ensure that there is no littering in the area or other resource damage
issues. A primary responsibility of the Rangers is inspection of the
Carrington Houses which have been the subject of breaking and entering and
other damage over the past several years. I did learn that there were some
patrols going on by foot onto some of the trails into the wooded area of
the "meatrack" however those are not part of the routine patrol of the
area. I have not seen any specific summonses or citations for any
violations as a result of those foot patrols. There have been two
citations for use of a controlled substance in the area of the Carrington
Houses. Additionally there have been some warnings issued for individuals
engaging in sex on the beach adjacent to the boardwalk that goes over the
dunes into the area. The regular patrols along the main sand trail will
continue into the fall. If you hear anything else or have additional
questions do not hesitate to contact me.
Chris Soller
Superintendent
Fire Island National Seashore
National Park Service
631-687-4752
631-289-4898(fax)
----- Forwarded by Chris Soller/FIIS/NPS on 09/07/2010 03:44 PM -----
Paula Valentine/FIIS/NPS
To "Chris Soller"
09/07/2010 07:48 AM <Chris_Soller@nps.gov>
cc
Subject Fw: From NPS.gov: Rangers Hassling Men in Woods Between Cherry Grove &
FI Pines

My response, on September 8, was:
Dear Superintendent Soller:
Thank you very much for your prompt response. I, too, have not heard about any summonses or citations given or arrests made by rangers on the footpaths. What I have heard about are threats and intimidation, in the form of snide, rude remarks, taking the form of 'we know what you were doing and we could arrest you' and 'just because this has been going on for years, doesn't mean it can continue.' These rangers' ventures onto the paths may indeed not be part of the routine patrol, or happening on a regular basis, but what was happening earlier in the season and happened again on Monday was enough to, at the least, make people in the woods, ordinarily a very peaceful area, feel uncomfortably edgy, and at the most, feel intimidated, fearing arrest and exposure.
This undue attention from the government employees, creating a tense 'them vs. us' atmosphere, shouldn't have a place on Fire Island in the 21st century. Shouldn't the rangers primarily be watching for potential arsonists and litterbugs, rather than worrying about if people are wearing clothing or having intimacies?
Sincerely,
Bruce-Michael Gelbert

I shared this correspondence with Greg McMullen, an eyewitness to some of the harassment, who sent the following email, reprinted with permission:

Superintendent Soller:
My name is Greg McMullen. Bruce-Michael Gelbert forwarded to me your email response to his inquiry/concern regarding "sweeps" in the Meatrack. I assume it is because I have some firsthand knowledge of this issue.
On several occasions, I personally witnessed patrols of the Meatrack ... not on the main trails but on the back trails and in hidden areas. It is always by the same two rangers, one male, one female. I have seen and heard them inform sunbathers that this was not a nude area and to dress. They also stated that the beach was not officially a nude beach. In addition to my firsthand experience with the rangers, I have heard numerous stories from others, some including the threat of arrest.
Several weeks ago, while these rangers were doing one of their sweeps, one sunbather asked for an explanation. I joined in that conversation. It quickly turned into a moral/philosophical discussion. The male ranger inquired as to why we felt entitled to this kind of behavior, stated that just because the Meatrack has existed as such for decades didn't mean that it was going to continue and asked if I wasn't at all concerned about the "stereotypes" projected by such behavior. He compared the activity to "online hookups." Please note, the "behavior" he was referring [to] was assumed, as he/they had only witnessed nudity and not sexual activity (at least not that afternoon). The female ranger had little to say.
I pointed out that the area was widely known as the Meatrack, even in mainstream Long Island newspapers. Nudity and sexual play is common knowledge and generally accepted. I told him that I was aware of the sweeps two summers ago...that men had been issued summonses and it was by the same two rangers ... "you two." I was told that at the time no summonses were given for sexual behavior (not true, as I know one of the men ticketed) but rather for illicit substances (also not true, I believe). At the end of the conversation, I asked whether they were following a departmental directive or if they were on a personal mission. The male officer responded, "my supervisor would support me in this." He also reiterated that nudity and sexual behavior would no longer be tolerated.
If these rangers are operating under a Park Service directive, I am truly sorry. The "freedoms" of this area, the freedom from clothing and from judgment are what make this place unique and special. It would be very sad to see these freedoms revoked. I believe, however that it is a personal mission of just one or two rangers. It is motivated by ideology and righteousness. I believe the ranger(s), for whatever reasons (religion? homophobia?) are acting on their own accord.
Can you, as their immediate supervisor, let us know what we can expect in the future regarding these raids?
I would also like to make you aware that Mr. Gelbert and a small group of volunteers from both the Grove and the Pines maintain and clean the Meatrack on a regular basis. The place is very special to the residents of these communities and we take pride in it and care for it.
I appreciate your time and attention regarding this matter and hope to hear from you soon.
Greg McMullen

I recently spoke to a Grovite who was considerably shaken about having been detained by a "chunky blond" ranger on Labor Day, when the Grovite and another man, who had quickly dressed, were caught together and told, 'we know what you were doing. This is your lucky day-next time, we'll arrest you. Tell all of your friends to stay out of here.'
I had been thrown a bit of a curve, when another Grovite suggested that it was an armed police officer, and not a ranger, who had detained our mutual friend. I then spoke to Officer Bob, a familiar figure in the Grove, who assured me that the woods were not at all part of the Suffolk County Police beat, and that the only thing that police would do in the area would be, when riding over the beach, to reprimand anyone that they see crossing the dunes, instead of staying on the walks.
Some of the men I had spoken to about the ranger situation in the 'Rack this summer said that rangers were pointing out that more and more heterosexuals were buying property in our communities and would like to see an end to gay sexual activity in the woods in between them. This motivated me to discuss what had been happening with a heterosexual woman neighbor-the mother of a young son and a 26-year-resident of the Grove, most of whose friends are gay-and she said that she found the freedom that sex in the Meatrack represents 'kind of cool,' was appalled by the ranger harassment that I informed her about, disclosed that she, too, had had sex in these woods, and said that she would contact the Superintendent.
A lesbian friend asked me to forward the correspondence I had had with Chris Soller to her and that she would add her view, as a woman, who objects to this abridgment of sexual freedom
I spoke to the host of a Long Island gay television show, who expressed willingness to mention the matter on the air.
I think I speak for many Fire Islanders when I express a fervent hope that Superintendent Soller will succeed in putting an end to ranger harassment in the 'Rack. It is dismaying to see men, fearing arrest and exposure, jump apart and flee at the sound of a vehicle. It feels like an unfortunate throwback to the pre-Stonewall era of Meatrack raids here and bar raids in the city. The woods hold many pleasant memories and men should not have to be afraid to be in them.