Plum Island

History 5 Minutes

From HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM:

For years, plenty of wild rumors and conspiracy theories have swirled around an 840-acre (340-hectare) speck of land a mile-and-a-half off New York’s Long Island, home to a high-security federal research facility that Internet-fueled urban legends have made into the East Coast’s equivalent of Area 51. Some have speculated that animal-human hybrids and biological warfare weapons are being developed inside the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, opened by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the 1950s and under the control of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security since 2003.

“I’ve had questions about Nazi scientists, alien technology and genetically-modified monsters,” says John Verrico, a spokesman for Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate.

But inside the security fences and biocontainment area checkpoints (described in the unredacted parts of this 2007 government report), government researchers work to stave more tangible threats — foreign animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever, which have the potential to wreak havoc with the U.S. food supply if they ever spread across the nation’s farms.

In the U.S., which hasn’t had an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease since 1929, an outbreak of the highly contagious affliction could cause “billions and billions of dollars” in economic losses, Verrico says, because infected farm animals would have to be culled from herds and destroyed. Meat exports would come to a halt until the disease was eradicated, and consumers might face shortages of meat and dairy products. Farmers who produce animal feed would be harmed as well. A 2001 outbreak in the U.K. cost that nation the equivalent of more than $10 billion, according to the BBC.

That longstanding danger led Congress to authorize the Department of Agriculture to create a laboratory to fight animal diseases back in the 1950s, with one major condition — the facility had to be located on an island, to reduce the danger of pathogens or infected animals escaping and spreading to farms, according to this September 1956 booklet. Plum Island, the site of the U.S. Army’s Fort Terry from 1879 to 1948, fit that criteria.

A Super Prison for Deadly Animal Diseases

A 1971 New York Times article described the facility as a “Devil’s Island for the deadliest animal disease germs known to man,” and described the elaborate security measures. They included round-the-clock patrols along the island’s perimeter (intended to warn away boaters who might be attracted by the pristine beaches), buildings with airlocks to keep bacteria and viruses from escaping, and holding tanks to sterilize the waste water from mandatory showers taken by staffers before leaving at the end of the work day. In part because of the risk of a terrorist attack on the facility, in 2003 it was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security, even though agriculture researchers continue to work there, and additional measures such as door sensors and alarms were added, as this 2007 Government Accountability Office report describes.

An al-Qaida operative who was arrested in 2008 in Afghanistan had a handwritten list of various potential targets in the U.S. that included Plum Island, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Despite all the security measures, the Plum Island facility doesn’t work in secrecy. “We actually don’t do any classified work at all,” Verrico says. “Our scientists publish reports on everything we do.”

Plum Island houses the only foot-and-mouth disease vaccine bank in North America, which maintains a variety of vaccines that have been developed to combat the more than 60 different strains of the disease. Those vaccines could be deployed in the event that the disease began to spread in the U.S., Canada or Mexico. “It’s regularly updated,” Verrico explains.

Additionally, if an animal becomes sick and develops suspicious lesions or other possible signs of the disease, tissue samples are sent to Plum Island for analysis, Verrico says. Veterinarians come to Plum Island for training.

Work at Plum Island was instrumental in the conquest of rinderpest, a deadly cattle disease that is one of the only the two diseases — smallpox is the other — that have been totally eradicated, Verico says.

Scheduled for Shutdown in 2023

Although the Plum Island facility and its 400-person workforce have been an important part of the nation’s defenses against animal diseases for decades, it’s scheduled to shut down by approximately 2023. It gradually will be replaced by the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, a $1.25 billion project under construction in Manhattan, Kansas. That facility will be larger than Plum Island and be able to conduct more studies simultaneously. It also will have added layers of security to enable it to function as a level 4 laboratory, meaning that it will be able to study animal diseases that have the potential to be transmitted to humans. It will be the first large-animal facility capable of such research, Verrico says. Advances in security measures will make it unnecessary for it to be located offshore.

What will happen to Plum Island after the animal disease center shuts down isn’t yet clear. The U.S. General Services Administration already has advertised the island and its buildings for sale, in keeping with a provision tucked into the 2009 economic stimulus package that requires it to be auctioned off to defray the construction cost of the Kansas facility and/or Homeland Security’s new headquarters complex.

But local environmentalists don’t want to see Plum Island turned into a waterfront housing development or golf resort. Because the island has been off-limits to development for so many years, much of it has reverted to its natural state and become a refuge for birds and animals, according to Chris Cryder, an outreach coordinator for the Preserve Plum Island Coalition, composed of environmental organizations in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The coalition advocates setting aside 80 percent of the island as a preserve.

In the winters, for example, Plum Island is a haven for 600 harbor and gray seals, who migrate from Canada to forage for food there, Cryder says. It also provides habitat for avian species such as the piping plover and roseate tern. Over the past six decades, “there’s been relatively little disturbance of nature because of the high security operation there,” Cryder explains.

Environmental groups filed a lawsuit in 2016, seeking to prevent the government from going ahead with a sale, on the grounds that it hadn’t complied with requirements of various federal environmental laws. After GSA unsuccessfully sought to get the suit dismissed, the agency announced in August that it would hold off on the sale in order to prepare a new environmental impact statement to augment the review it had done in 2013. In an interview, Roger Reynolds, senior counsel for Connecticut Fund for the Environment, describes the initial study as “remarkably inadequate.”

Now That’s Interesting

Last year, a portion of Plum Island’s power system was utilized by the departments of Homeland Security, Defense and Energy to conduct tests simulating a cyber-attack on U.S. electrical grids, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Plum Island FAQs

Is Plum Island open to the public?

Its beaches are open to the public, but there are no stationed lifeguards in Newbury or Newburyport. The beach at Sandy Point State Reservation is open to the public for swimming and sunbathing.

Did Lyme disease come from Plum Island?

No, but there have been rumors that state otherwise because the island is located near the coast of Lyme, Connecticut, where the first outbreak of Lyme was recorded in 1975.

Can you swim at Plum Island?

You can swim at the beach at Sandy Point reservation.

SOURCE: HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM

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Published by pat frederick

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84 thoughts on “Plum Island”

  1. Morning All!
    rough night last night. i can’t shake this head cold. last night my sinuses were okay, but i had this tickle in my throat that made me cough. sigh. it’s warmer here–looks to be about 40*, but it’s drizzling so far. gonna be wet and miserable.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Good morning, Pat and Filly,

      Just heard thunder here – the storm is approaching the Village. We have a tornado watch until 3pm.

      https://www.windy.com/-Weather-radar-radar?radar,30.144,-83.191,9

      Man, it was a hard night with Sally – she woke up screaming and kept at it for an hour after I gave her pain meds. It was my fault – I slept from one pain med dose @8:30 until it was due @2:30 – so the effect of the first wore off. She’s needing it every 5-6 hours now.

      She would not eat anything at all yesterday – so I have to give her those Splenda/Boost type drinks to keep up her blood sugar. I did get her out for a walk in the pretty weather for a little fresh air and sunshine yesterday.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Morning GA!
        Gees!! i hope you all stay safe!!
        wow! you can’t blame yourself for allowing your body to rest. if you slept that long it was because your body NEEDED it. It’s got to be hard to be alert for every minute of every day tending to a sick one. You have your hands full GA! I’m glad you got out for some fresh air and sunshine though!
        I pray every night for you both. Caregivers can exhaust themselves quickly…please remember to tend to your own needs as often as you can. we’re here when you need to talk or hopefully laugh and relax for a little bit.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Got in the pain meds just in time this morning around 8am.  Her Dad woke her up when he came to give her insulin shot and she’s been crying non-stop since then because Sabrina isn’t coming today since it’s Sunday.  I told her she is just making herself miserable and all that crying and screaming won’t change anything.

          Liked by 2 people

      2. Good morning, GA! I wish I had a fraction of your strength! You are truly a saint and your family is blessed to have you in their lives.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Good morning! Sorry you’re having such a tough time with it. I rarely got colds and when I did, I just loaded up with vitamin c or used Vicks night-time liquid cold medicine. I haven’t had a cold for years, just my usual sinus issues. Sounds like a good day to stay inside! Down to 27 here this morning, mostly clear with some clouds in the west.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Morning Filly!
        you live alone so nobody infects you…lol. hubby gave me this one and he got it from going into work. when we’re by ourselves, we rarely get colds–like you though I have sinus issues–but colds? rarely.
        it’s miserable outside. foggy, rainy…just a good day to stay inside and snuggle under a blanket and watch more Little House…lol.
        Nellie just had her babies.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I remember – everyone in his office had colds. Ah, yes! Percival!!! It comes on DTV rarely (except for the pay channels) but I’ve got it set to record any episodes that do come on any other channels. Right now, I’ve only got 28 episodes saved, with the last being “The Godsister.”

          Liked by 1 person

  3. Bubby

    Bubby

    March 16, 2025 12:41 am

    An activist Obama DC judge thinks he has the power to order the President to turn around planes deporting vicious Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members?

    When will the Chief Justice and Justice Barrett end this extremely dangerous judicial sabotage of the presidency? https://t.co/tZoRUZPLwQ

    — 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) March 15, 2025

    The TROs from activist leftist District Judges is over 120 now and counting! It appears the Lawfare plan is to get an obama, Biden Federal Judge to issue a TRO on every one of President Trump’s EOs!! Similar to the Cloward-Piven plan over load the Federal Courts to collapse with TROs to prevent President Trump’s plan to Make America Great Again from being implemented! Tie up the Courts for years! The collusion effort is obvious!!! Justice Roberts and ACB are worthless even perhaps siding with the corrupt District Court Judges? Something has to be done and ASAP to stop this obvious coordinated effort by Federal Judges to destroy Presidential plenary powers and return the Executive Branch control back to the unelected deep state a return to status quo!!! JMO. Godspeed President Trump!!!

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Charlotte

    March 16, 2025 1:23 am

    Wall Street Apes

    @WallStreetApes
    Mar 14
    HOLY CR*P

    Joe Biden was paying off his blackmail bribes by sending USAID Money

    The BILLION DOLLARS Joe Biden sent to Ukraine after getting the prosecutor who was investigating Burisma fired, “It was a USAID grant”

    Mike Benz “Remember when Joe Biden was at the Council on Foreign Relations and bragged that he got the top prosecutor in Ukraine fired by the Ukrainian government because he explicitly conditioned the firing of the prosecutor who was investigating Burisma?

    He expressly conditioned their receipt of a billion dollars in U.S financial assistance on the firing of Victor Shokin, the prosecutor —You know what that billion dollars in financial assistance was?

    It was a USAID grant” WOW

    https://nitter.poast.org/WallStreetApes/status/1900528268220207555#m

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Addresses Risks from Paul Weiss

    The White House

    March 14, 2025

    SUSPENDING SECURITY CLEARENCES TO PROTECT THE NATIONAL INTEREST: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to suspend security clearances held by individuals at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (Paul Weiss) pending a review of whether such clearances are consistent with the national interest.

    • Security clearances held by Paul Weiss employees and Mark Pomerantz will be immediately suspended, pending a review of whether their access to sensitive information is consistent with the national interest.
      • The Federal Government will halt all material and services, including sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) access provided to Paul Weiss and restrict its employees’ access to government buildings.
      • Federal Agencies will also refrain from hiring Paul Weiss employees unless specifically authorized.
    • To ensure taxpayer dollars no longer go to contractors whose earnings subsidize activities not aligned with American interests, the Federal Government will terminate contracts that involve Paul Weiss.
    • The practices of Paul Weiss will be reviewed under Title VII to ensure compliance with civil rights laws against racial bias.

    SAFEGUARDING TAXPAYER FUNDS: The Trump Administration will no longer support taxpayer funds from sponsoring activities that make our communities less safe, increase burdens on local businesses, limit constitutional freedoms, and degrade the quality of American elections.

    • Paul Weiss hired unethical attorney Mark Pomerantz, who had previously left the firm to join the Manhattan District Attorney’s office solely to manufacture a prosecution against President Trump.
      • According to his coworkers, Pomerantz had unethically led witnesses in ways designed to implicate President Trump.
      • After being unable to convince Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg that a fraud case was feasible, Pomerantz engaged in a media campaign to gin up support for this unwarranted prosecution.
    • Paul Weiss has been accused of discriminating against its own employees on the basis of race and other categories prohibited by civil rights laws.

    ENDING THE WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT: President Trump is delivering on his promise to end the weaponization of government and protect the nation from partisan actors who exploit their influence.  

    • President Trump is refocusing government operations to their core mission—serving the citizens of the United States.  
    • President Trump signed an Executive Order to end the weaponization of the Federal Government on his first day in office after promising to “end forever the weaponization of government and the abuse of law enforcement against political opponents.”
    • President Trump revoked security clearances held by dozens of intelligence officials who falsely claimed in a 2020 letter, during the height of the U.S. presidential election season, that Hunter Biden’s laptop was tantamount to Russian disinformation.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. EXCERPT: “….Presidential Use of the Autopen Signature

      Since Jefferson, various US presidents have made use of the autopen; some were guarded about it while others were more open about its use. Whereas once the official White House position was to deny the existence or usage of the autopen, today its existence is more of an open secret.  

      Harry Truman was rumored to make use of the device; Gerald Ford was open about his utilization of the autopen, but it was Lyndon B. Johnson who blew the doors off the entire affair by allowing the device to be photographed in the White House, appearing on the cover of The National Enquirer with the article “The Robot That Sits in for the President.”

      John F. Kennedy was so dependent on the autopen, that he became the subject of a book entitled The Robot That Helped to Make a President. In 1965, at the time of its writing, the author claimed that Kennedy’s reliance on the autopen rendered his authentic signature the rarest of all presidential autographs. Though this claim has not held up over time, and Kennedy actually used the autopen less as president, it would seem that Kennedy’s extensive reliance on the device ushered in a new era of technology in the White House, resulting in his successor sharing this open secret with the public.

      Autopen vs Real Signature

      The ramifications of the growing acceptance of an autopen signature have ripple effects that impact not only the collecting world, but also has been the subject of controversy regarding the very constitutionality of the use of the autopen in signing a bill into law.

      In 2005, George W. Bush was the first president to enquire with the Department of Justice if it was constitutional for the president to sign a bill using the autopen. Though he received the dispensation, he didn’t actually use the autopen, nor did he have the bill flown to him by courier, preferring instead, in one notable case, to rush from Texas to Washington to sign the controversial Terri Schiavo bill. The Palm Sunday Compromise, as it was colloquially known, allowed the federal court to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo, on life support, who was caught in a tug of war between her husband, who wished to remove the feeding tube, and her parents who contested the decision. Likely, because of the life-and-death nature of the bill, Bush opted to forgo the dispensation.

      “In May 2011, while attending the G8 summit in France, Barack Obama became the first president to use the autopen in order to sign the expiring Patriot act. In November of that year, he signed an appropriations bill with the autopen from Indonesia, and in 2013, Obama used the autopen yet again from Hawaii in order to meet the deadline for signing the fiscal cliff bill into law several time zones over in Washington, D.C.

      Constitutionality of the Autopen

      Though there were rumblings from the Republican camp, the constitutional right of the president to sign a bill with the autopen has neither been challenged nor tested in court. The constitutionality of a proxy signature has most certainly been challenged, with some legal experts asserting that the problem is not the use of a proxy, but that the principal (in this case, the president) and the proxy (the autopen) are not together at the time of signing.

      The three hundred-fifty-year-old proxy law, designed to mitigate fraud or undue influence, has surprising relevance to this new technology. The presidential use of the autopen, or new technology, then, is not only an esoteric interest of collectors, but has very real applications and ramifications that impact the very notion of a well-ordered government.”

      https://www.shapell.org/behind-the-scenes/the-robot-pen/

      Liked by 1 person

      1. i understand the possible need of something like this because a President can be signing tons of things all day long. however, it’s use can be corrupted as we’ve seen in the maggot’s case. was he even aware that his signature was placed on certain bills? pardons? was a staff member “selling off” pardons to the highest bidder? it is ripe for fraud.

        Liked by 1 person

  9. “Sunday Strip: “We fought for Democracy and lost to the bureaucracy”

    Robert W Malone MD, MS, Mar 16, 2025

    It appears that the terrorist attacks on conservative influencers and journalists are ramping up.

    This is a list of people who were swatted this week:

    1. Joe Pagliarulo: A Texas-based talk show host was swatted early on March 12, 2025. The false report claimed a shooting and hostage situation at his home.
    2. Gunther Eagleman: A social media influencer who reported being swatted following a false claim of a hostage situation at his home on March 13.
    3. Chase Geiser: An Infowars host who experienced swatting twice within 12 hours, with armed officers responding to his residence.
    4. Catturd: A popular pro-Trump social media account that reported being swatted for the fourth time.
    5. Nick Sortor: A journalist whose father and sister were swatted after a false report claimed his father was planning to harm the family.
    6. Shawn Farash: A comedian who reported police being dispatched to his home after false claims of a murder and a suicide by cop scenario.

    The simultaneous swatting of multiple large conservative X political accounts is more than a mere “coincidence,” especially in light of the recent murder of Alex Jones’ InfoWars reporter, Jamie White.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. “Transparency can only reveal the dirty tricks played upon the world’s people by the globalists – real good will come of exposing their crimes. The truth is that facts now hidden will expose the globalists and their plans for a new world order. However, to those hiding the truth and crimes committed under the name of biodefense, the international court of law must be used to ensure that such international crimes are never committed again.”

    Liked by 1 person

  13. This is really getting old – Fox News has become a religious station now – proselytizing constantly!!! If I want religion, I’ll watch a religious news station…..just bring the danged news!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Just The News: “President Trump rescinded more than 18 executive actions traced back to former President Biden that were related to “gender, labor policies and industry regulations,” according to The Hill citing a White House official.

    The official said the latest move reverses “damaging policies” and brings back “effective government.” Among the executive actions rolled back including one that “elevated radical gender ideology in U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid.”

    So far, Trump has reversed about 100 executive actions that took place under the Biden administration.”

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Go Kari: “Kari Lake, special advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media, wrote on X in response to video of the incident, asking who the person was holding the mic that hit Trump.”

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Just The News: “(The Center Square) – Service in the Pennsylvania National Guard could soon come with additional incentives for military families.

    Representatives Arvind Venkat, D-Pittsburgh, and Craig Williams, R-Chadds Ford, have introduced a bill that extends the state’s GI bill to cover college tuition for an additional family member when service members re-enlist.

    “Pennsylvania National Guard members exemplify the best of our Commonwealth, and they and their loved ones deserve the kind of support available through the MFEP,” said Venkat. “I’m proud to partner with Representative Williams on this bill that helps young people receive a higher education and recognizes the service of those who protect all Pennsylvanians.”

    The Military Family Education Plan currently covers a service member or dependent for up to 10 semesters, or five years of schooling at school’s within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. That benefit can also be split between multiple family members designated by the Guard member.

    House Bill 865 would allow each six-year term to support an additional dependent, assisting Guard members in providing education for themselves if they choose and more family members, including a spouse or children. This is a clarification of existing legislation which does not state whether the benefit is renewable.

    “Those of us who have served, especially on deployment, know with our whole heart that military service is a full family commitment. Anything we can do to recognize, acknowledge and value that family sacrifice must be pursued,” said Williams. “I want our military families to know how much we cherish them.”

    The original 2019 bill offering tuition was modeled after the GI Bill offered to service members within the U.S. military to assist them with education and career development during the adjustment into civilian life. Dependents can only receive Post-9/11 GI benefits after a military member has completed 10 years of service.

    Williams served in the Marine Corps for 28 years. Venkat is a physician specializing in emergency medicine.”

    Liked by 1 person

        1. i agree. When a person enlists in service to this country–he or she (if qualified) deserves the best healthcare, the best pension plan, the best of everything. that’s my honest belief.
          I agree that there needs to be tiers for length of service etc–but if you wounded? you ought to get the best treatment, not the runaround.

          Liked by 1 person

      2. I’m also glad to see that they can designate or split the benefits. College isn’t for everyone – I wonder if it could be applied to a trade school as well? That makes a lot more sense to me.

        Liked by 1 person

  19. “Bright Brief – The Cards: Lessons in Leverage for the Awakening World”

    Burning Bright, Mar 16, 2025

    “You don’t have the cards.”

    Much has been written and spoken in the aftermath of the highly entertaining, highly combustible and highly effective—depending on your perspective—Oval Office confrontation between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, two men occupying such opposite points on the line separating sovereign leadership from its approximate proxification that to consider it a meeting between leaders in the first place is to betray one’s fundamental lack of understanding as to the makeup of the battlespace we currently exist within, and are in the process of breaking out of.

    And yet, for all that writing—much of which I contributed in the days following the meeting—those five words SHOULD have been the signal most loudly received by the sleepers among us, those without the minds or psychospiritual drives that have compelled them to delve in the darkness in search of the light like those of you reading these words.

    And perhaps they were.

    In fact, it could be that, given our propensity to assign assymetric readings to most sociopolitical deployments, the sleepers among us actually did receive that message loud and clear, a message that’s no doubt being broadcast in various channels and across various layers throughout the Info War, all by the cognitive cyphers—the chosen leaders—of what we call the Sovereign Alliance around these parts.

    “You don’t have the cards.”

    What Trump cut to the heart of was the truth of the matter, a baseline truth that has always nested at the heart of every honest and dishonest exchange between interested parties on either side of the human condition: those who want something and those who have it. Those with power and those who covet it, or else cower in front of it.

    This is a refrain—power is power—that I’ve been writing about for ages, dating all the way back to the Righteous Russia series that started it all at Burning Bright, and it seems to be the foundational principle being advanced through Trump’s most public and firmly-delivered deployments at the advent of the new American Golden Age.”

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  20. Pat, have you ever seen the movie “The Birdcage” with Robin Williams? It’s really funny! Just saw it on my guide so I’m recording it. Finally, the wind has died so I could put the feeders back out, the skies have cleared and temp is up to 40. Supposedly, we’ll have one day, tomorrow, in the low 70’s, then plunge back down to highs in the 30’s for a while. Typical NE weather! That old saying “just wait 24 hours” is reality! LOL

    Liked by 1 person

  21. “You probably knew about our ‘Lend lease’ program with the Brits in WWII, but were you aware that we had a similar program with the Russkies? Remember also that Stalin – as distrusted as he was, was an Allie of ours. We liked having a partner who had no problem throwing human beings in to meat grinders just to wear down their enemy. Here we see American-made Studebaker and Chevrolet trucks at a Red Army depot in Mozhaysk, west of Moscow, in August, 1944.”

    Liked by 1 person

  33. “An image of the ISS as seen from the perspective of the Crew-10 capsule on its way to docking.”

    “Crew-10 on the approach to the ISS as shown from the station’s cameras.”

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