The National park Service (NPS) will commence the development of new regulations for off-road driving at Fire Island National Seashore using Negotiated Rule Making. The first meeting of the committee will be June 28 and 29 at the Brookhaven Campus at Dowling College in Shirley. the public meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in Conference Room A209 located in Building A. Negotiated Rule Making is a process that allows private citizens to participate in revising federal regulations.

Seashore Superintendent Constantine J. Dillon voiced support for this process: "It is our hope that this committee will be able to develop new regulations for off-road vehicle use within Fire Island National Seashore that everyone can live with. It will be our collective responsibility to participate fully and in good faith."

The National Par Service and other government agencies have been criticized for developing new regulations ;without enough consultation with the people directly affected. Negotiated rule making is an opportunity to try a more collaborative approach to creating new rules.

The initial meeting will include discussion and adoption of organizational protocols, development of an agenda for later meetings, presentation and discussion on applicable laws, regulations, policies and data, discussion of committee members’ ideas for improving management of off-road vehicles and discussion of agenda for next meeting and tasks between sessions.

Subsequent meetings are scheduled for July 26 and 27 and September 13 and 14. All meetings are open to the public. However, only persons assigned to the committee may participate in the discussions. Interested persons may make brief oral/written presentations to the Committee during the meetings or file written statements. Such presentations may be made to the Committee during the Public Comment Periods of the meeting, or in writing to the Park Superintendent, National Park Service, 120 Laurel St., Patchogue, NY 11772.