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Preparing. Preserving. Protecting.
For more than 30 years, the Fire Island Pines Seashore Defense Fund has provided an essential service to the community: protecting the beach that protects the Pines. Created after the devastating 1992 Nor’easter, the SDF funds emergency response, beach restoration, dune protection and education. Powered by donors, volunteers and community partnerships, its mission remains simple: prepare, preserve and protect the Pines for generations to come.
The Story of FIPPOA (est. 1953)
For over seventy years, the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association (FIPPOA) has been a driving force in the transformation of the Pines from a rustic beach enclave into one of the most celebrated and glamorous gay communities in the world. Guided by a board of elected, unpaid volunteers, FIPPOA has spearheaded the development of the Pines’ physical infrastructure, while carefully navigating its cultural evolution from homophobic origins to a modern gay mecca.
Pines Profile - Jay Pagano (b. 1945)
For more than 50 years, including more than 25 on the FIPPOA Board, Jay Pagano helped move the Pines forward. Through good times and bad, he worked tirelessly to ensure it remained a place of freedom, beauty, connection and love. His example, and the values he embodies, will stand among his most enduring legacies to a community he loves dearly.