The sentence that reads “Private property development and related activities are a perennial thorn in the Park Service’s side.” refers to the Fire Island National Seashore in general, not the Otis Pike Wilderness in particular. Frank’s interpretation is understandable though, and we regret that we didn’t reverse the order of the two sentences he highlighted for comment. He is correct in pointing out that the Park Service has no development issues to contend with inside the federally designated wilderness area. The threats to that wilderness area are primarily external ones, and will remain so. It is a matter of opinion whether one can logically use the term “thorn in the side” to describe the severity of the managerial problems that are caused -- whether intentionally or unintentionally -- by island residents. The NPS is charged with protecting the physical and cultural resources under its management at Fire Island National Seashore, including an elongated swath of federally designated wilderness. It is difficult enough to protect federally designated wilderness in the manner the law prescribes when the designated wilderness areas are buffered by extensive backcountry tracts, but it is considerably more complicated when the wilderness is situated in the country’s largest urban concentration, consists of only part of a coastal barrier island, and is in close proximity to residences, vacation homes, and the roads that serve them.