In the Oscar-winning movie "The Silence of the Lambs," FBI agent Clarice Starling offers killer Hannibal Lecter a chance to relocate to the Plum Island Animal Disease Center. "That's only a part of the island," she says. "There's a very, very nice beach. Terns nest there."
Who, if anyone, will ever be allowed to live on the mysterious island is about to gain renewed focus: One federal agency is preparing a final report on Plum Island's proposed sale. At the same time, Long Island officials are considering new zoning laws that will prevent any major development of the 843-acre property should it be sold. Still others want the government to scrap its plans to sell the property entirely.
