Site for animal disease research laboratory since the time of Cold War, popularly known as Plum Island, will soon be sold. This decision has been taken as Federal Government is planning to shift the facility to Manhattan.

The environmental review process that was initiated by the agency at community meeting that was organized in a school gymnasium.

This step is being criticized by many environmental groups. The selling was planned on Thursday at a meeting held by the General Services Administration, agency responsible for the sale. The meeting witnessed a strong opposition where various environmentalists shared their opinion.

John Turner from "Preserve Plum Island expressed concern by saying that the island was high in environmental and ecological values.

It is known that apart from having the laboratory the island has good beaches and is an obsolete U. S. Army base with some lighthouses.

Also the author of the famous book "Plum Island", Nelson DeMille said that he wanted that Government should not sell it; rather he suggested that it should be turned into a "federal park and nature preserve".

This whole story initiated when in 2007 the U. S. Government Accountability Office informed Congress that the Island had apparent vulnerability following 9/11 terror attacks and this resulted in extremely tight security due to likelihood of bioterrorism.