Land Trust Report
by Bob Miller
Winter left a considerable imprint on some of the Land Trust sanctuaries. Rough seas inundated the shore of Beach Pond during winter storms, tossing logs over and inland of the path. The footbridge at the intersection of Beach Pond and Island Pond was thrown off its foundations and came to rest, quite level, upstream across the outlet stream from Middle Farms Pond. The little freshwater pond at the Betty Matthiessen Sanctuary overflowed its banks and flooded sections of the Island Pond Trail. Downed trees and limbs make traversing some of the woodland trails difficult.
As I write this, however, strong hints of spring are beginning to appear: myrtle warblers have arrived, patched with cheerful yellow; redwing blackbirds, who perhaps never left for the winter, flit between limbs; a few jonquils are in bloom; and a great horned owlet has already hatched in a vestigial osprey nest by the Water Works. With the spring, too, our stewardship activities resume; new projects include maintenance of the trails and the footbridge, which will be fully operational in a few weeks.
An exciting, major new project will hopefully lead to a new coastal walking path and a different kind of sanctuary on the West end of the Island. On December 14, the Commissioners of the Waste Management District approved a proposed license to the Museum of property along the shore of Fishers Island extending from the Ordnance building north of the Community Center towards Race Point. The area includes several of the smaller gun emplacements and other structures dating from the early 1900s, which the Museum hopes to make more accessible for their historical interest. The Museum is excited to begin planning a coastal path and will keep the public informed of details and progress. Noteworthy stewardship projects this year include the ongoing rehabilitation of the H. Lee Ferguson Jr. Wildlife Sanctuary adjacent to the Museum building, which has been in progress for some years (see the following article). Another project, the removal of invasive vegetation and encouragement of native species at the Chocomount Cove Sanctuary, will continue when the appropriate permits for working in protected wetlands are obtained from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. This project includes improved user amenities such as parking and stairs/ handrails for beach access. For similar reasons, the installation of trails in the newly acquired Chocomount Hill Sanctuary has been delayed but should begin by summer.
Footbridge in Middle Farms grasslands upended by March 2024 storm. Photo by Bob Miller.
There are a number of other actual and potential changes to the trail system. A trail at Four Corners was closed pending access approvals from landowners, and two spurs of the Clay Pit trail have been re-routed. We are awaiting a report from a consultant on the management of Middle Farms to determine whether the trails represent the best balance between public use and conservation. Further, building on the results of the 2023 New York Natural Heritage Program survey, the report on Middle Farms will recommend management practices to improve habitat for wildlife and biodiversity. We should have this report in hand shortly, and an updated Trail Guide will be printed later this year to reflect these changes. Meanwhile, an up-to-date electronic version is available on the Museum’s website. This can be accessed directly or by scanning the QR Codes at trailhead signs for each of the active trails.
An update to the 1986 Guide to the Island Pond Trail at the Betty Matthiessen Wildlife Sanctuary is in the works. This guide will include new interpretive signs stationed along the trail as well as printed copies and an electronic version hosted on the Museum’s website.
To facilitate access to the trail system from the rec path, sturdy and handsome new bike racks will be installed near the trail head for the L. F. Boker Doyle Sanctuary–for convenient access to the Brickyard and the Clay Pit trails–and also near Bull Rock for access to the Chocomount Cove and Chocomount trails.
While we have the benefit of a very active Land Trust Committee and excellent assistance from volunteers, we must look to outside consultants and contractors to continue and expand our programs and stewardship activities. Your continued support is critical, and your questions and suggestions are most welcome.
