Land Trust Report Spring 2025

Land Trust Report

by Bob Miller, Vice-President Land Trust

For a number of years, we maintained the native grassland at Middle Farms by burning or mowing roughly one-third of the area annually, but that schedule could not be maintained recently due to Covid issues, wet weather, and other factors. This resulted in saplings and other woody growth invading the grassland, and we decided to reset the program by burning the entire area this year—approximately fifty acres. Due to the magnitude of the project, we engaged Star Tree Wildfire Protection, which specializes in prescribed burns, to work with the Fishers Island Fire Department. Chief Chris Aiello and our firefighters coordinated with Bill Edwards of Star Tree and his team to conduct the burn on March 9, and while the spectacle was dramatic, the process was not, despite winds gusting over 20 knots. The burn was conducted from the lee side of the flats so that the fire would work upwind, which permitted the flames to move more slowly to maintain peak temperatures longer for maximum effect on the woody growth. The exercise was a master class in calm professionalism.

Our Land Trust Committee has sought to build on the intensive work done to catalog and analyze the ecosystems present in our sanctuaries by establishing management plans for all our sanctuaries. (See HLFM Land Trust Working on New Land Management Plan for more details on this effort, which should be completed by mid-summer.)

As the activities of the Land Trust have become more complex, we have had good fortune in developing staff to manage them. Jack Schneider continues his superlative work as Land Trust Manager. Jessica NeJame joined us last year as Land Trust Stewardship Coordinator and has not only contributed importantly to stewardship activities in the field, but also in developing management processes and standards, and Kate Stevens, the Museum’s Special Projects Coordinator, has had a key role in the rehabilitation of the Battery Hoffman and Battery Hamilton area and the planning and development of the Coastal Path. We are pleased that each has shared the product of some of their efforts in this newsletter.

While we are working hard to manage our nearly 400 acres of conservation land in a responsible and enlightened way, the Museum continues to focus on the essential business of protecting environmentally sensitive property on this precious Island from future development. The natural beauty we experience all around us will not necessarily be available to future generations unless it is formally protected. The Museum is exploring terms for the potential acquisition of significant parcels of currently undeveloped land containing multiple possible building sites which would complement its current holdings and the protection of our watershed. Should these terms be finalized, your support will be essential to effect the purchases.