The Janet Harvey Sanctuary & the Silver Eel–Race Point Coastal Trail

by Kate Stevens, Special Projects Coordinator

Janet Harvey Sanctuary

In December 2023, the Fishers Island Waste Management District granted a license to the Henry L. Ferguson Museum to manage, restore, and protect approximately five acres of natural coastline habitat and historic Fort Wright structures for the benefit of the Fishers Island community. The outcome is the Museum Land Trust’s new Janet Harvey Sanctuary, which currently features a single traversing trail accessible from either the Ordnance or the runway side. Additional trail loops or spurs to access specific site features and facilitate birding and other activities may be added over time. Educational signage will provide information about the history of the Fort Wright emplacements, native plantings, invasive species, and coastal resiliency. Stewardship and restoration efforts will be informed by the Sanctuary’s conservation management plan and the New York Natural Heritage Program’s 2023 ecological survey.

Planning a trail through the impenetrable shrubland of the Sanctuary was challenging. Initially, a boardwalk was envisioned to navigate the rocky, wooded, and presumed-to-be wet section from the Osprey pole toward the runway. However, a skilled crew from Race Rock Garden Co. created a pilot path through the successional woodlands and black locust forest, proving that a simple at-grade path is both possible and preferable. Full access to the historic emplacements and a direct connection to the Community Center recreation area are still in the planning stages.

The first step to stabilizing the early 1900s Fort emplacements was to remove the destructive vegetation that had overtaken the bunkers. This task was accomplished last winter over several workdays that included a diverse collective of enthusiastic volunteers from the Museum, the Ferry, Walsh Park, and other generous community members, with the indispensable help of Coast Defense Study Group (CDSG) members who came down from Rhode Island. The Community Center provided a warm and cheery atmosphere for the workday lunches and Race Rock’s team heroically cleared the concrete pad of decades of accumulated metal and organic debris.

The HLFM is dedicating the new coastal Sanctuary to Janet Hardie Harvey, a beloved member of the Fishers Island community who passed away on April 13, 2024, at the age of 66.

A friend and colleague explained: “Janet was a child of nature, and … she was also a force of nature with her humility, kindness, and gentleness.”

Generous and “wildly” effective, Janet’s love of nature and the outdoors took myriad forms—gardener, outdoor sports enthusiast, plein-air artist, environmental educator, and nature center administrator.

Janet also advocated for increased access to the outdoors for all, so it is fitting that this spectacular section of the West End coastline, made accessible to the public for the first time, be named in her honor.

A celebration of the opening of the Janet Harvey Sanctuary is planned for this summer to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Museum Land Trust. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Battery Hamilton before clearing on Nov. 16, 2024.

Battery Hamilton after clearing on Nov. 16, 2024. Photos by Chris Zeeman, CDSG.

The Silver Eel–Race Point Coastal Trail

The trail work at the Janet Harvey Sanctuary has catalyzed the creation of the Silver Eel–Race Point Coastal Trail. Making this section of the stunning West End coastline accessible to the public has been a longstanding goal made possible through close collaborations with multiple organizations: the Henry L. Ferguson Museum, the Fishers Island Waste Management District, the Fishers Island Ferry District, the Fishers Island Conservancy, and Brad and Mary Burnham, neighbors and owners of the Ordnance property.

The new Coastal Trail links Silver Eel Cove to Race Point through a sequence of Island scenes and experiences. The trail begins at the Lighthouse Works Public Art installation at Silver Eel Cove and proceeds along the Ferry Park berm, offering views of Fishers Island Sound. It weaves through pepperidge trees across the Ordnance lawn and meets up with the beach rose-lined entry to the Janet Harvey Sanctuary. The trail then opens into a meadow plateau, offering sweeping views: seaward across Long Island Sound towards Little Gull, Great Gull, and Plum islands, and Orient Point, and inland towards the recently cleared historic Fort Wright emplacements (currently closed to the public). The Osprey pole marks a halfway point as the path heads downhill towards the maritime rocky beach. It proceeds along the undulating pilot path through the successional shrubland and maritime woodlands, before exiting the Janet Harvey Sanctuary into the successional old field that leads toward the runway. The trail transitions to a dirt track that leads to the rocky beach and Race Point. Future linkages with the Parade Ground trail network may be possible.

Coastal Trail route and project partners.

Trail Route through Janet Harvey Sanctuary.

View of Race Rock Light from Coastal Trail.

Project Partners on the Coastal Trail

‘How can all Islanders access our breathtaking shoreline?’ has been a recurring question at Waste Management meetings for the past 15 years. During that time, I’ve bushwacked and scrambled over the rocks with many people. Enthusiasm was strong, but roadblocks, lack of focus, and red tape were stronger until recently. The catalyst happened when community partnerships rose to a prominent position in Waste Management’s strategic
planning process.

–Sarah Malinowski, Fishers Island Waste Management District

The Fishers Island Conservancy and Ferry District have a long history of partnering and managing both the Parade Grounds and Ferry Park and are now proud to be part of this next exciting collaboration. The Coastal Trail aligns perfectly with our mission to preserve and protect the environment. Our community will be much enhanced by the respectful access to this beautiful and fragile end of the Island.

–Tom Sargent, Fishers Island Conservancy

The Museum is thrilled about this new community trail that amplifies our mission of conservation, history, and education. What makes this project special is the collaboration among multiple public and private parties to provide public access to the Island’s natural habitat and the history of Fort Wright.

–Scott Reid, HLFM Land Trust