Newsletter 2025: From the President

Newsletter Vol. 40, No. 1 • Spring 2025

From the President

Elizabeth McCance

The Museum has many fun and inspiring activities lined up for this summer. For starters, the opening party will be held on Saturday, June 28, and I hope to see many of you there. This year, Museum Director Pierce Rafferty’s primary annual exhibit will feature cottage colonies of Fishers Island that were central to the Island’s development as a resort. On the second floor, a selection of photographer John Wilton’s large-format F.I. landscapes and beachscapes will be on display. In the adjacent side gallery, a third exhibition chronicles the changes over time to a 1980 South Beach environmental art sculpture by artist Harriet Brickman.

After a virtual off-season, our lecture series returns to the second floor starting June 29, with forager Russ Cohen speaking on wild edibles. Other exciting lecturers this summer include renowned ecologist and author Doug Tallamy, informing us about the Homegrown National Park movement (co-hosted with F.I. Conservancy); historian Chris Pastore speaking about Nathanael Herreshoff, America’s greatest naval architect; and Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) director Kim Hargrave unveiling the amazing world of amphibians. Pierce will present his summer talk on the history of land use and conservation on Fishers Island. (See our online calendar for the full listing of lectures with dates and times.)

Please also take time this summer to explore our wonderful trail system. Very excitingly, we have two new trails. First, on land licensed from the F.I. Waste Management District, we have established the Janet Harvey Sanctuary, a coastal preserve with a trail that starts behind the Community Center and works its way toward Race Point. This trail highlights both Island history, with close views of several gun emplacements, as well as Island nature, with sweeping panoramic vistas of coastal bluffs, intertidal shorelines, and surrounding shrublands and woodlands. It is part of a longer coastal trail that is currently being developed with other organizations and individuals that will stretch from Silver Eel Cove to Race Point. (See Along the Trails and The Janet Harvey Sanctuary & the Silver Eel–Race Point Coastal Trail for details.) We also created a new trail within the recently acquired Chocomount Hill property that is owned and managed by the Museum, and subject to a conservation easement held by the Town. (See HLFM Land Trust Working on New Land Management Plan for details.) Explore the trails on your own or join Board Member Terry McNamara for guided walks on Thursday mornings throughout the summer.

For children, we have an exciting lineup of activities. Join us on the back deck every Wednesday at 2 p.m. during the summer for an interactive program led by DPNC educators. The F.I. Treasure Hunt, back by popular demand, will be held in mid-July. Fishers Island Nature Discovery (FIND), our week-long nature program for children ages 5-10, will begin this year on Aug. 11.

Finally, I am pleased to announce that the Museum has just completed a yearlong strategic planning process. Thanks to all of you who provided input for our forward-looking plan. I am very excited about the direction the Museum is going as we aim to preserve our shared history and conserve our natural habitats by engaging and inspiring generations of Fishers Islanders. Please visit our website to read or download more details about our strategic plan. Pages 8 and 9 of this newsletter present conclusions and provide insight into this transformative process.

—Elizabeth McCance

Chocomount Beach. November 2011. Photograph by John Wilton from exhibition The Longer Look. 2nd Floor Gallery