Conserving Seagrass: Human activities in the nearshore waters of F.I. by Hannah Vagts In collaboration with the community, the Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition founded the Save Our Seagrass Movement. This initiative is built on the belief that when community members are empowered with information about seagrass, they will
Island Pond by Jack Schneider Island Pond, and the attached Beach Pond, are classified together ecologically as a “Coastal Salt Pond.” However, this was not always so. Historically, this 52-acre pond complex, the second largest in New York State, was separated from the salty ocean water of Block Island Sound
Island History The Lyles Beach Hotel: The Center of Fishers Island’s Brief Flirtation with Tourism by Pierce Rafferty Excursion ferry SS Block Island at Lyles Beach dock, c.1885. Since the first settlement of Fishers Island by John Winthrop in the 1640s, Fishers Island has undergone two
Further Investigation of the Island’s Flora and Fauna by Elizabeth McCance Last summer, we saw the wrap-up of the two-year survey of the Land Trust’s ecological communities and select taxa by the team of scientists from the New York Natural Heritage Program. Their work yielded volumes of information, including not
Helping Our Beech Groves Fight Beech Leaf Disease by Jack Schneider Twice last summer, at the end of May and again in early August, Museum volunteers and staff treated our three American beech groves, applying a phosphorous-based solution that has been shown to help trees fight beech leaf disease. The
Nature Notes: Ospreys and Eagles by Rob Bierregaard Benjamin Franklin once famously wrote that the Turkey would be a more respectable choice “as the representative of our country” than the Bald Eagle, a bird he described as being “of bad moral character.” Without digressing into the details of the quote’s origins, it makes
Nature Notes: Diamonds in the Pond by Terry McNamara The diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) that calls Fishers Island home is a rarely seen turtle treasured for its role in maintaining the health of its surrounding ecosystem. In the wild, terrapins are quick to flee and difficult to observe. Since 2018,
Restoring Biodiversity at H. Lee Ferguson, Jr. Wildlife Sanctuary by Jack Schneider Undisturbed natural communities are dynamic, interdependent relationships between plant and animal species that tend towards long-term stability and productivity. Once broken, the restoration of these intricate associations requires planning, work, patience, luck, money, and, above all, leadership fueled
The First Land Conservation on Fishers Island The origin of the Museum’s land conservation efforts can be traced to a meeting on August 2, 1965. On that summer day, Museum President H. Lee Ferguson, Jr., known as “Lee,” proposed to the Board that vacant land be obtained as a sanctuary
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
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F.I. Sketchbook 2005
