Museum Land Trust News: The Battle Against Invasive Plants on Fishers Island Fishers Island is facing an ecological struggle against a number of invasive plant species. These invaders threaten the island’s unique ecosystems, crowding out native plants and disrupting the habitats on which local wildlife depends. By Faith Coolidge H.L. Ferguson
Invasive Plant Guided Trail Walk: Clay Point Road Trail On Saturday, October 12, 2024, trail guides Terry McNamara and Diana Fiske led thirty community members on a guided trail walk through Clay Point Road Trail. The newer Land Trust trail had not yet undergone the extensive invasive plant management that other island trails
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
Conservation Science Protecting Fishers Island’s Forests As steward of the Museum’s Land Trust, Jack Schneider is constantly monitoring the health of the Island’s natural habitats. In 2021, Jack noticed signs of Beech Leaf Disease (BLD) in the American beech stand along Island Pond Trail; he reported it to both the
Conservation Science Biocontrol of Swallow-wort Plants Black swallow-wort, Vincetoxicum nigrum, is ubiquitous on Fishers Island. The vine’s entangling tendrils and proliferation of leaves create a green mass that can overgrow and smother adjacent plants The sap of this vine is toxic, which is detrimental to monarch butterflies. According to a
Conserving Seagrass Human activities in the nearshore waters of Fishers Island In anticipation of the Fishers Island Seagrass Management coalition producing a protection plan for the eelgrass found in our nearshore waters, the Museum joined a citizen-science program called Marine Protected Areas Watch (MPA Watch). In this program, volunteers are
Chocomount Cove Property Restoration Station 1: Area around the large rock at the Entrance to Chocomount Trail Reclaiming a Desert: The conservation value in this area has been compromised by English ivy vines, glossy buckthorn trees and the honeysuckle vines and bushes. The conservation goals are to replace non-native honeysuckles
NATURE NOTES “Sleuthing for Rare Plants on Fishers Island, Suffolk County, N.Y.” Edwin H. Horning outside the second Museum building. Photograph by Ethan Kibbe, circa 1997. Mr. Horning (1919-2008) was the curator of the HLFM from 1970 until 2002. by the late Edwin H. Horning, former curator, Henry L. Ferguson Museum Originally
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F.I. Sketchbook 2005
