Rare Species and Natural Communities of Fishers Island
July 30 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
In this richly illustrated talk, three scientists of the New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) will present the results of a two-year inventory of the H.L. Ferguson Museum’s Land Trust properties. The scheduled NYNHP speakers are Matt Schlesinger, Chief Zoologist, Greg Edinger, Chief Ecologist, and Rich Ring, Chief Botanist.
Time: Sunday, July 30, 2023 @ 4:00 – 5:00 P.M.
Place: at the Museum, 2nd Floor
Over the past two years, the NYNHP has worked closely with the Henry L. Ferguson Museum while conducting a two-year biodiversity survey of the Museum’s Land Trust properties. Building on the island’s legacy of natural history observations, NYNHP scientists have conducted focused surveys for rare plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, bats, and other species. They have also mapped the Land Trust’s ecosystems. This presentation will detail survey techniques, species discoveries, and natural community conclusions derived from the 2021 and 2022 field seasons. All who wish to learn more about the unique and diverse flora and fauna that surround us on Fishers Island will be fully engaged by this scientific survey summary.
Fishers Island ecology sampling points: Green 352 points (2021); Blue 75 points (2022)
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- Matt Schlesinger, NYNHP Chief Zoologist
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- Rich Ring, NYNHP Chief Botanist
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- Greg Edinger, NYNHP Chief Ecologist
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- Beach Wolf Spider (Arctosa littoralis) found wonderfully camouflaged at Chocomount Cove in September of 2022 – possibly hunting tiger beetles found the same day.
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- A small population of Mitchell’s Sedge (Carex mitchelliana) was relocated west of Hungry Point
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- Stand of tall Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) trees along Equestrian Avenue in the summer of 2022.
To learn more about the first of this two year program, please read Nature Notes: A New Rare Plant Survey for Fishers Island.
