Henry L. Ferguson Museum

Menhaden
2024-08-25 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Filmmaker Jacob Steinberg will present an illustrated talk documenting his current work in progress: a film illustrating the critical importance of menhaden to our fisheries and our development as a nation.
Jacob Steinberg. Photo courtesy of John Steinberg
WHEN; Sunday, August 25, 2024
TIME: 4:00 p.m.
PLACE: In person at the Museum, 2nd Floor and virtual via Zoom.
Jacob Steinberg is an Emmy Award nominated cinematographer. Born in New York, he studied digital filmmaking at the New York Film Academy. An expedition leader, wilderness medic, and mountaineer, he has travelled worldwide. For over a decade, Jacob has worked as a guide and expedition leader in Peru, documenting subject matters including wildlife conservation, indigenous culture, and natural history.
Leveraging a valuable combination of filmmaking, project management, and natural history expertise, he founded CosmoVision Media Group in 2012. He leads an exceptional team of experienced filmmakers and collaborating scientific experts, all focused on bringing to public awareness stories of importance and lasting impact. His commitment to the natural world is unwavering, creatively harnessing technical sophistication to tell meaningful stories.
Menhaden photo credit: Virginia Institute of Marine Science
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Webinar ID: 873 0117 2289
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FISM Summer Meeting 2024
2024-08-27 12:00 - 13:30
Join the Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition for their 2024 Summer Meeting with guest speaker Cayla Sullivan, EPA Life Scientist.
FISM will discuss project updates, including the eelgrass mapping project and eco-mooring pilot study. Following the updates, Cayla Sullivan will speak on the eelgrass projects around Long Island Sound and Fishers Island’s important role in the future of eelgrass in the region.
WHEN: Tuesday, August 27, 2024
TIME: 12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
LOCATION: In person at the Museum, 2nd Floor and virtual via zoom
To join remotely, contact Hannah Vagts at fishersislandseagrass@gmail.com
Discover more about Fishers Island Seagrass at fiseagrass.org

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The Wondrous World of Fireflies
2024-09-08 16:00 - 17:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
Illustrated talk presented by biologist and professor emerita at Tufts, Dr. Sara Lewis.
Fireflies are surely among our greatest ambassadors for Earth’s natural magic. For centuries their ethereal beauty has sparked wonder and inspired poets, artists, and children of all ages. Yet they hold so many mysteries! Join us at the Museum to hear where they got their bright lights, explore their remarkable lifestyles, learn about human activities that put fireflies at risk, and find out what you can do to help protect these dazzling creatures.
WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024
TIME: 4 p.m.
LOCATION: In person at the Museum, 2nd floor and virtual via zoom link below
Dr. Sara Lewis is a biologist and professor emerita at Tufts who has spent the past thirty years studying firefly behavior, ecology, and evolution. She currently coordinates global firefly conservation efforts as co-chair of the IUCN Firefly Specialist Group. In addition to writing numerous scientific articles, Prof. Lewis has given a TED talk and has written popular articles for Scientific American, Undark, CNN, The Guardian, and National Wildlife. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and BBC, along with numerous radio shows and podcasts. She is also the author of Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies, an entertaining and highly accessible journey into their luminous lives.
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Sara Lewis with fireflies at TED Talk

Pyralis photo by Terry-Priest

The History of English Springer Spaniel Field Trials on Fishers Island
2024-10-13 16:00 - 17:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
Museum Director Pierce Rafferty will give an illustrated talk co-hosted by Ted Lagala, Eastern Regional Field Governor, Parent Club of the Breed, ESSFTA, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first English Springer Spaniel Field Trial that was held on F.I. in 1924.
Discover how Walton Ferguson, Jr. and a small group of friends and relatives staged the first Springer trials ever held in America and founded the AKC parent club for the breed. Catch a glimpse of the camaraderie of gatherings at the Mansion House Hotel and in the field, the trials’ rigorous tests, and the champion dogs that made sporting history here.
WHEN: Sunday, October 13, 2024
TIME: 4pm
PLACE: In person at the Museum, 2nd Floor and virtual via zoom
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Dual Trial Champion Tedwyns Trex, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Walton Ferguson, Jr., Fishers Island, N.Y. Date unknown. Museum Collection. This famous Springer was born in England in 1925 and won a field trial championship in that country and sired five field trial champions before being imported to the United States by Mr. and Mrs. Walton Ferguson, Jr. In America, he was both a field trial and bench show champion, the first Dual Trial Champion (Dual Tr. Ch.) on this continent.

Winter Waterfowl of Fishers Island and the Surrounding Region
2025-01-19 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for a Virtual Illustrated Talk by Kim Hargrave, interim executive director of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, Mystic, Conn.
Kim Hargrave
TIME: Sunday, January 19, 2025 @ 4:00 – 5:00 P.M.
PLACE: Virtual via Zoom
Discover the wondrous world of winter waterfowl as we explore the unique species that grace Fishers Island and the surrounding coastlines during the colder months. Learn more about their remarkable cold-weather adaptations and incredible migration patterns. From the elegant long-tailed duck to the striking red-breasted merganser, learn basic identification tips for a variety of species.
Goldeneye photo by Todd McCormack
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Beyond Your Back Door: Connecting with Nature Where You Live
2025-02-23 16:00 - 17:00
A virtual illustrated talk by trained naturalist and master gardener Jim Sirch, who will use his blog to take a deeper dive into the amazing natural events happening right in our own backyards – and beyond – throughout the seasons.
During the pandemic, people working from home found themselves spending more time in their yards and local green spaces. They began to look beyond the grass that needed mowing and leaves that needed raking, and started to notice the wildlife that lived there. They observed songbirds, raptors, snakes, toads, tiny native bees and more, often marveling at what they saw. In response to questions about what they were observing, Jim Sirch created a nature blog to help others better understand and learn about phenological changes – natural events happening throughout the year. In this talk, Jim will share his broad understanding of geology, plants and wildlife and their interconnectedness within particular ecosystems.
WHEN: Sunday, February 23, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: Virtual via zoom
Join Zoom WebinarAbout Jim Sirch
Vice President of the Connecticut Horticultural Society, Jim Sirch is a UConn Master Gardener, past president and board member of his local land trust, and on the board of the Mountain Laurel chapter of Wild Ones, a nonprofit dedicated to native plants. Recently retired from his position as Education Coordinator for the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, he founded the Peabody-Beardsley-Maritime chapter of the citizen science program Frogwatch USA, the country’s largest chapter.
Jim is passionate about helping others decrease their lawns and re-wild their yards. He co-founded a native plant seed library at his local public library. Jim holds a B.S in Forestry from West Virginia University, a B.S. from Miami University in Science Education; and an M.S. in Environmental Studies Administration from Antioch University. He is also a recipient of the Sigmund Abeles Award from the Connecticut Science Teachers and Supervisors Association for outstanding science teaching and professional development. Jim lives in a 19th century farmhouse in Connecticut with his wife and daughter.
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Webinar ID: 879 5743 2563
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Between Land and Sea: The Atlantic Coast and the Transformation of New England
2025-03-09 16:00 - 17:00
A virtual illustrated talk by Christopher L. Pastore, author and Assistant Professor of History at the University at Albany, State University of New York based on his book “Between Land and Sea: The Atlantic Coast and the Transformation of New England”
One of the largest estuaries on the North Atlantic coast, Narragansett Bay served as a gateway for colonial expansion in the seventeenth century and the birthplace of American industrialization in the late eighteenth. Christopher Pastore presents an environmental history of this watery corner of the Atlantic world, beginning with the first European settlement in 1636 and ending with the dissolution of the Blackstone Canal Company in 1849. Between Land and Sea traces how the Bay’s complex ecology shaped the contours of European habitation, trade, and resource use, and how littoral settlers in turn reconfigured the physical and cultural boundaries between humans and nature.
Narragansett Bay emerges in Pastore’s account as much more than a geological formation. Rather, he reimagines the nexus of land and sea as a brackish borderland shaped by the tension between what English settlers saw as improvable land and the perpetual forces of the North Atlantic Ocean. By draining swamps, damming rivers, and digging canals, settlers transformed a marshy coastal margin into a clearly defined edge. The resultant “coastline” proved less resilient, less able to absorb the blows of human initiative and natural variation than the soggy fractal of water and earth it replaced.
Today, as sea levels rise and superstorms batter coasts with increasing ferocity, Between Land and Sea calls on the environmentally-minded to make a space in their notions of progress for impermanence and uncertainty in the natural world.
WHEN: Sunday, March 9, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: Virtual via zoom
Join Zoom WebinarAbout the Author
Christopher L. Pastore is Associate Professor of History at the University at Albany, State University of New York, where he teaches courses in environmental history, early America, and the Atlantic world. He holds a Ph.D. in American History and M.S. in college teaching from the University of New Hampshire, an M.F.A. in nonfiction Creative Writing from New School University, and a B.A. in Biology from Bowdoin College. He has held research fellowships at the University of Munich, Trinity College Dublin, and most recently at the Yale Center for British Art and as a Fulbright scholar at the University of the Andes in Bogotá, Colombia.
A Rhode Island native, Pastore grew up sailing, fishing and exploring Narragansett Bay. His journalistic work has appeared in the New York Times, Boat International, Cruising World, Newport Life, Offshore, Restoration Quarterly, Real Simple, and Sailing World, where he worked as Associate Editor. He also served as Editor of American Sailor and Junior Sailor, the official publications of U.S. Sailing, the sport’s national governing body. In 2005, he published a biography of Rhode Island yacht designer Nathanael G. Herreshoff (1848-1938) titled Temple to the Wind: The Story of America’s Greatest Naval Architect and His Masterpiece, Reliance (Lyons Press, 2005), early selections from which earned him the 2003 National Arts Club Annual Award for Nonfiction. He is currently writing an environmental history of the early modern Atlantic world with a special focus on slimy things in the sea.
PHOTO CREDIT: Martin Johnson Heade, Rhode Island Shore, 1858, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Charles C. and Elma Ralphs Shoemaker.
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Webinar ID: 845 8512 2588
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The Rumrunner Wrecks of Fishers Island
2025-04-27 16:00 - 17:00
In this virtual illustrated talk, Museum director Pierce Rafferty utilizes and expands selected portions of his 2019 talk on prohibition entitled “Scotch on the Rocks” with a focus on the five rumrunner wrecks on Fishers Island, especially Steam Yacht Thelma Phoebe on Chocomount Beach, April 1923.
WHEN: Sunday, April 27, 2025 (Moved from April 20)
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: Virtual via zoom
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Webinar ID: 817 0154 6488
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American Seacoast Defenses and the Long Island Sound
2025-05-18 16:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
Join us for a VIRTUAL illustrated talk by Mark Berhow, author and chairman of the publications committee for Coast Defense Study Group
WHEN: Sunday, May 18, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: Virtual via zoom
From the establishment of the United States in 1790 through 1950 the federal government fortified its major deep water harbors to deter attack from foreign navies. Long Island Sound has been a prominent location for these defense programs because of its many natural harbors and its “back door” access to New York. Rapid developments in warship and artillery technology during this time led to an evolution of seacoast fortifications with increasing effective range as reflected in the Long Island defenses. The saga of these forts and the changes that led to their eventual closure will be covered in this presentation.
Mark Berhow is a retired research chemist who worked for the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Pasadena, California and Peoria, Illinois. He has had a long interest in American military history and the defenses of United States. He is actively involved with the Coast Defense Study Group as the chairman of its publications committee and is currently the editor in chief of the Coast Defense Journal and the CDSG Newsletter. He has written both books and articles on American seacoast and air defenses.
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Webinar ID: 896 8205 2336
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Right Place, Right Plant - Native Plants and Practical Uses
2025-05-24 11:00 - 13:00
Native plants are essential to repairing and sustaining our fragile ecosystem on Fishers Island. But what makes them unique, and how can we use them effectively? Join us, at the Museum for a discussion of native plants and practical gardening tips!
WHEN: Saturday, May 24, 2025
TIME: 11 am – 12 pm (Talk), 12-1 pm (Reception)
PLACE: In person at the Museum, 2nd Floor and virtual via zoom
By understanding the impact of our actions on land, we can make a significant difference. Non-native plants often require extra maintenance, like fertilizer and pesticides, which can harm our delicate ecosystem. Fishers Island’s sandy, porous soil does not retain these chemicals once applied; instead, they flow into our waters. Fertilizer runoff is a significant source of nitrogen pollution that damages marine habitats and creates algal blooms. The fertilizer and pesticides that do not run into the water damage soil quality and harm native insects. Planting native is an easy win for our entire ecosystem.
At this event, we will hear from experienced peers and professionals to discover more about Fishers Island’s native landscape, the role of invasive plants in the food chain, and how we can use native plants within our landscaping projects. Dr. Adam Mitchell, Terry McNamara, Dianne Crary, Diana Fiske, and Melie Spofford will each give a lightning talk about native plants and happily answer your questions.
After our speakers take you on a journey to learn about Fishers Island’s native plants, we will hold a reception that will host various Fishers Island contractors, lots of helpful handouts, and a plant sale.
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity! Space for the in-person talk is limited, so secure your spot today.
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Nibbling on the Wild Landscape of Fishers Island
2025-06-29 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for an illustrated talk with Russ Cohen, author of the book Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, to learn about at least two dozen of the tastiest wild plant species the Island has to offer.
Fishers Island is home to over 70 species of edible wild plants, many of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. These include native species, like Fox Grape and Beach Pea; non-native weeds, like Chicory and Burdock; and invasive species, like Autumn Olive and Japanese Knotweed.
This presentation will include plant species everyone knows well, like Daisies and Dandelions, to species people may have never even heard of, like Nannyberry and Meadow Beauty. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided, along with info on edible portion(s), season(s) of availability and preparation methods, as well as guidelines for safe, ethical and environmentally-responsible foraging.
When: Sunday, June 29, 2025
Time: 4-5 pm
Place: At the Museum, 2nd floor and virtual, via zoom
Reception to follow – Russ will accompany his talk with handouts and samples of goodies made with wild foraged ingredients for people to sip and nibble on.
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(Please note also the related “Wild Edible Plant Excursion on Fishers Island” Nature Walk that Russ will lead the following day, June 30, 2025.)
Russ Cohen, naturalist and wild foods enthusiast, grew up in Weston, Mass., where he spent much of his free time in the woods, thereby cultivating a strong spiritual connection to nature. Russ’ first formal exposure to edible wild plants occurred while a sophomore at Weston High School, where he enrolled in an “Edible Botany” mini-course offered by the high school biology department. The course taught him about two dozen edible species that grew around the high school grounds, and the class finished with a “big feed”: a communal meal prepared from these plants, at the end of the course. Russ got turned on to the subject, went to the local library and took out every book he could find on the topic, taught himself over fifty more species, and, in his senior year of high school (1974), he taught the Edible Botany class he had taken as a sophomore. Russ added edible wild mushrooms to his teaching repertoire in 1989 after returning home from a trip to the Soviet Union, where he caught the mushroom hunting bug from the Russians.
Russ received his bachelor’s degree in land use planning from Vassar College in 1978, and received a masters in Natural Resources and a law degree from The Ohio State University in 1982. Until retiring from state service, Russ was employed by the Riverways Program (now part of the Division of Ecological Restoration) of the Mass. Department of Fish and Game since 1988, and served as its Rivers Advocate from 1992 until June of 2015. Other past employers have included the Nature Conservancy, the Land Trust Alliance, The Hillside Trust, a land trust in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
Since his retirement in June 2015, while continuing to offer walks and talks on foraging for wild edibles, Russ is now playing the role of Johnny Appleseed for native edible species. He has set up a nursery (near his childhood home in Weston, MA) where he is growing over 1,000 plants, representing more than a third of the more than 190 species native to Northeast ecoregions that are edible by people. Many of these plants were propagated from seed Russ gathered himself. Russ is then collaborating with land trusts, municipalities, state and federal agencies, schools and colleges, tribal groups, organic farms and others, to plant plants from his nursery on appropriate places on their properties. You can learn more about this endeavor in the article Russ Cohen’s Wild Edible Adventures, by Cathy Walthers, which ran in the Summer 2018 issue of Edible Boston Magazine; Meet the ‘Johnny Appleseed’ of Edible Native Plants, by Barbara A. Schmitz, which ran in the Spring 2019 issue of the Wild Ones Journal; a March 2020 video podcast interview with Kim Eierman of EcoBeneficial; or, most recently, the profile of Russ and his native edible plant propagation and planting that ran in the January 2024 edition of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s The Leaflet newsletter.

Temple to the Wind: The Story of America's Greatest Naval Architect and His Masterpiece, Reliance
2025-07-13 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for an illustrated talk by author Christopher Pastore, who will share the story of Reliance drawing from Nathanael G. Herreshoff’s sketches, photos, original models and plans, as well as Herreshoff’s personal papers and letters.
WHEN: Sunday, July 13, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: In person at the Museum, second floor and virtual, via zoom
Book signing and reception to follow.
Join Zoom WebinarDesigned and built in 1903, Reliance was a yacht like no other. A marvel of her time, Reliance’s topsail yard towered nearly 190 feet above the water, with sails stretching 202 feet from the bowsprit to the boom’s end. Many said Reliance, carrying more sail than any single-masted boat before, was simply too dangerous to sail, but the stakes were awesome. By the turn of the century racing for the America’s Cup had become more than a gentleman’s game. In 1903 it was an all-or-nothing contest—fraught with political tension—between two great rivals, Britain and America. Anticipating the acrimonious battles over the America’s Cup today, the story of Reliance explores the ways big yachts and even bigger personalities have defined the contest since its inception.
PHOTO CREDIT: Reliance Crossing Finish Line, photo work of Detroit Publishing Co., collection at the Library of Congress, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
About the author
Christopher Pastore is Associate Professor of History at the University at Albany, State University of New York, where he teaches courses in environmental history, early America, and the Atlantic world. He holds a Ph.D. in American History and M.S. in college teaching from the University of New Hampshire, an M.F.A. in nonfiction Creative Writing from New School University, and a B.A. in Biology from Bowdoin College.
A Rhode Island native, Pastore grew up racing sailboats on Narragansett Bay just down the road from the Herreshoff Marine Museum and America’s Cup Hall of Fame. His journalistic work has appeared in the New York Times, Boat International, Cruising World, Newport Life, Offshore, Restoration Quarterly, Real Simple, and Sailing World, where he worked as Associate Editor. He also served as Editor of American Sailor and Junior Sailor, the official publications of U.S. Sailing, the sport’s national governing body. He is the author of Temple to the Wind: The Story of America’s Greatest Naval Architect and His Masterpiece, Reliance (Lyons Press, 2005), early selections from which earned the 2003 National Arts Club Annual Award for Nonfiction, and Between Land and Sea: The Atlantic Coast and the Transformation of New England (Harvard University Press, 2014), which earned a spot on the shortlist for the Turku Book Prize, awarded for best book by the European Society for Environmental History.
Reliance passing the Brenton Reef light ship at high speed, 1903. Photograph by Nathaniel Livermore Stebbins, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Homegrown National Park
2025-07-20 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for an illustrated talk by Doug Tallamy, founder of Homegrown National Park whose goal is to create a national movement to restore 20 million acres with natives, an area representing ½ of what is now in lawn, as well as millions more acres in agriculture and woodlots.
WHEN: Sunday, July 20, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: In-person at the F.I. Theater and virtual via zoom
Reception to follow.
Join Zoom WebinarOur parks, preserves, and remaining wildlands – no matter how grand in scale – are too small and separated from one another to sustain the native trees, plants, insects, and animals on which our ecosystems depend. We can fix this problem by practicing conservation outside of wildlands, where we live, work, shop, farm, and ranch. Thus, the concept for Homegrown National Park: a national challenge to create diverse ecosystems in our yards, communities, farms, and surrounding lands by reducing lawn, planting native, and removing invasives.
We are at a critical point where we are losing so many native plant and animal species that our life support systems are in jeopardy. However, if many people make small changes, we can restore healthy ecological networks and weather the changes ahead.
Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 115 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 45 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His books include Bringing Nature Home, The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, Nature’s Best Hope, a New York Times Best Seller, The Nature of Oaks, winner of the American Horticultural Society’s 2022 book award, and his latest How Can I Help. In 2021 he cofounded Homegrown National Park with Michelle Alfandari. His awards include recognition from The Garden Writer’s Association, Audubon, The National Wildlife Federation, Allegheny College, Ecoforesters, The Garden Club of America, The Herb Society, and The American Horticultural Association.
This event is co-hosted with Fishers Island Conservancy.
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Webinar ID: 884 1011 7213
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Healthy Landscape Ecosystems
2025-07-27 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for an illustrated talk by Jim Sirch, naturalist and President of the Connecticut Horticultural Society, to learn about relationships in nature, and how a healthy landscape ecosystem functions well for people and wildlife.
WHEN: Sunday, July 27, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: In person at the Museum and virtual via zoom
Join Zoom WebinarNature, like life, is about relationships. When you observe a tree in your landscape, what do you see? Do you see leaves, limbs and bark? Or, do you see, if only in your mind’s eye, the many species that it supports? – the caterpillars that feed on its leaves, the birds that feed those caterpillars to their young, the woodpeckers that drill into its bark for insects or the mammals that make their nests in its branches.
We need to look closely to understand and appreciate how species interact and depend upon one another. For instance, we’ve all observed bees. But did you know that there are more than 400 bee species in New York State alone? They range from large bumblebees to tiny little native bees, and many specialize on specific plants for survival. The same is true of many other kinds of wildlife, such as butterflies, moths, and birds. Many animals have evolved over millennia to specialize on specific native plants. John Muir wrote: “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” When we begin to appreciate the interconnectedness of all things in nature, we see that everything is interdependent and affects everything else.
In an age in which humans are rapidly unraveling the ecosystem services of the planet, It’s important to understand how we can make a difference in our own landscapes. It matters what trees you plant, what shrubs you install, or how you site a water feature. All these things contribute to having a healthy landscape ecosystem.
Jim Sirch is a trained Naturalist and President of the Connecticut Horticultural Society. He recently retired from the Yale Peabody Museum. Jim is a UConn Master Gardener and board member of his local land trust and the Mountain Laurel chapter of Wild Ones. As a naturalist, he brings a deep understanding of geology, plants and wildlife and how they interact within a particular ecosystem. Jim is passionate about helping others decrease their lawn and re-wild their yard. He founded the Peabody-Beardsley-Maritime chapter of FrogWatch, a national community science program to identify and track frog populations and co-founded a native plant seed library at his local public library. Jim holds a B.S in Forestry from West Virginia University, a B.S. from Miami University in Science Education; and an M.S. in Environmental Studies Administration from Antioch University. He is honored to be a Sigmund Abeles Award recipient from the Connecticut Science Teachers and Supervisors Association for outstanding science teaching and professional development. Jim also authors a nature blog called Beyond Your Back Door at www.beyondyourbackdoor.com.
Healthy Landscape Ecosystems ResourcesWarbler feeding chicks. Photo by Steve Maslowski USFWS
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Webinar ID: 899 5948 6559
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Understanding the Global-to-Regional Climate Driven by Atmospheric CO2
2025-08-03 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for an illustrated talk by John P. Jasper Ph.D., Molecular Isotope Technologies, Niantic, Conn., that spans the last 500 million years for perspective, with a focus into the last century for preliminarily considering the health of the southeastern Connecticut coastal environments.
WHEN: Sunday, August 3, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: In person at the Museum and virtual via zoom
Join Zoom WebinarWith geochemical experience in natural sciences spanning the last forty-five years, Dr. John Jasper will present a summary natural history of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2, the primary driving force of global climate) and a prospectus of these levels based on the major contributions to the contemporary atmospheric CO2 budget (see also https://rdcu.be/eaQu7). With the general perception that eelgrass abundance is inversely proportional to water temperature, these relatively recent records focus interest and discussion into the history and fate of eelgrass in this region.
Dr. Jasper (Ph.D., 1988, M.I.T./Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.) founded in 1999 and is the Chief Scientific Officer of Molecular Isotope Technologies ℠ LLC (MIT LLC), a company that specializes in pharmaceutical product and process (“Nature’s Fingerprint®” and “Isotopic Pedigree®”) authentication. By training, he is an analytical organic and stable isotope chemist who uses bulk and compound-specific approaches to determine the sources of organic matter via their natural-isotopic “fingerprints,” particularly in pharmaceutical materials.
John P. Jasper Ph.D., aboard WHOI’s R/V Atlantis overlooking the gyrocompass at the Fiftieth MIT/WHOI Reunion.
PHOTO CREDIT: Long eelgrass blades-leaves floating on the surface of the water at low tide, by Emily Bodell
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Webinar ID: 816 6271 6015
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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Returns to Fishers Island!
2025-08-07 17:00 - 19:00 | Fishers Island Theater
The Henry L. Ferguson Museum and Elizabeth and Richard Miller invite you for an update on local and global ocean climate issues by WHOI President and Director, Peter de Menocal and a presentation by Robert L. James Scientist Chair, Camrin Braun on Apex Ocean Predators.
WHEN: Thursday, August 7, 2025
TIME: Reception 5-6 p.m., Presentations 6-7 p.m.
PLACE: In-person at the F.I. Theater
Please note, this is an update to the presentation given in August of 2024 on “Waves of Change: Understanding both local and global ocean climate issues and unexpected solutions”.
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Webinar ID: 882 4692 8539
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A Brief History of Land Use and Conservation on Fishers Island
2025-08-10 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for an illustrated talk by Museum director Pierce Rafferty, who will survey the history of land use on Fishers Island since first European settlement before turning his focus to land conservation efforts on our island from the mid-1960s to date.
This talk will encompass both the origins and evolution of the Museum’s Land Trust and its trail network, and the FI Conservancy’s project to convert the former Fort Wright Parade Ground into a meadow – a model for restoration and successful invasive species management in an eastern grassland.
WHEN: Sunday, August 10, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: In person at the Museum, 2nd floor, and virtual via zoom
Reception to follow.
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Large color aerial photograph on display in the Museum lobby on which properties now preserved via the Land Trust are marked. Total acreage protected from development under Land Trust auspices, either directly or through conservation easements, now exceeds 377 acres, more than 13% of the Island’s land mass when you exclude the water surface area.

WOODLAND TRAILS, Fishers Island – New York. Circa 1966. This early East End trail network was created by Matty Matthiessen and friends.

Queen Anne’s Lace on the Parade Grounds, August 2, 2018. Photograph by Jane T. Ahrens

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Rewild Your Yard
2025-08-12 17:30 | Fishers Island Library
Join us for an illustrated talk by naturalist Murray Fisher to learn about his effort to “rewild” half of his yard in Westchester County and the transformation experience it has been for him and his family.
WHEN: Tuesday, August 12, 2025
TIME: 5:30 pm
PLACE: In person at the FI Library
At 60 million acres, the American lawn is the largest and most intensely managed “crop”. Murray’s goal is to help others see the immense opportunity these lawns provide for not only creating habitat for wildlife and sequestering carbon but for fostering deep connections to the natural world.
Murray is the co-founder of the New York Harbor School and the Billion Oyster Project, a Trustee of the H.L. Ferguson Museum, and a partner in Plan it Wild.
The program is co-hosted by the Fishers Island Library.

Amphibians of Fishers Island and the Surrounding Region
2025-08-17 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for an illustrated talk by Kim Hargrave, Executive Director, Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center as we explore the diverse salamander and frog species of our area.
Delve into the amazing life cycles of these creatures, from their aquatic beginnings to their terrestrial or semi-aquatic adult forms. Learn how to identify common species and have a chance to see live amphibians up close. We will also discuss the challenges amphibians face, including habitat loss, climate change and pollution. You will gain a deeper appreciation for these often-overlooked creatures and their crucial role as an indicator species in the ecosystem.
WHEN: Sunday, August 17, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: In person at the Museum, second floor and virtual, via zoom

Join Zoom WebinarKim Hargrave, a native of Ledyard, CT, and a graduate of UMass Amherst in Natural Resources joined the Nature Center in 1998 as an educator and has since excelled as Education Director. Kim has played a key role in designing and implementing educational programs that inspire environmental stewardship and engagement. Earlier this year, she assumed the role of interim Executive Director.
Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans) Photo by bedfordnaturalist (Murray Fisher)
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Webinar ID: 882 7281 1393
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Dialogues: Harriet Brickman & Jenny Dixon
2025-08-22 17:30 - 19:00
Artist Harriet Brickman sits down with Jenny Dixon, former Director of the Noguchi Museum, to revisit Passages: Beach Forms, a site-specific public artwork Brickman created on South Beach, Fishers Island, in 1980. Their conversation will explore the work’s origins, its connection to place, and its resonance more than four decades later.
WHEN: Friday, August 22, 2025
TIME: 5:30 p.m. Reception | 6:00 p.m. Conversation
PLACE: In-person at the Museum, 2nd floor
Please note, the Special Exhibition “Passages: A Public Sculpture Over Time, 1980–2025” currently on display at the 2nd Floor Side Gallery, chronicles the changes over time to this 1980 South Beach environmental art sculpture by artist Harriet Brickman.
This event is co-sponsored with Lighthouse Works

Birds at Rest
2025-08-24 16:00 - 17:00
Everybody enjoys watching birds during the daytime, but what do they do at night, when they seem to disappear? Join us for an illustrated talk by noted ornithologist and author, Roger Pasquier, to learn about how birds have evolved unique sleep habits to match their intensely energetic lifestyle.
WHEN: Sunday, August 24, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: In person at the Museum and virtual via zoom
Reception and book signing to follow. Signed copies of Roger’s book, “Birds at Rest: The Behavior and Ecology of Avian Sleep”, will be available for purchase.
Join Zoom WebinarBirds need sleep as much as we do, but instead of long stretches of obliviousness, they sleep in short bouts of several seconds or a few minutes, waking up to look around for danger, and then going back to sleep. To increase their vigilance, birds can sleep shutting off only half their brain and one eye at a time, leaving them able to respond instantly to any alarm. The social habits of sleeping birds are also distinctive. Most are solitary, some sleep in pairs or families, while others gain advantages of warmth, safety, and even social needs like finding a mate, by joining in flocks, not to mention guidance on where to get breakfast the next day.
Roger will discuss the evolution and benefits of sleep, focusing on how birds find shelter, keep warm, and stay alert, and recent discoveries that some birds can spend weeks and months in the air, sleeping while in flight. Human impacts like artificial light and noise as well as climate change, however, are changing how and where birds can get a good night’s rest.
Roger Pasquier, a lifelong birder, is an associate in the Department of Ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History. He is a regular visitor to Fishers Island, where he has added a few species to the list of birds found here. He has spoken at the Museum on two of his previous books, Painting Central Park and Birds in Winter: Surviving the Most Challenging Season. Roger’s career has been in ornithology and in conservation, at BirdLife International, World Wildlife Fund-US, Environmental Defense Fund, and National Audubon Society. He is the author of several other books on art history and on birds. Roger is a native New Yorker. His favorite birding places include Central Park and the Peruvian rainforest.
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Webinar ID: 828 0794 0835
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Fort H.G. Wright and the Defense of the Race
2025-08-31 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for an illustrated talk on the history of Fort H.G. Wright by Terrance McGovern, author of eight books on fortifications and long-time officer of the Coast Defense Study Group.
WHEN: Sunday, August 31, 2025.
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: Virtual Live Stream at the Museum, 2nd Floor and via zoom.
Reception to follow.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the upcoming illustrated talk on the history of Fort H.G. Wright by Terrance McGovern will now be VIRTUAL-ONLY. For those who still wish to connect with the community, we’re hosting a watch party at the Museum! We encourage you to join us for the live stream playing on the big screen, followed by a live, virtual Q&A session with the speaker, and a reception to follow.
For those who wish to watch from home, please join the live stream:
Join Zoom WebinarTerry will trace the role of the fort in the defense of the eastern entrance of Long Island Sound from its founding in 1900 to its deactivation in 1949, followed by the sale and transfer of properties in 1958. The presentation will explore how the fort was first developed as part of a chain of forts defending the Race and remained a very active post through two world wars. Components of the fort to be examined include its 12 gun emplacements, controlled mine defenses, small arms ranges, various buildings, and its small airfield.
Terrance McGovern has authored eight books and numerous articles on fortifications, four of those books being for Ospreys Fortress Series (American Defenses of Corregidor and Manila Bay 1898 1945; Defenses of Pearl Harbor and Oahu 1907 50; American Coastal Defenses 1885 1950; Defenses of Bermuda 1612-1995). He has also published 12 books on coast defense and fortifications through Redoubt Press or CDSG Press. Terry was Chairman of the US-based Coast Defense Study Group and continues to be a long-time officer. He has also been the editor of the Fortress Study Group annual journal, FORT. He is a director of the International Fortress Council, the Council on America s Military Past, Fort Miles Historical Association, and International Naval Research Organization. He is also an appointed Trustee for the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Fort Monroe Authority Board.

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Webinar ID: 818 7460 1446
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Insights into the Hidden Lives of Terns and Gulls
2025-09-14 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for an illustrated talk by Dr. Peter Paton, Professor, Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, who will present on current research activities on neighboring Great Gull Island, the breeding and nesting home to 11,000 pairs of Common Terns and 2,200 pairs of endangered Roseate Terns.
WHEN: Sunday, September 14, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: In person at the Museum and virtual via zoom
Join Zoom WebinarUsing recent advances in tracking technology, scientists and volunteers are monitoring not only annual migration from Great Gull to wintering haunts in Argentina and Brazil, but also daily foraging trips to Montauk and Napatree, a journey of 16+ miles, to capture fish for their nesting chicks. Recent discoveries of migratory patterns of Great Black-backed Gulls nesting on South Dumpling and Block Island will also be revealed. This talk will remind us all what amazing feathered neighbors we have!
Photos courtesy of Peter Paton

Roseate Tern with antenna at base of tail

Roseate tern with sandlance

Roseate Tern feeding chick

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Webinar ID: 858 3529 4659
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Taking Manhattan
2025-09-28 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for an illustrated talk with renowned historian and author of The Island at the Center of the World, Russell Shorto, who will introduce us to “Taking Manhattan” his new riveting narrative that chronicles the birth of New York City in 1664 after England decided to invade the Dutch-controlled city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island.
Bristling with vibrant characters, Taking Manhattan reveals the founding of New York to be an invention, the result of creative negotiations between Richard Nicholls, the military officer who led the threatening English flotilla, and Peter Stuyvesant, New Netherland’s canny director general. The New York that emerged from their peaceful talks blended the multiethnic, capitalistic society of New Amsterdam with the power of the rising English empire.
WHEN: Sunday, September 28, 2025
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: In person at the Museum and virtual via zoom
Reception and book signing to follow
Join Zoom WebinarThe birth of what might be termed the first modern city is also a story of the brutal dispossession of Native Americans and of the roots of American slavery. The book draws from newly translated materials and illuminates neglected histories—of religious refugees, Indigenous tribes, and free and enslaved Africans. Taking Manhattan tells the riveting story of the birth of New York City as a center of capitalism and pluralism, a foundation from which America would rise. It also shows how the paradox of New York’s origins—boundless opportunity coupled with subjugation and displacement—reflects America’s promise and failure to this day. Russell Shorto, whose work has been described as “astonishing” (New York Times) and “literary alchemy” (Chicago Tribune), has once again mined archival sources to offer a vibrant tale and a fresh and trenchant argument about American beginnings.

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Webinar ID: 829 1870 8887
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A Brief History of Land Use and Conservation on Fishers Island (Re-broadcast)
2026-02-01 16:00 - 17:00
HLFM Director Pierce Rafferty will host a virtual-only re-broadcast of his recorded illustrated talk “A Brief History of Land Use and Conservation on Fishers Island” in which he surveyed the history of land use on Fishers Island since first European settlement before turning his focus to land conservation efforts on our island from the mid-1960s to date.
This virtual talk encompasses both the origins and evolution of the Museum’s Land Trust and its trail network, and the FI Conservancy’s project to convert the former Fort Wright Parade Ground into a meadow – a model for restoration and successful invasive species management in an eastern grassland.
WHEN: Sunday, February 1, 2026
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: VIRTUAL via zoom
Join Zoom WebinarPLEASE NOTE: This recorded talk was first presented by Pierce at the Museum on August 10, 2025 – a day celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Museum’s Land Trust.

Large color aerial photograph on display in the Museum lobby on which properties now preserved via the Land Trust are marked. Total acreage protected from development under Land Trust auspices, either directly or through conservation easements, now exceeds 377 acres, more than 13% of the Island’s land mass when you exclude the water surface area.

WOODLAND TRAILS, Fishers Island – New York. Circa 1966. This early East End trail network was created by Matty Matthiessen and friends.

Queen Anne’s Lace on the Parade Grounds, August 2, 2018. Photograph by Jane T. Ahrens

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Webinar ID: 870 6125 7623
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Lunch and Learn: Osprey Nation
2026-02-27 12:45 - 14:00
Join us at the Henry L. Ferguson Museum for lunch and a remote presentation on Osprey populations from the Connecticut Audubon Society’s Milan “Miley” Bull. Milan will describe how Osprey Nation volunteers “adopt” nearby nests and collect data like arrival dates, nesting success, and departure dates, and what that data tells us about Connecticut Osprey.
When: Friday, February 27, 2026 (NEW DATE!)
Time: Lunch at 12:45 pm, Lecture at 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Place: At the Museum, 2nd floor and virtual, via zoom
Lunch will be provided at this free event. RSVP to Jessica NeJame at jnejame@fergusonmuseum.org.
Join Zoom WebinarMilan Bull is the Senior Director of Science and Conservation for the Connecticut Audubon Society. A long-time expert with over 60 years of birding experience, he leads EcoTravel expeditions and directs conservation, habitat improvement, and research projects. Milan holds a B.S. in wildlife management from the University of Connecticut and an M.S. in biology from the University of Bridgeport. He is also a contributor to the society’s “Bird Finder” guide.
Osprey with fish photograph by Todd McCormack
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A Most Curious Shorebird: Secrets of the American Woodcock Revealed
2026-03-22 15:00 - 16:00
Join us at the Museum for an illustrated talk by Scott R. McWilliams, professor at the University of Rhode Island. The American Woodcock is a common (but declining) inhabitant of New England though this shorebird has abandoned the shores for the forests. Yet few of us have seen or heard this secretive bird, and even fewer know about the woodcocks’ way of life and how our land use over time has affected their populations. The secrets of this secretive shorebird will be revealed including its migration patterns, its unique mating system, its habitat needs, and how we can manage lands for their benefit.
When: Sunday, March 22, 2026
Time: 3-4 pm
Place: At the Museum, 2nd floor and virtual, via zoom
Scott McWilliams with Peregrine falcon
Prior to coming to URI, Scott McWilliams was a Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin (Madison). Scott earned his PhD from University of California at Davis where he studied the physiological ecology of arctic-nesting geese, and an MSc from Iowa State University where he studied the behavioral ecology of a threatened species of salamander. Scott earned a BA in Biology from Hiram College (Ohio). His research group primarily focuses on the nutrition, physiology, and ecology of wild vertebrates, with an emphasis on migratory birds of conservation interest. Current research topics include the physiology and ecology of songbirds during migration; habitat use, diet, and nutrition of arctic-nesting geese, sea ducks, and migratory songbirds; forest management to support healthy bird populations; exercise physiology of long-distance migratory songbirds; effects of climate change on migratory birds; how offshore wind farms affect migratory birds.

American Woodcock photo by David Small, USFWS

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Firefly: A Solar Electric Boat
2026-04-12 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for a VIRTUAL ONLY illustrated talk by Don Baugh, President and Founder of Upstream Alliance, and Ronnie Vesnaver, Director of Regional Programs and Partnerships, to learn about the innovative solar-electric vessel, Firefly. It will be the first U.S. Coast Guard-approved passenger vessel powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries — marking a major step forward for carbon-neutral transportation on the water. Get the inside scoop on the construction of Firefly and the impactful programs it will provide.
WHEN: Sunday, April 12, 2026
TIME: 4-5 p.m.
PLACE: Virtual via zoom
Join Zoom WebinarFirefly is a 49-foot, fully electric, aluminum catamaran being custom built by Lyman-Morse boatbuilding in Maine. Designed to be quiet, smooth, and totally emissions-free – to get people out on the water in a clean and sustainable way. With solar panels on the roof and a wide, stable platform, it’s ideal for hands-on learning, group trips, and connecting with nature — while showcasing what the future of boating can look like. Whether you care about innovation in marine technology or empowering communities through education, Firefly is more than just a boat. It’s a flagship vessel for the Mid-Atlantic — a bold example of what’s possible when carbon-neutral design meets real-world impact. From students testing water quality to scientists studying river health, Firefly will help bring a new generation of stories to life—on the water.
Don Baugh is a national leader in environmental education programs and policies. Don’s hallmark is connecting students, educators and leaders to nature through life-changing field experiences. His career includes 38 years directing education programs at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, founding the No Child Left Inside Coalition, and leading the consulting firm Environmental Leadership Strategies. The impacts of Don’s work are far-reaching. He directed 19 education centers, providing field investigation experiences to over 1,000,000 students. The No Child Left Inside coalition Don founded brought together 2,250 environmental groups, reaching 50,000,000 constituents. The partnership begot the first ever statewide high school graduation requirement for environmental literacy. It produced historic funding advances for outdoor environmental education.
Ronnie Vesnaver is passionate about the history and environment of waterways. That passion has steered her toward a career in education and conservation. After graduating from Colby College, Ronnie taught at the Pennington School in New Jersey. While there, she earned a masters in Environmental History at Rutgers University focusing her research on coastal and ocean history. Ronnie spent summers working on the schooner Mystic Whaler and is an alum of the Williams-Mystic maritime studies program. In 2020, she moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to join the Gunston School where she taught humanities for, and later directed, the Chesapeake Watershed Semester, a place-based experiential semester program. Ronnie has enjoyed that her career has allowed her to share the history and environments she loves with others.

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Webinar ID: 847 8235 3371
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Nibbling on Native Plants in Your Back Yard and Beyond
2026-04-19 16:00 - 17:00
Did you know that Juneberries (Amelanchier spp.), are equally edible by animals (songbirds, e.g.) and people alike? The taste of the ripe fruit is like a cross between cherries and almonds (they’re all related species in the Rose family).
There’s an increasing interest among homeowners on island to utilize more native species in their landscaping, thanks to books like Doug Tallamy’s book Bringing Nature Home, which extol the virtues of native plants for attracting and sustaining beneficial insects. The fact that many of our native species are edible by people too provides an additional incentive to plant them in our yards beyond the ecological rationale.
Join us for a VIRTUAL ONLY illustrated talk with Russ Cohen, author of the book Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, to learn about at least two dozen species of native edible wild plants suitable for adding to your landscape, or nibbling on as you encounter them in other locales. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided, along with edible portions, seasons of availability and preparation methods, as well as guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. Russ will also include a few details regarding some native edible plants he has grown successfully from seed, and the partnerships he has made with conservation groups and others to add edible native plants to their landscapes.
When: Sunday, April 19, 2026
Time: 4-5 pm
Place: Virtual, via zoom

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About Russ
Until his retirement in June of 2015, Russ Cohen’s “day job” was serving as the Rivers Advocate for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration, where one of his areas of expertise was in riparian vegetation. Now Russ has more time to pursue his passionate avocation, which is connecting to nature via his taste buds, and assisting others in doing the same. Russ is playing the role of “Johnny Appleseed” for edible native species. He has set up a small nursery (in Weston + Lincoln, MA) where he grows/keeps hundreds of plants he propagates from seed (some of which he collected himself), as well as obtains from other sources, such as the Native Plant Trust. Over the past decade, Russ has collaborated on over two dozen such projects – partnering with land trusts, cities and towns, schools and colleges, state and federal agencies, organic farms, tribal groups, and others to plant plants from his nursery in appropriate places on their properties (including Fishers Island).

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Webinar ID: 830 7416 5598
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Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers: 40 Years on the Road to Recovery
2026-04-26 16:00 - 17:00
Join us for a VIRTUAL ONLY illustrated talk by wildlife biologist, Maureen Durkin, who will highlight the fascinating ecology and behavior of the Piping Plover – one of our most notable local shorebird species. Hear all about this charismatic little bird, their delicate coastal habitat, and how you can help share our beaches.
When: Sunday, April 26, 2026
Time: 4-5 pm
Place: Virtual, via zoom
Join Zoom WebinarPiping plovers have been the focus of intensive conservation efforts since their listing under the Endangered Species Act in 1986. This is an opportunity to learn about the strides made toward recovery in the last four decades, current management strategies, and the challenges still facing the piping plover across its range.
Maureen Durkin with juvenile oystercatcher
Maureen Durkin is a Rhode Island-based Wildlife Biologist specializing in coastal birds and management of threatened and endangered species. She received her undergraduate degree from Connecticut College, where she had some of her formative academic experiences in ecology in and around Long Island Sound. Maureen became fascinated by shorebirds while working field technician jobs around the Gulf of Mexico after college. She went on to receive her M.S. from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY, conducting her research on the impacts of recreational disturbance to snowy plovers in the Florida Panhandle. She continued working in Florida for several more years through SUNY-ESF, partnering with the National Park Service to conduct research to understand mortality risks and inform management of nesting shorebirds and terns. Maureen returned to New England in 2019, as a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Rhode Island. She oversees the monitoring and management of piping plovers, least terns, and American oystercatchers across southern Rhode Island, and works on a variety of projects related to coastal wildlife management. She also serves as the Piping Plover Recovery Lead for USFWS.
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Webinar ID: 826 6551 3749
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