Henry L. Ferguson Museum

A Most Pivotal Decade: Fishers Island in the 1940s
2021-08-29 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
In this illustrated lecture, HLF Museum Director Pierce Rafferty will reveal much that has been forgotten or was never widely known about the 1940s on Fishers Island.
Sunday, August 29, 2021.
Time: 4 p.m.
In-person at the Movie Theater (and virtual).
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85755336672
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US Navy conducting top secret experiments with anti-submarine detection devices (ASDIC) from a barge off Club Beach during World War II. Photo courtesy of Jim Carpenter.

Civic Association Billboard, Fishers Island Ferry Dock, New London, Conn.
c.1948 Photograph by Al Gordon. Courtesy of the Gordon Family

This billboard encouraging outsider visitations reflects a period when both ends of Fishers Island were in deep financial crisis; the hotels were all shut down, the Fergusons’ ferry company had ceased operations, the Mansion House Cottages were being sold off to individuals, the Fort was all but shuttered, and the clubs couldn’t find enough suitable members to stay functioning. The newly formed Civic Association responded by promoting tourism as a way to increase commerce on and interest in Fishers Island. Shocking!

U-Boats in New England
2021-09-12 16:00 - 17:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
An illustrated talk by maritime historian Eric Wiberg
Sunday, September 12th, 2021
Time: 4-5 p.m.
Starting weeks after Hitler declared war on the United States in mid-December 1941 and lasting until the war with Germany was all but over, 73 German U-Boats sustainably attacked New England waters, from Montauk, N.Y. to the tip of Nova Scotia at Cape Sable. Fifteen percent of these U-boats were sunk by Allied counter-attacks, five surrendered in the region, and three were sunk off New England—Block Island, Massachusetts Bay, and off Nantucket. There were 34 Allied merchant or naval ships sunk by these subs. Over 1,100 men were thrown in the water and 545 of them made it ashore in New England ports and 428 were killed. Importantly, saboteurs were landed at three locations: Long Island, Frenchman’s Bay, Maine and New Brunswick Canada. Wiberg’s talk chronicles these stories and more.
This illustrated talk will be both “In-Person” at the Museum and a Virtual Program. Seating is limited for those who wish to attend live. To guarantee a seat, please register in advance by emailing Pierce Rafferty at fimuseum@fishersisland.net, or by calling the Museum: (631) 788-7239.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
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About Eric Wiberg
Eric Wiberg
Maritime historian Eric Wiberg moved to New England from the Bahamas for boarding school. He became a yacht captain (US Merchant Marine license, 1995), obtained a maritime law degree (2004), and a masters in marine affairs (2005). The founder of Echo Yacht Delivery (1999), Eric sailed over one hundred vessels globally. A Boston College graduate, he has studied geography in Oxford, law in Lisbon, and film in New York. The author of some 20 non-fiction books, his focus is on maritime casualties. He commercially operated a tanker fleet from Singapore, sold shipping news, marketed tugs to Europeans, and briefly salvaged a tanker platform in the Bahamas.

Benefit to Preserve Plum Island
2021-09-18 16:00 - 17:30
As members of the Preserve Plum Island Coalition,
the H.L. Ferguson Museum, the Fishers Island Conservancy,
and the Fishers Island Oyster Farm
invite you to a benefit for
Save the Sound
to support its leading role in the
Campaign to Preserve Plum Island.
We hope that you are able to attend either in-person or virtually.
The afternoon’s program begins with a presentation by
Louise Harrison, Save the Sound’s New York Natural Areas Coordinator.
Ms. Harrison will address why the preservation of Plum Island is paramount, and
how you can join the fight to preserve it for the people and wildlife of our region.
Where: F.I. Movie Theater
When: Saturday, September 18th
Time: 4pm
Immediately followed by a
Fishers Island Oysters & Champagne Reception
for in-person attendees.
A webinar link will be provided soon for virtual attendees.
Louise Harrison is a conservation biologist who has served in federal, state, and county agencies, as well as in leadership and consulting positions for non-profit environmental organizations throughout Long Island. For example, Louise worked on stewardship and habitat restoration as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service liaison to the Long Island Sound Study, identified regionally important natural areas in New York State’s Long Island Sound Coastal Management Program, and was appointed to create and plan the Long Island North Shore Heritage Area by the New York State Assembly. As New York Natural Areas Coordinator, Louise has been at Save the Sound for five years, stationed in Southold. While concentrating on the Plum Island preservation campaign, Louise also has been advancing various land conservation and restoration efforts across Long Island’s North Shore, from Queens to the North Fork.

Bird Bling: How Banding Birds Helps Conservation
2021-09-26 16:00 - 17:00
In this virtual illustrated talk, seabird biologist Adam DiNuovo will discuss how banding reveals the remarkable lives of birds and helps us in our conservation efforts. He will use birds from all over the US as examples, including two species nesting in the northeast.
Adam DiNuovo has been working with seabirds and shorebirds for the last 20 years. Projects have included California Least Terns in San Diego, Piping Plover in the Gulf of Mexico, and American Oystercatchers in VA. He is currently working with seabirds in the Gulf of ME.
NOTE: THIS ILLUSTRATED TALK WAS RESCHEDULED FROM AUGUST
Join the webinar:
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Audubon biologist Adam DiNuovo and a volunteer carefully apply a leg band to a black skimmer chick. Photo by Jean Hall
Black Skimmer banded in 2017. Photo by Jean Hall.
Black Skimmer banded in 2017 with a new chick. Photo by Jean Hall.

Hawk Bird Watch with Maggie Jones
2021-10-02 08:30 - 10:00
H.L. Ferguson Museum invites you to a
HAWK WATCH
with birder and naturalist Maggie Jones
Saturday, October 2nd, 2021
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Location: Museum Parking Lot
We will carpool from the museum to the Airport, where Maggie will lead our guided walk around 8:45 am.
Please dress for the weather and don’t forget your binoculars! Length of walk is one hour to one hour and half. Participant numbers are limited so please RSVP by emailing Pierce Rafferty at fimuseum@fishersisland.net, or by calling the Museum: (631) 788-7239. Your RSVP will be confirmed by Pierce. Please remember to social distance and masks are suggested.

A Penni Sharp Nature Walk is sponsored each year in loving memory of Penelope “Penni” Sharp, birder, botanist & HLFM president from 2003 until 2014.
In 2020 a group of 15 masked and distanced bird watchers got a perfect day for migrating hawks and songbirds (and a few Monarch butterflies and dragonflies) – Northwest winds following a front. Photograph by Pierce Rafferty
Though the osprey is the most often sighted hawk on our list,
we will look for resident and migratory raptors including:
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Golden Eagle
Northern Harrier
Northern Goshawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Merlin
American Kestrel
In addition to hawks, we will keep an eye out for migratory songbirds and all aspects of nature on this morning exploration, including late-blooming wildflowers, butterflies, mushrooms, and early fall foliage and fruits.
For more information on recent sightings at Race Point or if you are curious about bird observations anywhere on the island, please visit the eBird.org platform.
ebird.org

A successful hunt Photograph by Todd McCormack

Osprey winging-it Photograph by Mary P Murphy

Juvenile Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) flying over Fishers Island, January 20, 2021 Photgraph by John Spofford

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), flying over 8th fairway, Fishers Island Club Photograph by Todd McCormack

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk Photograph by Dickie Riegel

Red-tailed Hawk on the Hay Harbor Club Golf Course Photograph by Todd McCormack

Red-tailed Hawk in pine tree Photograph by Justine Kibbe

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) Photograph by Justine Kibbe

FISM Coalition Meeting
2021-10-12 14:30 - 16:00 | Zoom
This FISM Coalition meeting will feature a discussion on possible management actions to include in a seagrass management plan and information on the proposed CT National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR).
Tuesday, October 12th from 2:30pm-4:00pm EST via Zoom.
If you are not a Coalition member, but would still like to join and observe, please email the FISM Coordinator, Connor Jones, at fishersislandseagrass@gmail.com for more details.

Outside Views of Fishers Island
2021-11-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
ILLUSTRATED TALK BY HLFM DIRECTOR, PIERCE RAFFERTY
Most residents of Fishers Island, both year-round and seasonal (the latter formerly known as summer people), tend to think about the island in terms of their own personal feelings and opinions. As someone obsessed with the island’s history, I have for some years now been just as interested in tracking down and gathering information on how the outside world has perceived our fair isle, and I am pleased to revisit the topic this coming Sunday, November 14th, at 4 PM with an in-person and virtual presentation of ‘Outside Views of Fishers Island.’
This ‘Outside Views’ illustrated talk, chock full of intentional and accidental humor, takes the viewer on a rollercoaster ride through history that reveals how Fishers Island evolved into an outsider-phobic, privacy-obsessed outpost while tracing the often-outlandish opinions and descriptions generated by those who scrutinize us from afar.
First presented in 2006, ‘Outside Views’ was given in an expanded version during the 2017 summer season, and more recently to an off-season audience in February 2020. However, even if you’ve seen and heard it before, this conglomeration of offbeat humor and over-the-top history is timeless and worth a second visit.
This talk can be seen either virtually (see link below) or attended in-person at the Museum on the 2nd Floor.
IN-PERSON TALK
If attending in person, please RSVP via email or by telephone (631-788-7239) by Saturday, November 13th, as seating is limited. Masks are required for in-person attendees. I hope to see you there, either way.
VIRTUAL TALK
Date: Sunday, November 14, 2021
Time: 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
No Advance Registration Required
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
JOIN VIRTUAL TALK
Webinar ID: 893 9979 6417
International numbers available:
https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kJ68bt9h4

16th Annual Thanksgiving Trail Clearing & Beach Clean Up
2021-11-26 14:30 - 16:30 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
The Henry L. Ferguson Museum
Presents the
16th Annual Thanksgiving Trail Clearing & Beach Clean Up
(Plus “Oyster After-Party”)
Friday, November 26, 2021
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Museum Trail Clearing 2013, Photo courtesy of Jane Ahrens
WHERE:
Meet at the Museum before proceeding to the Nature Trails and Beach Clearing. Because many of the trails are in great shape, we will be expanding assignments to include invasive control and additional beach clean-ups.
TOOLS:
Please bring tools you are capable of handling effectively and SAFELY.
NO CHAINSAWS.
CLEANING:
We will provide heavy duty garbage bags for beach and path cleaning.
DRESS:
We suggest you wear long pants, long sleeved shirts, socks and gloves to battle thorns and poison ivy.
POST-CLEARING PARTY AT THE MUSEUM
(approximately 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.)
All participants are invited immediately thereafter to enjoy drinks and oysters.
Thanks to Fishers Island Oyster Farm, Summer Shuckers and Bottlerocket for their generous and repeated sponsorship of this festive Island tradition.
During the reception, please check out and enjoy the current annual exhibit “Fishers Island, Naturally” on display, curated by Pierce Rafferty and generously sponsored by Altus Partners and Chubb.
For further information please contact:
Scott Reid
646.431.8536
bsr1265@gmail.com
or
Pierce Rafferty
631.788.7239
fimuseum@fishersisland.net
The Land Trust’s trail system is maintained throughout the year by the museum and volunteer opportunities are also always available.
To learn more about how the Annual Trail Clearing began, please read:
“Trail Clearing: A Labor of Love”

The History of Farming on Fishers Island
2021-12-12 16:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
An encore virtual screening
HLFM Director Pierce Rafferty will host a screening of his recorded illustrated talk ‘The History of Farming on Fishers Island,’ which was co-directed by Marisela La Grave and funded by a generous grant from the Jeanann Gray Dunlap Foundation, this Sunday, December 12th, at 4 PM. Please note that this talk was first presented virtually in August 2020.
Farming was our island’s dominant economic activity for more than two centuries following the first European settlement in the 1640s, displaced at the west end by resort development beginning in the 1870s and at the east end by the Olmsted Plan in the mid-1920s. There were dairy farms, gamekeeping farms, and poultry farms. Before tennis and golf, there were cows, sheep, and chickens!
Join Pierce this Sunday, December 12, 2021, at 4 PM, for a tour of this fascinating all-but-forgotten history that includes a visit to the Fishers Island Oyster Farm, the last surviving farm on Fishers Island.
THE HISTORY OF FARMING ON FISHERS ISLAND
Encore Virtual Screening with HLFM Director Pierce Rafferty
Date: Sunday, December 12, 2021
Time: 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
No Advance Registration Required
Click to Join Webinar
Webinar ID: 893 9979 6417
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/k7sC1ZPmo

Farmers haying on Middle Farms Flats, circa 1920 Photograph by Harold Baker. Museum Collection. This photograph captures one aspect of past farming activities on what is today the Matty Mathiessen Wildlife Sanctuary, Middle Farms.

The Bethlehem, PA – Fishers Island Connection
2022-01-16 16:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
Sunday, January 16th, Museum Director Pierce Rafferty will host a rebroadcast of ‘The Bethlehem, PA – Fishers Island Connection,” a video that chronicles the remarkable story of Fishers Island’s once strong but now all-but-forgotten connections to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
This in-depth exploration of a rich vein of Fishers Island history focuses on the Bartlett family (owners of the Bartlett Cottages), the Hoppes family (owners of the Mononotto Inn), and the Linderman brothers (two industrialists who built the “Garp” house and today’s Baccile house). Featured are historical subplots with dramatic twists, turns and sudden reversals worthy of the period melodramas of the early 1900s.
This video, co-directed by HLFM Director Pierce Rafferty and Marisela La Grave, chronicles the story of Fishers Island’s once strong but now all-but-forgotten connections to Bethlehem, PA. It was first shown in 2020. Pierce will answer questions after the presentation.
ENCORE VIRTUAL SCREENING
Date: Sunday, January 16, 2022
Time: 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
No Advance Registration Required.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Join Webinar
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Webinar ID:
859 4928 3418
International numbers available:
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The Bartlett Cottages, circa 1890’s

Mononotto Inn, Fishers Island, NY, operated from 1893-1939. This hotel was built for and run by the Hoppes family of Bethlehem, PA. until the early 1920s. It was unceremoniously razed in 1939.

The Garrett B. Linderman house, Fishers Island, NY, photograph dated 1902. Mr. G.B. Linderman was a prominent businessman of the Lehigh Valley section of PA. A series of business miscalculations and serious errors in judgment triggered a precipitous decline in his fortunes.

Robert P. Linderman house overlooking Hay Harbor, Fishers Island, NY, completed circa 1900. At the time this house was built, Mr. R.P. Linderman of South Bethlehem, PA. was president of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Although only 36 at the time this house was completed, a tragedy ended his life before he reached 40.

Maritime Smuggling on Long Island: From Pirates to Rumrunners
2022-03-20 16:00 - 17:00 | Zoom
Join us online for a virtual illustrated lecture by historian, author and former Newsday reporter Bill Bleyer to discover why pirates like Captain Kidd were attracted to Long Island at the turn of the 18th century and how a visit by Kidd to Gardiners Island led to him dying on the gallows in London. And learn why Long Island was so attractive to bootleggers during Prohibition that the Atlantic Ocean off the South Shore became a crowded “Rum Row” that was frequented by bootleggers like William “The Real McCoy” McCoy who supplied gangsters like Al Capone and Dutch Schultz.
Bill Bleyer was a prizewinning staff writer for Newsday for 33 years specializing in history and maritime issues before retiring in 2014 to write books and freelance for the newspaper and magazines. He is co-author, with Harrison Hunt, of Long Island and the Civil War (The History Press, 2015). He is the author of Sagamore Hill: Theodore Roosevelt’s Summer White House (The History Press, 2016); Fire Island Lighthouse: Long Island’s Welcoming Beacon (The History Press, 2017), and Long Island and the Sea: A Maritime History, (The History Press 2019); and George Washington’s Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide (The History Press, 2021). The Hofstra University graduate has taught economics and journalism there and history at Webb Institute, the naval architecture college in Glen Cove.
Virtual Presentation. Advance Registration Not Required.
Please click the button below to join the webinar:
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Illustration from p. 161 of Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates (1921). From Wikimedia Commons.

Season of the Osprey
2022-04-07 18:00 | Zoom
Jacob Steinberg. Photo courtesy of John Steinberg
Thursday, April 7 at 6pm, the Connecticut Audubon Society Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center will be hosting a virtual talk with filmmaker Jacob Steinberg, Connecticut native and wildlife cinematographer who produced and directed “Season of the Osprey,” a film about the cycle of the lives of the osprey, shot in the marshes of Old Lyme and Greenwich over a period of seven years.
Register in advance to receive a link to attend both the live discussion on Zoom and a private link to view the film in advance.
REGISTER

Questions? Contact the Connecticut Audubon Society at rtpec@ctaudubon.org or call 860-598-4218.

Daffodil Weekend: Demonstration
2022-05-07 10:30 | Fishers Island Community Center, 66 Hound Ln, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
Whether you are planning to plant bulbs in a fresh, newly prepared empty garden, or whether you are adding them to an already existing one, Brent and Becky Heath, 3rd generation bulb growers and owners of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs from Gloucester, Virginia, will have the answers for you!
May 7 and 8, DAFFODIL WEEKEND: Three Associated Events
Saturday, 10:30AM, Community Center (Elizabeth Reid)
Demonstration, Questions, and Box Lunch with Brent and Becky Heath
$20, reservations, please, helenstreed@aol.com or (804) 539-4040
Saturday, 3:00PM, Ferguson Museum (Pierce Rafferty)
Illustrated Lecture “Bulbs as Companion Plants” by Brent Heath
Sunday, 11:00AM “Hooverness”, Armstrong Garden
Walking Tour with Brent, Whitney, and Mike
After seeing and experiencing the demonstration, the talk, or the walk, you’ll leave with information and inspiration to produce a garden that you, your neighbors and friends will enjoy all year.
With exquisite images illustrating the seminar, they will introduce you to the best of the best…the right bulbs for the right spots. They’ll show you how to combine bulbs, perennials, annuals, ground covers and flowering shrubs that will create just the feeling you want to generate for three seasons in your garden.
Brent Heath
Brent grew up in Gloucester. He is a naturalist, an author, a photographer, a speaker, a daffodil hybridizer and a gardener. Because of achievements in all of these areas of expertise, he has won many gold medal awards from various organizations in the horticultural industry.
One of Brent’s greatest joys is sharing his love of all things natural in the world and inspiring people of all ages and experiences to look at the world around them in a different, eye-opening way. He has helped them understand how to take care of the earth for the next crop and/or for future generations. His plans for the future are to continue to play in his garden and care for the earth while encouraging others to do the same!
Brent helped Tom Armstrong layout the daffodil fields at Hooverness.

Daffodil Weekend: Bulbs as Companion Plants
2022-05-07 15:00 - 16:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
Whether you are planning to plant bulbs in a fresh, newly prepared empty garden, or whether you are adding them to an already existing one, Brent and Becky Heath, 3rd generation bulb growers and owners of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs from Gloucester, Virginia, will have the answers for you!
May 7 and 8, DAFFODIL WEEKEND
Saturday, 10:30AM, Community Center (Elizabeth Reid)
Demonstration, Questions, and Box Lunch with Brent and Becky Heath
$20, reservations, please, helenstreed@aol.com or (804) 539-4040
Saturday, 3:00PM, Ferguson Museum (Pierce Rafferty)
Illustrated Lecture “Bulbs as Companion Plants” by Brent Heath
Sunday, 11:00AM “Hooverness”, Armstrong Garden
Walking Tour with Brent, Whitney, and Mike
After seeing and experiencing the demonstration, the talk, or the walk, you’ll leave with information and inspiration to produce a garden that you, your neighbors and friends will enjoy all year.
With exquisite images illustrating the seminar, they will introduce you to the best of the best…the right bulbs for the right spots. They’ll show you how to combine bulbs, perennials, annuals, ground covers and flowering shrubs that will create just the feeling you want to generate for three seasons in your garden.
Brent Heath
Brent grew up in Gloucester. He is a naturalist, an author, a photographer, a speaker, a daffodil hybridizer and a gardener. Because of achievements in all of these areas of expertise, he has won many gold medal awards from various organizations in the horticultural industry.
One of Brent’s greatest joys is sharing his love of all things natural in the world and inspiring people of all ages and experiences to look at the world around them in a different, eye-opening way. He has helped them understand how to take care of the earth for the next crop and/or for future generations. His plans for the future are to continue to play in his garden and care for the earth while encouraging others to do the same!
Brent helped Tom Armstrong layout the daffodil fields at Hooverness.

Daffodil Weekend: Hooverness Walking Tour
2022-05-08 11:00 | Hooverness

2022 Annual Exhibitions Opening Reception
2022-06-25 17:00 - 19:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
The Henry L. Ferguson Museum Opens the 2022 Season with a new Annual Exhibition Year Round: A Celebration of Community as well as two complementary Special Exhibitions.
The main show will chronicle many aspects of the Island’s year-round community with a focus on work, school activities, recreation, and annual events that help bring the Island together. The work-related imagery will cover a range of island institutions and businesses over the past century and will include portraits of many island residents taken by island photographers.
Please join us for our opening reception at the museum Saturday, June 25th from 5-7 pm.
Please note: The main exhibit will be on display virtually later this summer.

SPECIAL EXHIBITION: Winter will be on display on the Second Floor and an expanded version is on display virtually on this website.
The complementary show will focus on artistic photos that portray the many facets of the island in the grip of snow and ice.
Guard shack in winter, February 1989. Photo by Charlie Morgan. Museum Collection.

ENTER WINTER VIRTUAL EXHIBIT

SPECIAL EXHIBITION: A Collection of Winter Paintings by Rauno Joks will be on display in the Natural History Gallery.
Rauno Joks, was a visiting doctor on Fishers Island in the mid 2010’s. Dr. Joks painted a variety of winters scenes throughout Fishers Island.

Pheasant in Heavy Snow, acrylic on board

Winter Cove Fishers Island, oil on canvas

Chocomount Beach in January, oil on canvas

Kid’s Guide to Tree ID
2022-07-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
An essential element of camping is being deep in the forest, surrounded by trees. How many of those trees do you know? What animals depend on those trees for survival?
Practice your tree identification skills, meet several DPNC animals who rely on trees in the wild and do a leaf rubbing craft.
When: Wednesday, July 6, 2022.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up. Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum. Attendance is limited so advance registration is recommended. Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fishersisland.net (note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

Turtles of Fishers Island and the Surrounding Region
2022-07-10 16:00 - 17:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
Illustrated talk by Kim Hargrave, education director of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, Mystic, Conn.
Time: Sunday, July 10, 2022 @ 4:00 – 5:00 P.M.
Place: In-person at the Museum, 2nd Floor
Incredible creatures, turtles have survived eons with remarkably little change. Kim’s talk takes a close look at the lives and habitats of turtles who live on land and in the waters of Fishers Island and surrounding region. Learn more about the threats they are facing due to habitat loss, climate change and the pet trade and what we can do to help.
An adult program suitable for children aged 10 and older.

Snapping turtle. Courtesy of Justine Kibbe

Eastern painted turtles at Duck Pond. Courtesy of Steve Zettler

Eastern painted turtles. Courtesy of Connor Jones

Fishy Fun!
2022-07-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
Slimy, scaly, slippery and speedy, fish are a standard part of most aquatic habitats.
Learn about fish anatomy, lifecycle and interesting adaptations. Check out art that fishermen create with the fish they catch and practice making your own fish prints.
When: Wednesday, July 13, 2022.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up. Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum. Attendance is limited so advance registration is recommended. Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fishersisland.net (note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

Nature, Culture, and Democratic Space: The Resonance of Olmsted in a 21st Century Practice
2022-07-17 16:00 - 17:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
Illustrated talk by Thomas Woltz, Principal of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW), who will discuss the resonance of Frederick Law Olmsted’s work and legacy in contemporary landscape architecture as practiced by his firm.
Inspired by Olmsted’s legacy of imbuing landscapes with culture, utility, and beauty, NBW applies a research-based approach across a wide array of projects, including botanic gardens, cultural and historic landscapes, and public parks. NBW designs respond to each site as they are created through a process of deep listening to the land, its ecology, and the history it holds.
Illustrative case studies from the firm’s portfolio will include Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, a botanic garden originally conceived and planned by Edward Bok and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr; Sylvester Manor in Shelter Island Heights, New York, a historic educational farm with rich cultural and ecological history; and Memorial Park in Houston, Texas, comprehensive planning of a 1,500-acre urban wilderness park, one of NBW’s most ambitious undertakings.
Time: Sunday, July 17, 2022 @ 4:00 – 5:00 P.M.
Place: In-person at the Museum, 2nd Floor.
NOTICE: DUE TO LIMITED SEATING, THE “IN-PERSON” RESERVATIONS ARE FULLY SUBSCRIBED AT THIS TIME. IF YOU DID NOT PREVIOUSLY SIGN UP, YOU CAN STILL ATTEND THE ONLINE WEBINAR.
Please note that this talk will not be recorded.
For virtual access, no advance registration is required. Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83364523424
Webinar ID: 833 6452 3424
International numbers available:
https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kccta2rImC
Thomas L. Woltz, FASLA, CLARB
Over the past two decades of practice, Woltz and his team have developed a unique approach to the designed landscape using ecological and cultural research as the foundation for designing meaningful contemporary landscapes that inspire deep connections between people and the natural world. Public landscapes in the US and abroad form the majority of the firm’s design work. These include parks, botanic gardens, arboreta, and educational and cultural campuses. The balance of the work is related to conservation of biodiversity within large productive and agricultural landscapes.
Woltz was educated at the University of Virginia and holds Masters degrees in Landscape Architecture and Architecture. He also holds an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the State University of New York, Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. He was recognized with the Land for People Award by the Trust for Public Land in 2019 and as one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company in 2017. The Wall Street Journal named him the Design Innovator of the Year in 2013. Woltz currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Cultural Landscape Foundation.
Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales, FL (2013 – 2016)
Bok Tower Gardens has been a place of inspiration for the people of Central Florida since its inception in 1929. Motivated by the beauty and diversity of Central Florida, philanthropist Edward Bok purchased a large tract of scrub and pine land to create a bird sanctuary and a place that would “touch the soul with its beauty and quiet.” Although plantings have changed over time, the core of Bok Tower Gardens has remained remarkably unmodified since Edward Bok and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. began collaborating in 1922.
In 2012, NBW was brought to implement several projects identified during their recently completed master planning process. The landscape architect extended and advanced initiatives from the plan, prompting the design of a series of new garden spaces and improving access and circulation throughout while preserving and integrating the cultural landscape of Bok and Olmsted Jr. The new gardens engage and orient visitors, showcase native plants in both natural settings and domestic landscapes, and integrate educational narratives of species interdependence and ecosystem well being.

Bok Tower Gardens, NBW. Photo © Barrett Doherty

Bok Tower Gardens, NBW. Photo © Barrett Doherty

FIND 2022
2022-07-18 13:00 - 16:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
FISHERS ISLAND NATURE DISCOVERY (FIND)
A Week (5 DAYS) of Learning Programs for Young Island Naturalists Ages 5 to 10.
FIND introduces children to environmental topics that pertain to the natural history and stewardship of our Island. Using the Ferguson Museum as a base, the program provides an indoor/outdoor learning experience. Led by professional educators, the children discover natural history through a combination of hands-on exploration, observation, and interpretation.
WHEN: This summer the FIND program will take place during the afternoon in July. The dates are July 18 to July 22; Monday through Friday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
WHO: 20 children max, all between the ages of 5 to 10. Attendees will be split into two groups, one older and one younger. Each group will be led by two educators from the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, assisted at times by guest naturalists.
WHERE: Location will vary based on the daily plan, but will include Fishers Island’s beaches, woods, and bodies of water. The programs will utilize the Ferguson Museum as a home base. Programs will split time indoors and outdoors and will include art and science projects related to the subject matter.
COST: The cost per participant is $350 for the week.
REGISTRATION: Please call the Museum (631-788-7239) or e-mail fimuseum@fishersisland.net to sign up your child/children.
EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY INDICATED YOUR INTEREST IN SIGNING UP YOUR CHILD OR CHILDREN, PLEASE RECONFIRM.
This is a wonderful opportunity for young children to develop a love of nature and ecology through participatory learning both at the Museum and in the field.

Registration Form

FIND 2019

Forty Years of Oyster Farming on Fishers Island
2022-07-24 16:00 - 17:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
Illustrated lecture by Steve Malinowski
Time: Sunday July 24, 2022 @ 4:00 – 5:00 P.M.
Place: In-person at the Museum, 2nd Floor
NOTICE: DUE TO LIMITED SEATING, THE “IN-PERSON” RESERVATIONS ARE FULLY SUBSCRIBED AT THIS TIME. IF YOU DID NOT PREVIOUSLY SIGN UP, YOU CAN STILL ATTEND THE ONLINE WEBINAR.
You’ve probably enjoyed the fruits of the Fishers Island Oyster Farm’s harvest at the Museum opening, at a restaurant, at a club, or in your own kitchen, but how much do you really know about the day-to-day workings of an oyster farm? From storms to rising water temps and run-off, to sudden global pandemics, oyster farming is a notoriously difficult industry that constantly keeps farmers on their toes and asks them to rise to new challenges—those that survive and thrive, do so by innovation and perseverance.
Join us this coming Sunday, July 24, for “Forty Years of Farming Oysters on Fishers Island,” an illustrated talk by Steve Malinowski discussing how they operate a thriving sustainable seafood farm as the work changes with the seasons and the unexpected is always around the corner.
FOR VIRTUAL ACCESS, NO ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
JOIN WEBINAR
Webinar ID: 837 2719 4111
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kccta2rImC
Steve and Sarah Malinowski have been operating the Fishers Island Oyster Farm since 1981. Within the New England oyster industry, they are reverentially referred to as “dinosaurs” because they’ve been around for so long! A number of young oyster farmers operating today got their start on Fishers Island. Steve and Sarah are respected leaders in the sustainable seafood movement and founding members of the Shellfish Growers Climate Coalition. Their seed and market oysters also have the distinction of being Fishers Island’s only commercial export.

BENEFIT PREMIERE: The History of Race Rock Light
2022-07-26 16:00 - 17:00 | Fishers Island Theater
The H.L. Ferguson Museum
invites you to the premier of
“The History of Race Rock Light”
This 45-minute video directed by Marisela La Grave and Pierce Rafferty chronicles the remarkable story of how a lighthouse came to be erected in the 1870s on a dangerous submerged ledge amidst some of the most unpredictable and swiftest moving tides on the East Coast.
Date: Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Time: 4 p.m.
Place: Fishers Island Theater
Immediately followed by a
Fishers Island Oysters & Champagne Reception
for in-person attendees

Please note, this presentation will not be virtual.
We hope that you are able to attend this event to benefit the New London Maritime Society’s restoration and preservation plan for Race Rock Light.
Admission to the premiere is free, but we will be “passing the hat” for the benefit of the New London Maritime Society’s restoration and preservation plan for Race Rock Light. Susan Tamulevich, the director of the New London Maritime Society (NLMS), owner of Race Rock Light, and the Preservation Project’s architect, Walter Sedovic of Walter Sedovic Architects, will speak about the restoration project. Click below to access the Race Rock Light restoration assessment which outlines the nearly $3M restoration project and details the projected work and why it is both important and necessary.
Race Rock Light Restoration Assessment

Any funds raised at the Theater benefit will go toward “Landing Integrity and Safety,” the first priority in the restoration assessment report. If writing a check, please make it payable to the New London Maritime Society with ‘Race Rock Preservation’ in the memo section. NLMS will also be accepting cash and, Wi-Fi-willing, credit card donations. NLMS is a non-profit, 501 (c) 3 organization. All donations are tax-deductible. If mailing a check, send to: New London Maritime Society, 150 Bank Street, New London, CT 06320.
The New London Maritime Society is dedicated to lighthouse preservation. In addition to Race Rock (1878), the Maritime Society also owns New London Harbor Lighthouse (1760, rebuilt 1801) and New London Ledge Light (1909)—all active aids to navigation. Together these are the three historic beacons leading from the ocean to New London harbor.
For those attending, the Champagne & Fishers Island Oyster reception will immediately follow in the FI Conservancy’s Demonstration Garden, or, in the case of rain, under the marquee awning of the Theater. Masks are optional but we do recommend social distancing.

Race Rock Light photo by Gail Cypherd

Aquatic Adaptations!
2022-07-27 14:00 - 15:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
Learn about the amazing creatures that live in pond habitats and the adaptations that allow them to navigate their aquatic homes.
Meet several of DPNC’s resident pond animals, play a snapping turtle game and make a frog call craft.
When: Wednesday, July 27, 2022.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up. Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum. Attendance is limited so advance registration is recommended. Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fishersisland.net (note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau
2022-07-31 16:00 - 17:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
Illustrated talk by Ben Shattuck
Time: Sunday, July 31, 2022 @ 4:00 – 5:00 P.M.
Place: In-Person at the Museum, 2nd Floor
Book signing to follow.
NOTE: DUE TO LIMITED SEATING, IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO ATTEND “IN-PERSON” PLEASE RESERVE YOUR SEAT FOR THIS PROGRAM BY CALLING (631) 788-7239 OR EMAILING THE MUSEUM.
On an autumn morning in 1849, Henry David Thoreau stepped out his front door to walk the beaches of Cape Cod. Over a century and a half later, Ben Shattuck does the same. With little more than a loaf of bread, brick of cheese, and a notebook, Shattuck sets out to retrace Thoreau’s path through the Cape’s outer beaches, from the elbow to Provincetown’s fingertip.
ABOUT SIX WALKS
Named a Must Read Book of Spring 2022 by Town & Country Magazine and a Most Anticipated Book of the Year at The Rumpus. This is the first of six journeys taken by Shattuck, each one inspired by a walk once taken by Henry David Thoreau. After the Cape, Shattuck goes up Mount Katahdin and Mount Wachusett, down the coastline of his hometown, and then through the Allagash. Along the way, Shattuck encounters unexpected characters, landscapes, and stories, seeing for himself the restorative effects that walking can have on a dampened spirit. Over years of following Thoreau, Shattuck finds himself uncovering new insights about family, love, friendship, and fatherhood, and understanding more deeply the lessons walking can offer through life’s changing seasons.
Intimate, entertaining, and beautifully crafted, Six Walks is a resounding tribute to the ways walking in nature can inspire us all.

Date: Sunday, July 31, 2022.
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Museum, 2nd Floor.
For virtual access, no advance registration is required.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81777199197
Webinar ID: 817 7719 9197
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kccta2rImC
ABOUT BEN SHATTUCK
Ben Shattuck, a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, is a recipient of a PEN America Story Prize and a 2019 Pushcart Prize. He was a Lighthouse Works fellow in 2013. Six Walks, his first book, is a Wall Street Journal Best Book of Spring, a New York Times Best Book of Summer, a Town & Country Magazine Must Read Book of Spring, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Week, a Rumpus Most Anticipated Book of the Year, and a recent New England Bestseller. He lives with his wife and daughter on the coast of Massachusetts, where he owns and runs a general store built in 1793.

Water Birds
2022-08-03 14:00 - 15:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
Learn about the specialized beaks, feet and feathers of birds adapted to living in and around the water.
Inspect interesting bird artifacts and take part in a hands-on bird beak activity.
When: Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up. Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum. Attendance is limited so advance registration is recommended. Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fishersisland.net (note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).
PHOTO CREDIT: Adult Green Heron, Oyster Pond by Justine Kibbe
