Henry L. Ferguson Museum

U-Boats in New England
2021-09-12 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | 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:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81932105776
Join webinar

Or One tap mobile :
US: +16465588656,,81932105776# or +13017158592,,81932105776#
Or Telephone:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Webinar ID: 819 3210 5776
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcbGNWJnI3

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.

A Most Pivotal Decade: Fishers Island in the 1940s
2021-08-29 16:00 - 17:00 | 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
Or One tap mobile :
US: +16465588656,,85755336672# or +13017158592,,85755336672#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 9128
Webinar ID: 857 5533 6672
International numbers available:
https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keIXOyfFvD

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!

Pollination Appreciation
2021-08-25 14:00 - 15:00
Pollinators love summer flowers! Learn about common and surprising pollinators and discover why plants are not the only ones that rely on these hard workers.
Get some pointers for attracting pollinators to your backyard!
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up.
Wednesday, August 25, 2021.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum. Attendee numbers are limited so advance registration is required.
Face masks for young attendees are required. Vaccinated adults are welcome to attend without masks while outdoors on the deck but must wear masks within the Museum. Those who are unvaccinated must wear masks in all locations while on Museum property.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fisherisland.net
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

FI Seagrass Management Informational Webinar
2021-08-24 17:00 - 18:00 | Zoom
As an active partner and co-chair of the Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition, the Museum is pleased to promote the dedicated work taking place to protect the Island’s seagrass. As such, we encourage you to read about the plan that FISM is developing to preserve and manage local seagrass beds by registering for an upcoming FISM webinar and completing the input survey. Details below.
The Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition will be holding its third informational webinar of the summer from 5-6pm EST on Tuesday, August 24th. This presentation will review the Coalition’s activities spanning the past year and encourage community involvement in the drafting of a seagrass management plan for the island. Webinar attendees will learn how they can provide personal comments and input so that the management plan is representative of all users of the island’s coastal waters.
Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XoPcHdl-RGGmt0nar9PxdQ
If you cannot attend this session, there is a webinar recording posted on the FISM website. Also, be on the lookout for in-person outreach events taking place both on and off-island!
https://www.fiseagrass.org/fism-plan
Questions can be sent to FISM project coordinator, Connor Jones, at fishersislandseagrass@gmail.com
Survey
The Fishers Island Seagrass Management Coalition is developing a plan to preserve and manage seagrass, a valuable but threatened marine resource that supports commercial and recreational fishing, ecosystem biodiversity and health, and the beauty of Fishers Island. And they need to hear from YOU! Here’s what you can do: FILL OUT our Public Input survey to inform the Coalition on how to best protect seagrass meadows and the benefits they provide for people and wildlife, while still allowing traditional uses:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSclaIXFDLm3C9GEkg4N8LuIRtwobRtB62mvidAvNJM-MJUPvA/viewform

Animal Tails
2021-08-18 14:00 - 15:00
What special abilities do tails give animals? Learn about animals like beavers, opossums, squirrels and more. Discover how their super-powered tails help them survive in their specific habitats.
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up.
Wednesday, August 18, 2021.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum. Attendee numbers are limited so advance registration is required.
Face masks for young attendees are required. Vaccinated adults are welcome to attend without masks while outdoors on the deck but must wear masks within the Museum. Those who are unvaccinated must wear masks in all locations while on Museum property.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fisherisland.net
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).
Opossum On The Ground. Public Domain photo by Sheila Brown

FI Seagrass Management Informational Webinar
2021-08-17 17:00 - 18:00 | Zoom
As an active partner and co-chair of the Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition, the Museum is pleased to promote the dedicated work taking place to protect the Island’s seagrass. As such, we encourage you to read about the plan that FISM is developing to preserve and manage local seagrass beds by registering for an upcoming FISM webinar and completing the input survey. Details below.
The Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition will be holding its second informational webinar of the summer from 5-6pm EST on Tuesday, August 17th. This presentation will review the Coalition’s activities spanning the past year and encourage community involvement in the drafting of a seagrass management plan for the island. Webinar attendees will learn how they can provide personal comments and input so that the management plan is representative of all users of the island’s coastal waters.
Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bYWH9uWBTMiris9O3UutJg
If you cannot attend this session, there is a webinar recording posted on the FISM website. Also, be on the lookout for in-person outreach events taking place both on and off-island!
https://www.fiseagrass.org/fism-plan
Questions can be sent to FISM project coordinator, Connor Jones, at fishersislandseagrass@gmail.com
Survey
The Fishers Island Seagrass Management Coalition is developing a plan to preserve and manage seagrass, a valuable but threatened marine resource that supports commercial and recreational fishing, ecosystem biodiversity and health, and the beauty of Fishers Island. And they need to hear from YOU! Here’s what you can do: FILL OUT our Public Input survey to inform the Coalition on how to best protect seagrass meadows and the benefits they provide for people and wildlife, while still allowing traditional uses:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSclaIXFDLm3C9GEkg4N8LuIRtwobRtB62mvidAvNJM-MJUPvA/viewform

iNaturalist Workshop with Murray Fisher
2021-08-17 14:00 - 15:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
In 2019 Murray Fisher, founder of the New York Harbor School and Billion Oyster Project, launched an effort to observe, identify and catalog every species of organism on Fishers Island. The project utilizes the iNaturalist platform and app to build a Fishers Island biodiversity database from crowd-sourced photographs of all our living organisms. This is where your help is essential.
Join Murray Tuesday, August 17, for a workshop about how and why biodiversity matters on Fishers Island, and about how you can help this exciting project by recording and sharing your observations on the iNaturalist Fishers Island Biodiversity Project webpage via the iNaturalist app.
Please bring your camera or iPhone to the workshop.
Fishers Island, iNaturalist
Fishers Island is undoubtedly a place of great natural beauty—on our beaches, in our marshes, woodlands, grasslands, and even our own backyards. But what range of species live here? We can fairly easily observe the wide variety of plants, birds and mammals with which we share our island, but most people miss the smaller things. Luckily, a remarkable platform named iNaturalist has been developed to help users identify any living organism. It is brilliantly simple to use. Users upload a photograph (from their phone or computer) and the platform’s image recognition software will guess an identity for it. Then that “observation” is automatically shared with nearly two million users, including specialists, who can help confirm the identity of the species. iNaturalist allows users to not only identify any living organism, but to keep a catalog of everything the user has seen. It also facilitates the creation of projects like “Fishers Island Biodiversity” that group observations based on time and geographic parameters.
This gallery is a small sampling of the many Fishers Island iNaturalist observations that have reached Research Grade status, meaning that they are shared with the Global Biodiversity Database and can be used by scientists and policy makers when regulating and managing species. More are on display in the museum as part of our Annual Exhibition and on this website.
The following observers have photographs on display: Jane T. Ahrens, Kit Briggs, Marnie Briggs, Tracy Brock, Benjamin de Menil, Jamie Doucette, Murray Fisher, gerardwayscatmitch, Stephanie Hall, Michele Klimczak, Frank Laskowski, lydbug14, Sara Maysles, Foster McBride, Terry McNamara, Dr. Adam B. Mitchell, Mary P. Murphy, Linda Musser, Kristen Peterson, Phoebe Polk, Alex Pollack, Pierce Rafferty, Laird Reed, Alexa Rosenberg, Jack Schneider, and Harry Yerkes.
We thank each and everyone of you!
Please go to iNaturalist.com to see thousands more observations of the flora and fauna of Fishers Island by simply searching for our location.

FIND 2021
2021-08-16 09:00 - 2021-08-20 12:00
FISHERS ISLAND NATURE DISCOVERY (FIND)
A Week of Learning Programs for Young Island Naturalists Ages 7 to 11
FIND returns after a one-year absence with a myriad of environmental topics that pertain to the natural history and stewardship of our island!
Using the Ferguson Museum as a base, the programs will provide an indoor/outdoor learning experience that introduces our children to the Island’s natural resources and some of the challenges we face in maintaining its fragile ecology. Led by professional educators, the children will discover the Island’s natural history through a combination of hands-on exploration, observation, and interpretation.
WHEN: One week from August 16 – 20; Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.
WHO: 20 children max, all between the ages of 7 to 11. 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 – utilizing 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: $350/per participant for the week.
REGISTRATION: Please call the Museum (631-788-7239) or e-mail fimuseum@fishersisland.net to sign up your child/children. A registration form will be e-mailed to you.
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.

FIND 2019

Rare Species and Natural Communities of Fishers Island
2021-08-15 16:00 - 17:00 | Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Ave, Fishers Island, NY, 06390, United States
An illustrated talk by Matthew Schlesinger, Chief Zoologist, New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP).
Matthew Schlesinger, New York Natural Heritage Program
NYNHP is working with the Henry L. Ferguson Museum to conduct a two-year biodiversity survey of the Museum’s Land Trust properties. Building on the island’s legacy of natural history work and more recent biodiversity observations, NYNHP scientists are conducting focused surveys for rare plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, bats, and other species. They are also mapping the Land Trust’s ecosystems.
On Sunday, August 15, at 4 PM, Matthew Schlesinger’s presentation will detail some of these survey techniques and interesting discoveries from the first half of their 2021 field season. It will be a fascinating exposé of who and what is living in our backyards, and of interest to anyone who would like to know more about the unique and diverse flora and fauna all around us.
Sunday, August 15, 2021.
Time: 4-5 p.m.
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.

Juvenile Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata). Photo by by Matthew Schlesinger

Slender Blue Iris (Iris primatica) Photo by Robert H. Mohlenbrock USDA NRCS. 1995.

Needham’s skimmer (Libellula needhami). Photo by Jesse W. Jaycox

Tortoise and the Hare
2021-08-11 14:00 - 15:00
Slow and steady wins the race! Meet a box turtle and a bunny that make their home at DPNC. Learn about the adaptations of these very different animals. Discover whether the fable is really true.
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up.
Wednesday, August 11, 2021.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum. Attendee numbers are limited so advance registration is required.
Face masks for young attendees are required. Vaccinated adults are welcome to attend without masks while outdoors on the deck but must wear masks within the Museum. Those who are unvaccinated must wear masks in all locations while on Museum property.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fisherisland.net
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center resident Box Turtle.

Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center resident bunny Cinnamon.

Common Loon Restoration Efforts in Southern New England
2021-08-08 16:00 - 17:00
Virtual illustrated talk by wildlife research biologist, Lucas Savoy.
Lucas Savoy is the Loon Program Director at the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI), a Maine-based non-profit organization that focuses on wildlife conservation. Along with partnering organizations, BRI wildlife biologists have developed a technique to rear Common Loon chicks and safely transport them for release in areas of southern New England where loons have been removed from the landscape for more than 100 years. The multi-year project has already achieved exciting milestone moments and the future for successful loon restoration is bright.
Sunday, August 8, 2021.
Time: 4 p.m.
Virtual Program.
Measuring and banding a loon. Courtesy of of Biodiversity Research Institute.
Loon restoration: the final release. Courtesy of Biodiversity Research Institute.

Owl Prowl
2021-08-04 14:00 - 15:00
Come dissect an owl pellet and meet a resident owl. Learn about the life cycles and amazing adaptations of these remarkable birds.
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up.
Wednesday, August 4, 2021.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum. Attendee numbers are limited so advance registration is required.
Face masks for young attendees are required. Vaccinated adults are welcome to attend without masks while outdoors on the deck but must wear masks within the Museum. Those who are unvaccinated must wear masks in all locations while on Museum property.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fisherisland.net
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

Bats of Our Region
2021-08-01 16:00 - 17:00
This virtual illustrated talk by Kim Hargrave, Education Director of the DPNC, reveals that bats are critical animals to local ecosystems worldwide.
During the summer they actively consume night-flying insects. One little brown bat can eat 60 medium-sized moths or over 1,000 mosquito sized insects in one night! Learn all about our nocturnal neighbors and which species are native to the area.
An adult program suitable for older, interested children.
Sunday, August 1, 2021.
Time: 4 p.m.
Virtual Program
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Join Webinar
Or One tap mobile :
US: +16465588656,,86864520238# or +13017158592,,86864520238#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Webinar ID: 868 6452 0238
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kVFiLLxOY

Got to Get Away!
2021-07-28 14:00 - 15:00
Animals have amazing survival strategies: climbing to incredible heights, digging nests and burrows, and outswimming predators.
Learn about local animals that practice these strategies and discover the adaptations that make survival possible.
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up.
Wednesday, July 28, 2021.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum. Attendee numbers are limited so advance registration is required.
Face masks for young attendees are required. Vaccinated adults are welcome to attend without masks while outdoors on the deck but must wear masks within the Museum. Those who are unvaccinated must wear masks in all locations while on Museum property.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fisherisland.net
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

FISM Outreach Webinar
2021-07-27 12:00 - 13:00
The Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition will be holding its first informational webinar of the summer from 12-1pm EST. This presentation will review the Coalition’s activities spanning the past year and encourage community involvement in the drafting of a seagrass management plan for the island.
Webinar attendees will learn how they can provide personal comments and input so that the management plan is representative of users of the island’s coastal waters.

Register

If you cannot attend this session, there will be other webinars scheduled for August that will cover the same material. Also be on the lookout for in-person outreach events taking place both on and off-island!

Vernal Pools
2021-07-25 16:00 - 17:00
This illustrated talk by Bruce Fellman focuses on amazing life in the temporary wetlands known as vernal pools.
Sunday, July 25, 2021
Time: 4 p.m.
Virtual Program + In-person (SEATING LIMITED TO 35 PEOPLE)
To guarantee a seat, please register in advance: fimuseum@fishersisland.net or call 631-788-7239. Please note that masks are required for attendees.
A Look at the Remarkable Life of a Part-time Pond
Vernal pools are magical and temporary fresh water wetlands that serve as both single’s bars and nurseries for a variety of frogs, salamanders, and invertebrates, all of which have evolved to prosper in a pond that, for at least a portion of the year, will become a dry hole. The part-time nature of these vernal pools, rules out the presence of fish, and their absence, along with the habitat’s impermanence, sets the stage for a fascinating cast of hardy animals and plants, some of them found only in the vernal pool environment. In this virtual program, we’ll meet the animals and plants that thrive in temporary waters. With increasing development and the rapid change in our climate, we’ll also chart the uncertain future of these wondrous places and leave plenty of time for questions.
Environmental photojournalist, naturalist, and teacher Bruce Fellman has spent more than half-a-century getting his feet wet as he documents the vernal pool environment. He’s written about these habitats and the scientists who study them for such magazines as Smithsonian, National Wildlife, and the Yale Alumni Magazine, where Fellman served as managing editor until his retirement several years ago, as well as in his syndicated weekly natural history column, “A Naturalist’s Journal,” which has been a fixture in area newspapers since 1978. He also offers popular classes through local schools and conservation organizations on temporary pond ecology and conservation.
Join online webinarPhotos © Bruce Fellman

Backyard Birds and Insects
2021-07-21 14:00 - 15:00
Awaken to the wonder of the wild in your own backyard!
Meet local species that live in your neighborhood and learn how you can help make your yard the perfect habitat for them. Make a seed bomb with native wildflower seeds.
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up.
Wednesday, July 21, 2021.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum.
Space is limited. Facemasks and advance registration required.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fisherisland.net
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).
Photo by USFWS

Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again
2021-07-18 16:00 - 17:00
Virtual illustrated lecture by acclaimed garden author Page Dickey.
Page Dickey
Page has been gardening passionately since her early twenties, and writing about gardening, as well as designing gardens for others, for the last three decades. She has written eight books and edited another. Most of her books concentrate on aspects of garden design such as creating gardens that reflect their settings. Her latest book is: Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again.
Page Dickey knew the transitions she faced walking away from her celebrated garden at Duck Hill after thirty-four years. What surprised her were the happy opportunities that came with starting over. Uprooted follows Dickey’s evolution from old to new, cultivated to wild, and from one type of gardener to another. It is a story for anyone who has had to begin anew—in gardening or in life.
Sunday, July 18, 2021.
Time: 4 p.m.
Virtual Program.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Join Virtual Talk

Rodents Running Wild
2021-07-14 14:00 - 15:00
Rodents live everywhere and come in all shapes and sizes from tiny field mice to giant beavers. Learn more about the amazing adaptations these ingenious critters have.
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up.
Wednesday, July 14, 2021.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum.
Limited to 15 children. Facemasks and advance registration required.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fisherisland.net
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

Barred Owls
2021-07-11 16:00 - 17:00
Ornithologist Rob Bierregaard’s virtual illustrated talk focuses on the Barred Owl.
For over a decade, Rob’s research team studied the thriving population of Barred Owls that live in the Charlotte, NC, suburbs and surrounding countryside. A remarkable 300 pairs of Barred Owls live within 10 miles of downtown Charlotte. He and his graduate students, along with a small flock of undergrads, followed as many as 25 pairs of owls each spring and summer. They tracked dozens of owls to measure their home ranges and the dispersal of young. They installed video cameras in nest boxes and recorded the delivery of over 1,600 prey items. Rob will discuss what he learned about how and why Barred Owls have done so well in suburbia and give a general overview of how the species is doing across North America.
Sunday, July 11, 2021.
Time: 4-5 p.m.
Virtual Program. No Advance Registration Required
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Join Webinar
Webinar ID: 879 9046 2519
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kqahXjlpJ

Barred Owl photo by Justine Kibbe.

Magic of Feathers
2021-07-07 14:00 - 15:00
Discover some of the ways birds rely on their feathers for survival, not just for flight. See images of feathers under a microscope, and meet one of our resident birds!
Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) family program for ages five and up.
Wednesday, July 7, 2021.
Time: 2 to 3 p.m.
Suggested donation $10.

All Wednesday children’s programs are in person at the Museum.
Attendee numbers are limited so advance registration is required. Face masks for young attendees are required. Vaccinated adults are welcome to attend without masks while outdoors on the deck but must wear masks within the Museum. Those who are unvaccinated must wear masks in all locations while on Museum property.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email fimuseum@fisherisland.net
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

FISHERS ISLAND, NATURALLY
2021-07-01 10:00 - 18:00
2021 HENRY L. FERGUSON MUSEUM ANNUAL EXHIBITION
This year’s Annual Exhibition, Fishers Island, Naturally, complemented by two special exhibitions, celebrates the natural history of Fishers Island, primarily through the lens of contemporary photography, with a focus on both habitats and the diverse species that utilize and/or occupy them.
The Annual Exhibition includes a selection of iNaturalist photographic observations taken by Fishers Islanders and curated by educator and naturalist Murray Fisher.
Violet-toothed Polypore (Trichaptum biforme). Photo by Sara Maysles
There are two special exhibitions that greatly enhance Fishers Island, Naturally. One is entitled A Closer Look: Photographs by Todd McCormack that is on exhibit in the Second Floor’s Main Gallery. Todd’s show includes many phenomenal nature photographs.
The other is Monotypes by Genevieve Irwin Goelet. Genevieve’s captivating nature-themed monotypes are painted on plexiglass before being rolled through a press onto paper, a process that creates unique, one-of-a-kind works of art.
Evening Hunt, Great Blue Heron, Madeline Avenue Pond
Photograph by Todd McCormack
Winter Hawk, 2021
Monotype by Genevieve Irwin Goelet

The Museum would like to thank the co-sponsors of this year’s exhibition: Altus Partners, Inc., a risk management and insurance brokerage firm founded by Charlie Wilmerding in 1997, and the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. Your continuing support is much appreciated by all.
We also thank all the photographers who provided images for Fishers Island, Naturally. Without you, there would be no exhibition.
Beginning July 1st, an expanded version of the Annual Exhibition and the two special exhibitions can be viewed virtually on this website. (More of the iNaturalist selections will be added later in July.)

MUSEUM OPENING
On Thursday, July 1st, the Museum will be open from 10 AM to 6 PM. Refreshments will be served on the deck from 3-6 PM.
While outside on Museum property, mask-wearing is optional for those who are fully vaccinated. Masks must be worn inside the Museum regardless of vaccination status.
People who are not vaccinated (and above two years of age) must wear masks both inside the Museum and outside on the deck.
REGULAR MUSEUM HOURS WILL BEGIN ON JULY 2ND.
Tuesday through Friday: 10 AM to 12:30 PM; 2 PM to 4 PM. Saturday: 10 AM to 12:30 PM. Sunday: 11 AM to 12 noon. Closed Mondays.
We are all excited to welcome the island back to the Museum and look forward to presenting a full slate of summer programming.

The Billion Oyster Project
2021-06-06 16:00 - 17:00
The Billion Oyster Project: HLFM Virtual Talk with Pete Malinowski
Sunday, June 6, 2021.
Time: 4 p.m.
Virtual Program.
The Atlantic oyster, Crassostrea virginica, has been part of the story of Fishers Island for the 8,000 years that it has been inhabited: from providing the earliest hunters and gathers with a nutrient-rich food source to today, where the Atlantic oysters farmed by Steve and Sarah Malinowski’s Fishers Island Farm are the island’s only commercial export.
However, there is another Fishers Island Oyster Farm export that is making waves approximately 111 miles west of Fishers Island—in New York City—and he is using that same Atlantic oyster to help bring positive environmental, educational and social change on a massive scale.
Join us Sunday, June 6th, for a virtual talk with Pete Malinowski, co-founder and Executive Director of the Billion Oyster Project (BOP), who will reveal how they have harnessed the power of oyster to restore and reclaim New York Harbor while educating and engaging New York City’s students and citizens in BOP’s mission and purpose. Restoring one billion oysters will make a big difference in New York Harbor, but that’s just a drop in the bucket of what was once there—and only half of the story.
BOP Executive Director Pete Malinowski. Courtesy of the Billion Oyster Project.
“Billion Oyster Project was founded on the belief that restoration without education is temporary, and that learning outcomes improve when students have the opportunity to work on real restoration projects. Beyond designing STEM curriculum for NYC schools through the lens of oyster restoration, BOP collects discarded oyster shells for reuse from 75 NYC restaurants, builds reef structures with volunteers, and engages Urban Assembly New York Harbor School students in large-scale projects. To date, BOP has planted 45 million oysters, restoring 12 acres of habitat at 15 reef sites, with the help of more than 6,000 students and 10,000 volunteers.”
– Pete Malinowski
We are thrilled to have Pete with us (virtually) to give the BOP’s many supporters on the island a chance to hear how the organization not only weathered the pandemic —but in the midst of it, how they built the largest reef in New York Harbor history by placing reef structures filled with 15 million oysters off of Soundview Park at the mouth of the Bronx River.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86407340701
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Webinar ID: 864 0734 0701
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbGu9JRF2e

High school students in NYC monitor the oysters at a Community Reef under the Manhattan Bridge. Photo: Benjamin Von Wong

Billion Oyster Project and New York Harbor School train NYC high school students to become scientific divers. Photo: Benjamin Von Wong.

Fishers Island Ferries Over Time
2021-05-16 16:00 - 17:00
In this virtual illustrated talk, Museum Director Pierce Rafferty hosts the premier of Fishers Island Ferries Over Time, a video that traces the history of ferry transportation to the island.
Included are rare outlier visits by excursion steamboats in the 1820s and 1830s, followed by the first regularly scheduled trips to Fishers by the Pequot & Ocean Transit Company that began in the late 1870s. This production chronicles an array of passenger and auto ferries that have connected us to the outside world ever since that time. Without a doubt, the ferries are the stars of this historical production.
Co-directed by Pierce Rafferty and Marisela LaGrave. Funded by the Dunlap Foundation, Benjamin H. Gray and Lewis Gatch, Trustees.
Sunday, May 16, 2021.
Time: 4 p.m.
Virtual.
Join webinar
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Webinar ID: 826 8066 9036
International numbers available:
https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbxxyQketo

SS Block Island at Lyles Beach dock, Fishers Island, circa 1885. Museum Collection. Donated by Diane Dawson Dexter.

Billhead of the Fishers Island Steamboat Company, Ltd., circa 1888. Museum Collection. Donated by Jim Wall.

Capital Stock Fishers Island Steamboat Company, Ltd., 1888. Museum Acquisition, 2019.

SS Restless at Munnatawket Dock, Fishers Island, 1914. Photograph by Quimby. Museum Collection. Donated by Tom and Bunty Armstrong.

Fishers Island Ferry District Logo, circa 1947. Museum Collection. Donated by the Fishers Island Ferry District.

MV Race Point in rough seas. November, 1990. Museum Collection. Photograph by Charles Morgan.

Astronomy and the E. Wilbur Rice Jr. Observatory on Fishers Island
2021-04-25 16:00 - 17:00
It is not hard to imagine why the island has so many amateur stargazers. The night sky, especially on the south side of the island, is remarkably free from the light pollution that defines larger, more metropolitan areas. In this Sunday’s virtual illustrated talk, John W. Briggs will delve into the fascinating stories behind the instrumentation of astronomy, and in particular, the little-known story of the astronomical observatory built right here on Fishers.
“Astronomy remains one of the most engaging of the natural sciences, with the beauty and mystery of the sky calling enthusiasts to its study, recreationally and professionally. The necessary tools—telescopes, observatories, cameras, and spectrographs—have an attraction of their own, in that these instruments are often built with a sculpted beauty, seemingly in deference to their worthy use. Further, the skill necessary for creating these tools is often nothing less than heroic. In an example that has become legendary, an obscure private observatory built above a backyard garden on Fishers Island in 1931 for the former president of General Electric, was executed so beautifully that, even though its owner died only a handful of years after its construction, knowledge of it subsequently leaked through the astronomical community. It quietly influenced and inspired many young astronomers, including ones who went on to become leading specialists.”
– John W. Briggs
John Briggs has worked in various technical capacities at observatories across the country, including University of Chicago’s Yerkes Observatory and Mount Wilson in California. In 1994, he served as a winter-over scientist at South Pole Station in the U.S. Antarctic Program, working for Chicago’s Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica. He has served three terms as president of the Antique Telescope Society, and currently, he operates a museum and library called the Astronomical Lyceum in Magdalena, New Mexico.
We hope you can join us this Sunday, April 25 at 4 PM. At the conclusion of the talk we will have a short Q&A with Mr. Briggs.

Date: Sunday, April 25, 2021
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
No Advance Registration Required
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84175067407
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+16465588656,,84175067407#
or
+13126266799,,84175067407#
Webinar ID: 841 7506 7407
International numbers available:
https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc2r3NAYT
The Rice 10 1/2-inch refracting telescope built for E. Wilbur Rice by Warner & Swasey with optics by C. A. Robert Lundin. Courtesy of John W. Briggs.

FISM Coalition Meeting March 22
2021-03-22 13:00 - 15:00
The Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition will be holding it’s next Coalition meeting on Monday, March 22nd from 1-3pm 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.

Seamen of Color: Living and Sailing from the Port of New London, 1640-1880
2021-02-28 14:00 - 14:40
As we celebrate Black History Month, The Henry L. Ferguson Museum and the New London Maritime Society are pleased to co-host Seamen of Color: Living and Sailing from the Port of New London, 1640-1880, an Illustrated Talk by Sandi Brewster-walker, chair and acting executive director of the Long Island Indigenous People Museum & Research Institute.
Date: Sunday, February 28th, 2021
Time: 2:00 pm – 2:40 PM
No Advance Registration Required
Join us this Sunday, as Ms. Brewster-walker reveals the experiences of people of color who served as whaling captains and crew sailing out of Long Island Sound in the early 1880s, and in particular, the seamen of color who came to New London from other parts of Connecticut to sail from its harbor.
Ms. Brewster-walker will highlight the experiences of these men who hunted whales from 1790-1860, and give insight into their boarding houses, churches, and lives on shore. She also will discuss the different types of whaling vessels, where they hunted for whales, and the shipwrecks that befell the unluckiest of them.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89761568754
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US: +16465588656,,89761568754# or +13017158592,,89761568754#
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Webinar ID: 897 6156 8754
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcV5J08fyW
PLEASE NOTE: that there is no registration confirmation email for this Illustrated Talk. On Sunday, February 28, before 2 PM, just click the link above, enter your name and email, and you will be joined into the Talk.

FISM Coalition Meeting February 10
2021-02-10 13:00 - 15:00
The Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition will be holding it’s next Coalition meeting on Wednesday, February 10th from 1-3pm 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.

Shipwrecked
2021-01-31 14:00 - 14:40
SHIPWRECKED, Coastal Disasters and the Making of The American Beach
The Henry L. Ferguson Museum in partnership with the New London Maritime Society – Custom House Maritime Museum, will be hosting a mid-winter illustrated talk that we hope will bring you summery thoughts as you consider the beaches of Fishers Island with a new perspective.
Discussing his first book, SHIPWRECKED, Coastal Disasters and the Making of The American Beach, Jamin Wells lays out his case that disasters have not only bedeviled the American beach—they created it.
Though the American beach is now one of the most commercialized, contested, and engineered places on the planet, few people visited or called it home at the beginning of the nineteenth century. However, by the twentieth century, the American beach had become the summer encampment of presidents, a common destination for millions of citizens, and the site of rapidly growing beachfront communities.
Join us as Mr. Wells tells the story of this epic transformation, arguing that coastal shipwrecks themselves changed how Americans viewed, used, and inhabited the shoreline. Some welcome food for thought as we hunker down both here on Fishers and in far flung places while looking forward to warmer walks along the beach.
Date: Sunday, January 31st, 2021
Time: 2:00 pm – 2:40 PM
No Advance Registration Required
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82789556859
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US: +16465588656,,82789556859# or +13126266799,,82789556859#
Or Telephone:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 9128
Webinar ID: 827 8955 6859
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kehsKETjPR
New York – A Scene at Long Beach, the New and Popular Seaside Resort, (wood engraving, 1882).Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

FISM Coalition Meeting December 7
2020-12-07 14:00 - 16:00
The Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition will be holding it’s next Coalition meeting on Monday, December 7th from 2-4pm 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.
