Creature Camouflage Colors
2025-07-09 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Meet live animals and learn how they use unique colors and patterns to camouflage for survival.
Explore different types of camouflage and discover the importance of hiding for both predators and prey. Meet DPNC’s ambassador animals with excellent camouflage.
WHEN: Wednesday, July 9, 2025
TIME: 2 to 3 p.m.
LOCATION: In person at the Museum
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 to 15 children so advance registration is recommended.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email info@fergusonmuseum.org
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).
PHOTO CREDIT: Eastern box turtle, Larry McGahey, Creative Commons

FI Treasure Hunt: 7-10 Year Olds
2025-07-13 08:00 - 2025-07-17 12:00
Arrr, the wind’s pickin’ up and the tide be right—our Pirate Treasure Hunt sets sail soon! Sharpen yer wits and ready yer boots. Clues, riddles, and cursed gold await…

Team Registration & More Info

FI Treasure Hunt: 11-14 Year Olds
2025-07-13 08:00 - 2025-07-17 12:00

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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Bird’s Eye View
2025-07-16 14:00 - 15:00
Meet live birds and explore the ways bird vision differs from humans.
Learn how birds perceive colors and ultraviolet light, and how they use this special sense to find food, attract mates, avoid danger, and more. Encounter one of DPNC’s resident birds of prey and make a bird feeder to attract colorful birds to your own home!
WHEN: Wednesday, July 16, 2025
TIME: 2 to 3 p.m.
LOCATION: In person at the Museum
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 to 15 children so advance registration is recommended.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email info@fergusonmuseum.org
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).
PHOTO CREDIT: Common grackle bird, courtesy of National Park Service

FI Treasure Hunt: 6 & Under
2025-07-17 10:00 - 12:00

FISM 3rd Annual Fishers Island Eelgrass Boat Tour
2025-07-18 08:30 - 10:30
Join the Fishers Island Seagrass Management Coalition for its 3rd Annual Eelgrass Boat Tour with guest speaker Jamie Vaudrey, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut.
WHEN: Friday, July 18, 2025, @ 8:30 -10:30 am
LOCATION: Fishers Island Ferry District (CT attendees can come over on the charter from New London!)
TICKETS: $50/per person – plus processing fees
We will board at the Fishers Island Ferry Dock and cruise to some of our island’s best eelgrass locations. Dr. Vaudrey will discuss eelgrass around Fishers Island, its importance in the Long Island Sound ecosystem, and what threatens its survival. Learn to identify and distinguish these amazing plants from salt marsh grasses, widgeon grass, and seaweeds. Discover the newest methods scientists are using to restore and protect Long Island Sound eelgrass! Attendees will take home a special FISM gift to commemorate this can’t-miss experience.
Seating is limited to 28 people, so reserve your spot today!
REGISTER TODAY!About Our Speaker:
Jamie Vaudrey, Ph.D.
Dr. Vaudrey’s research interests are in ecosystem dynamics in the coastal zone, specifically in the effect of land use on the coastal environment and how anthropogenic changes to the landscape may change our coastal ecosystems. She is specifically interested in the relationship between human activities and the expression of eutrophication in large systems (Narragansett Bay, Long Island Sound) and small embayments of these larger systems. She also has an interest in seagrass systems as indicators of a desirable state of water quality and inputs to coastal systems. She has been involved with a variety of seagrass projects throughout New England, including assessing the genetic diversity of eelgrass, evaluating restoration projects, and developing a model to assist with the siting of restoration projects.
Vaudrey received a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Philosophy from Wellesley College, MA, and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Connecticut. She is currently a research faculty member in the Department of Marine Sciences at UConn and has recently been the UConn lead for the establishment of a National Estuarine Research Reserve in Connecticut, which opened its doors in July 2022.

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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Awesome Amphibians
2025-07-23 14:00 - 15:00
We love our slimy friends!
Learn what amphibians are, meet live frogs, and find out why amphibians are so important to the environment.
WHEN: Wednesday, July 23, 2025
TIME: 2 to 3 p.m.
LOCATION: In person at the Museum
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 to 15 children so advance registration is recommended.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email info@fergusonmuseum.org
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

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
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kj713bflu

Food Chain Connections
2025-07-30 14:00 - 15:00
Learn about energy flow in an ecosystem and how all living things are interconnected.
Meet live animals and explore predator-prey relationships that exist in the wild and play a fun food chain game.
WHEN: Wednesday, July 30, 2025
TIME: 2 to 3 p.m.
LOCATION: In person at the Museum
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 to 15 children so advance registration is recommended.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email info@fergusonmuseum.org
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

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
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbHAptPfdw

Innovative Animal Adaptations
2025-08-06 14:00 - 15:00
Discover the world of biomimicry and learn about human inventions that were inspired by animals and plants in the wild.
Explore hands-on activities to replicate some of the incredible adaptations that animals have perfected over millions of years. Meet DPNC ambassador animals and observe their innovative adaptations!
WHEN: Wednesday, August 6, 2025
TIME: 2 to 3 p.m.
LOCATION: In person at the Museum
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 to 15 children so advance registration is recommended.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email info@fergusonmuseum.org
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).

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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Dedication of the Janet Harvey Sanctuary & Opening of the Silver Eel-Race Point Coastal Trail
2025-08-10 09:00 - 10:00 | Ordnance
On August 2nd, we marked the 60th anniversary of the Henry L. Ferguson Museum Land Trust. Sixty years ago, H. “Lee” Ferguson proposed committing the Museum to a visionary path: to obtain vacant land as a nature sanctuary under the auspices of the Museum. This set the Museum on a path that we continue along to this day.
We invite you to join us for a milestone event in this journey: the dedication of the Museum’s newest coastal sanctuary. We are also celebrating an important community collaboration, the opening of a new public trail linking Silver Eel Cove to Race Point.
WHEN: Sunday, August 10th at 9 AM
WHERE: The Ordnance (road between Paddle Courts + FICC)
WHAT: Enjoy light breakfast fare, coffee, and juice, followed by brief remarks and a trail walk.
The Janet Harvey Sanctuary
Established thanks to a license from the Fishers Island Waste Management District, the Janet Harvey Sanctuary comprises five acres of coastal habitat and historic Fort Wright structures. It features sweeping views across Long Island Sound and inland toward two of Fort Wright’s historic batteries via a single trail accessible from either the Ordnance or runway side.
This sanctuary honors Janet Hardie Harvey, whose passion for nature and advocacy for public access resonate deeply with our mission.
The Silver Eel – Race Point Coastal Trail
This newly completed trail fulfills a long-held community goal: making the stunning West End coastline publicly accessible. Developed through collaboration with numerous partners—the Museum, the FI Waste Management District, the Ferry District, the FI Conservancy, and Brad and Mary Burnham, owners of the Ordnance property—it begins at the Lighthouse Works Public Art installation and travels along Ferry Park, through the Ordnance, and into the Janet Harvey Sanctuary. From there, the trail leads to meadows, rocky shoreline, and historic emplacements, ending at Race Point.
After the Opening
At 4 PM, Museum Director Pierce Rafferty will present an illustrated lecture: “A Brief History of Land Use and Conservation on Fishers Island.” This informative talk surveys the island’s evolving relationship with its landscape, from early settlement to today’s active conservation initiatives—a fitting close to a landmark day.
As we reflect on six decades of conservation, we celebrate what this community has achieved: from one protected parcel to 400 acres of preserved habitat. From lone trail-cutters to a dedicated staff and coalition of partners, the Henry L. Ferguson Museum Land Trust is stronger than ever.
We hope to see you on Sunday.
Green Trail with a Blue View. Photo credit: Mike McNamara

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.
Join Zoom Webinar

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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FIND 2025 (MORNING PROGRAM)
2025-08-11 09:00 - 2025-08-15 12:00
FISHERS ISLAND NATURE DISCOVERY
2025 – The 6th Year of FIND
A Week (5 DAYS from 9 AM to NOON) of Learning Programs for Young Island Naturalists Ages 5 to 10.
FIND offers a week of learning programs for young Island naturalists on a variety of environmental topics relating to the natural history and stewardship of our Island.
Using the Ferguson Museum as a base, the programs provide an indoor/outdoor learning experience that introduces our children to the Island’s natural resources and some of the challenges faced in maintaining its fragile ecology. Led by educators, the children discover the Island’s natural history through a combination of hands-on exploration, observation, and interpretation.
WHEN: The 2025 FIND program will run for one week from August 11 to August 15; Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.
WHO: 20 children max, all between the ages of 5 to 10. Depending on numbers, attendees will either be in one group, or split into two groups by age.
Each group will be led by educator/s from the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC), assisted at times by Museum staff and guest naturalists.
WHERE: Outdoor locations will vary based on the daily plan, but will include Fishers Island’s beaches, woods, and ponds. Indoor learning will take place at the Museum and will include art and science projects related to the daily subject matter.
COST: The cost per participant is $400 for the week. To promote group cohesion and learning, we encourage all participants to attend all five sessions.
REGISTRATION: Please call the Museum (631-788-7239) or e-mail info@fergusonmuseum.org to reserve a spot for your child/children (and note the FIND program and the name and age of the attendee/s). The registration and payment form will then be sent to you.
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.

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.

Summer at the Pond
2025-08-13 14:00 - 15:00
Explore a pond habitat and understand the metamorphosis of pond animals.
Meet the Nature Center’s frog, turtle and insect residents and learn how these animals are enjoying the muddy water. Use nets to explore the pond behind the museum! Please dress to get muddy!
WHEN: Wednesday, August 13, 2025
TIME: 2 to 3 p.m.
LOCATION: In person at the Museum
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 to 15 children so advance registration is recommended.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email info@fergusonmuseum.org
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).
PHOTO CREDIT: Painted turtle, David Small, USFWS

Guided Nature Walk
2025-08-14 10:30
August naturalist-led nature walks will be held on Thursday mornings (unless posted).
Meet at the Museum @ 10:30 a.m.

Museum Land Trust Nature Trails

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
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keu0QXuY6i

Owl Prowl
2025-08-20 14:00 - 15:00
Meet a live owl in an up-close encounter! Learn about owls native to the area and explore the unique adaptations that make them the perfect predators of the night. Touch owl artifacts and create an owl craft to take home.
WHEN: Wednesday, August 20, 2025
TIME: 2 to 3 p.m.
LOCATION: In person at the Museum
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 to 15 children so advance registration is recommended.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email info@fergusonmuseum.org
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).
PHOTO CREDIT: Eastern Screech-Owl, USFWS

Guided Nature Walk
2025-08-21 10:30
August naturalist-led nature walks will be held on Thursday mornings unless posted.
Meet at the Museum @ 10:30 a.m.
We apologize that the Nature Walk for August 21st has been cancelled.
Museum Land Trust Nature Trails

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
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcRw6guBuz

Inspect an Insect
2025-08-27 14:00 - 15:00
Gain an appreciation for the diversity of insects as we examine insect specimens, meet a live insect and use nets to see what insects are living outside of the museum!
WHEN: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
TIME: 2 to 3 p.m.
LOCATION: In person at the Museum
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 to 15 children so advance registration is recommended.
Please phone: 631-788-7239 or email info@fergusonmuseum.org
(note the name and date of the specific program and the name and age of the attendee/s).
PHOTO CREDIT: Hissing cockroach, tychay, creative commons

Guided Nature Walk
2025-08-28 10:30
August naturalist-led nature walks will be held on Thursday mornings unless posted.
Meet at the Museum @ 10:30 a.m.
We apologize that the Nature Walk for August 28th has been cancelled.
MUSEUM LAND TRUST NATURE TRAILS

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
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcN0GvegwM

An Evening for the Garden
2025-09-06 18:30 - 20:30
Join us at the Museum as we celebrate the cultivation of community on the island through the continued support of the Fishers Island Community Garden.
WHAT: Wine, hors d’oeuvres, and raffle.
WHEN: Saturday, September 6, 2025.
TIME: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
PLACE: In person at the Museum, 2nd Floor
The Garden is a beneficial place for us all; pollinators, plants, and people alike as it continues to provide the community with organically grown produce, educational opportunities, and fun events that provide the platform for connection.
Tickets are $40/person. 100% of all proceeds are sown right back into the garden!
Purchase TicketsThis event is co-hosted with the Fishers Island Community Garden

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
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcaiGxkEyg
