Multiple people reported late afternoon beaver sightings on the West End in April. The first was April 18 near the airport, and the second was April 19 at the Gatehouse. This is a good thing! Beavers are critical to the healthy ecology of streams and wetlands.
The Fishers Island Fire Department (FIFD) reported a successful planned burn Mar. 27 of 36.04 acres of restored grasslands along the airport runway and on the Parade Grounds. But what do our volunteers actually do to conduct a safe burn in specifically prescribed areas? Don Beck, FIConservancy Board Member and Fishers Island Club golf course superintendent explains…
Piping Plover pair returns to Fishers Island. House hunting on Sanctuary of Sands, South Beach.
FIConservancy Naturalist Justine Kibbe has been monitoring Piping Plovers in the South Beach area of Fishers Island for several years. Officially designated a “threatened” species, Piping Plovers are named for their melodic mating call.
Piping plovers eat freshwater and marine invertebrates that wash up on shore. They require a specific habitat to survive and are therefore an indicator of the “health” of a marine area. Their speckled eggs blend seamlessly into the coastal environment. Please tread lightly.
Fishing vessel “All for Joy”, with yellow spill boom in place, is secured to a barge at Mohawk Northeast, Inc., Thames River, New London/Groton CT. Joe & Tracy Brock Photo
It took 20 days, but the capsized fishing vessel “All for Joy” was finally removed from the mouth of Hay Harbor at 6:05 p.m. Mar. 30.
The commercial fishing vessel capsized south of the Race March 10 and eventually came to rest at the mouth of Hay Harbor, leaking fuel that reached to the shore of Fishers Island. Two fishermen were rescued unharmed.
By 6:30 a.m. March 12, the smell of diesel fuel was “overpowering” on the north side of the Island, particularly at North Hill west past Hay Harbor. Heavy winds and seas prevented divers from safely capping the leaking fuel at that time, because there were too many hazardous pieces hanging and floating around the capsized vessel.
According to the US Coast Guard, all of the tanks on the vessel had been capped by Mar. 13. The current, tide and winds took the fuel into Hay Harbor and along Stony Beach. A crew from Clean Harbors walked the shoreline Mar. 14 to mop up any remaining oil with absorbent pads. They also deployed absorbent booms in those areas where oil was most prevalent. (Reporting by Jane T. Ahrens.)
Nature Conservancy’s aerial survey photo to determine Fishers Island boating activity.
In response to the decimation of once abundant and protective eelgrass meadows in Long Island Sound, the Nature Conservancy recently completed an evaluation of eelgrass areas and boating patterns around Fishers Island.
Boating activity, particularly in summer months, presents a grave threat to eelgrass meadows around Fishers Island, which has 94 percent of the remaining eelgrass in New York waters of Long Island Sound and 25 percent of all eelgrass in the Sound.
Eelgrass forms the base of a highly productive marine food web, providing foraging areas and shelter for young fish and invertebrates, and food for migratory waterfowl and sea turtles. This unique habitat also improves water quality by filtering polluted runoff, absorbs excess nutrients, stores greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, and traps sediment, reducing the force of wave energy, thereby reducing coastal erosion.
The Nature Conservancy’s report, An Evaluation of Eelgrass Extent and Vessel Use Patterns Around Fishers Island, NY, analyzes the results of underwater and aerial surveys conducted in the summer and fall of 2017.
The surveys reveal that powerboats and sailboats around the Island overlap areas of eelgrass meadows, especially on the north side of the Island. Hotspots include Flat Hammock, East Harbor, the beach off the Eighth Hole of the Fishers Island Club golf course, West Harbor and Hay Harbor. See video of scarred eelgrass beds, caused by boats in Hay Harbor.
The Fishers Island Seagrass Management Coalition can use this report to develop and implement actions, including boater education and outreach, zoning and special management areas, and conservation moorings to reduce the impact on eelgrass meadows from shoreline construction and boating.
Out in the Field awaiting what the USCG has deemed a “pollution mitigation event”, north side off Hay Harbor, Fishers Island.
Fishing vessel to be raised (for now) and all fluids emptied and removed.
From the Field, Field Note, Justine Kibbe, Mar. 19, 2019
Clean Harbors installed booms Mar. 14 to soak up any remaining oil from capsized vessel. Most affected shoreline areas were quite clean, however, compared to less than 24 hours earlier. The sun helped to burn off diesel oil sheen. (Jane T. Ahrens Photo)
The commercial fishing vessel, All for Joy, capsized south of the Race March 10 and eventually came to rest at the mouth of Hay Harbor, leaking fuel that reached to the shore of Fishers Island. Two fishermen were rescued unharmed.
By 6:30 a.m. March 12, the smell of diesel fuel was “overpowering” on the north side of the Island, particularly at North Hill west past Hay Harbor. Heavy winds and seas prevented divers from safely capping the leaking fuel at that time, because there were too many hazardous pieces hanging and floating around the capsized vessel.
According to the US Coast Guard, all of the tanks on the vessel had been capped by Mar. 13. The current, tide and winds took the fuel into Hay Harbor and along Stony Beach. A crew from Clean Harbors walked the shoreline Mar. 14 to mop up any remaining oil with absorbent pads. They also deployed absorbent booms in those areas where oil was most prevalent.
By Mar. 13, the oil was “disappearing nicely from the sun and tidal action.” On Mar. 15, FIConservancy Naturalist Justine Kibbe monitored the full circumference of Stony Beach and said she was happy to see the usual coyote tracks, herring gulls and great black-backed gulls diving for spawning sandworms. She was particularly happy to see a killdeer “chattering away, hopefully scouting for nest…” (Reporting and photos by Jane T. Ahrens.)
According to Brett Molina in a USA Today article published February 12, 2019:
“More than 40 percent of the world’s insect species could go extinct over the next several decades leading to “catastrophic” results for the planet’s various ecosystems, a new study says.”
The study referred to was published in the peer-reviewed journal Biological Conservation. Highlights from the study abstract are:
The loss of the native insects will have dire consequences for the rest of the life chain. For those who may have missed this article. We are not alone. And we are fighting the right conservation battle. According to Matt McGrath, Environment correspondent at BBC news “Global insect decline may see ‘plague of pests'”. . .
FIConservancy has installed a new maintenance shed behind the Movie Theater.
Bill Colman and his family of six were driving west on Crescent Avenue heading to Thanksgiving (2018) dinner at the home of his in-laws, the Meyers. They had just passed the electric station, when his wife, Jenny, insisted that they stop and back up the car.
“It was very cold and windy, with 20-30-mph winds, but Jenny noticed the owl on the north side of the road and demanded that we back up. And there it was. A barred owl! It appeared that he was in the tree taking shelter from the wind or just didn’t want to fly under those conditions,” Dr. Colman said.
“In any case, he was more than willing to have his photo taken and didn’t seem scared at all. I couldn’t get to my Nikon fast enough, so used the iPhone to take the shots.”
Dr. Colman and his son Tommy took the dramatic “Red-tailed Hawk vs. Mink” photos that appeared on this website in August, 2018.
Barred Owl. Bill Colman Photo