FIConservancy Awards Grant to FI School Student and Island Resident Nicolas Hall

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The Fishers Island Conservancy in February awarded Fishers Island School senior Nicolas Hall, The Edwin Horning Research Grant for Environmental Conservation to study the effect of acidifying sea water on the soft shells of oysters.

The grant enabled Nicolas to purchase equipment to acidify seawater and subject developing oysters to the acidic solution. His goal is to determine the potential future of shelled organisms living in acidifying sea water.

Nicolas is fortunate to live on Fishers Island where he sought the counsel of Steve Malinowski, owner of the nationally-recognized Fishers Island Oyster Farm. “Steve is supplying my oysters,” Nicolas said. “He walked me through feeding and caring for oysters, as well as how I can quantify my results.”

Nicolas, 17, the son of Stephanie and James Hall, grew up on Fishers Island attending Fishers Island School. His love of the ocean developed through the years, but it was a 10th grade oceanography class with science teacher Carol Giles that sparked his intense interest.

“I had a lot of fun in that class. Being around water all my life, it was natural that I would go into a field based on it,” Nicolas said. He will attend Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia this fall, where he will study oceanography.

Tent Caterpillars

Silk nests of the eastern tent caterpillar (Malacosoma americana) began showing up on South Beach Road in late April. Not to worry! Contrary to popular belief, these nests will not kill trees, plus they provide food for bluejays, orioles, chickadees and nuthatches.

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Island Beauty by Justine Kibbe

FIConservancy Naturalist Justine Kibbe walks and bikes Fishers Island from end to end. Her pictures, captured with patience and thoughtful attention, reveal the beauty of this Island.

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Beaver Believers

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.

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The Burn: How It’s Done

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…

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Piping Plovers Return to Fishers Island

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.

See Piping Plover Video

Capsized Vessel Finally Removed from Mouth of Hay Harbor

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.)

See fishersisland.net for full story

 

Healthy Seagrass Meadows by Justine Kibbe

Nature Conservancy Publishes Report on Fishers Island Eelgrass & Boating Activity

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.

Read Full Nature Conservancy Report
See List of Fishers Island Seagrass Management Coalition Members

Diesel Fuel Reaches FI Shore

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.)

See full story

New Maintenance Shed

FIConservancy has installed a new maintenance shed behind the Movie Theater.

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