This year the Conservancy continued its participation in the Long Island Colonial Waterbird Surveys, working alongside the NYSDEC and the NY Audubon Society. Through this collaboration we have helped install protective fencing each spring from April until the young birds fledge around July 1st. This effort gives these vulnerable Piping Plovers a better chance to nest and raise their chicks safely. The results this year were very encouraging. In 2025 we recorded five nesting pairs with at least 12 eggs laid, 10 hatched and 7 fledglings. That’s a productivity rate of 1.4 fledging’s per pair, right on track with the NY region’s average. As we move into next year, we’ll continue our partnership and work towards maintaining that 1.5 fledging benchmark. We held spring and fall island Audubon migratory line counts giving us a full decade of observation and scientific data.

We held spring and fall island Audubon migratory line counts giving us a full decade of observation and scientific data.

We collaborated with the island community on the promotion and importance of native plants and plantings to enhance the strength of local ecosystems and food webs.

The Conservancy accessed licensed environmental contractors to help coordinate the removal and management of invasive phragmites from some of our most sensitive wetland habitats on private properties. 2026 will be a threshold year as this program gains big momentum.

We continued our partnership with the Fishers Island Ferry District on the management of the Ft. Wright and Elizabeth Field parade grounds. At 175 acres, this coastal meadow restoration is one of the largest projects of its kind on the east coast and is now in its 13th year.

Our relationship with Dr. Adam Mitchell and Tarleton St. University of Texas grew this year. We welcomed six graduate students who gathered scientific data on the health of the parade grounds habitat and worked on the removal of invasive plant species. Led by PhD candidate Tyler McMahon, these young men and women worked tirelessly not only in the parade grounds, but could also be seen helping out in various spots on the island for other island conservation efforts. Stay tuned for their published findings.

This August, the Conservancy joined with the Ferguson Museum, Brad and Mary Burnham, Waste Management and others to create the Silver Eel Coastal Path connecting Ferry Park to the Race. This connector highlights a somewhat forgotten but beautiful stretch of our
wonderful coastline.

Nature Day, held on the first weekend in August, attracted our biggest crowd in years. This event caters to our youngest constituency, but there were plenty of adults equally fascinated with the insects, amphibians and raptors on display from the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, and they welcomed the chance to learn about our local flora and fauna.

Lastly, we are very lucky to have Dr. Douglas Tallamy, PhD emeritus chair of the Entomology Department at the University of Delaware, as our advisor. Dr. Tallamy is a New York Times bestselling author and is one of the foremost authorities on habitat restoration and native plants’ role in healthy ecosystems in the U.S. Dr. Tallamy has been working with the Conservancy for over a decade, and so it was with great enthusiasm that we awarded our first ever Conservancy Medal of Honor to him. This is our highest commendation, and it is awarded in recognition of eminent service to the understanding, education, environmental stewardship, and protection of our environment. In fact, our medal carries his name: the Douglas W. Tallamy Medal of Honor. Doug is a true friend of the Conservancy and well deserving of this inaugural award.

There is so much more to talk about in 2025 but space prevents it. Please check out our website fishersislandconservancy.org for much more information on the ways we support our fragile island ecosystems. We are a busy and robust organization but without the broad support from the island community, we couldn’t do our important work. Your generosity has been outstanding, and we are deeply grateful. So this is where I ask for your help once again.

Please remember, a gift to the Fishers Island Conservancy is a gift to Fishers Island.

Thank you,

Cheers Tom