Justine Kibbe
Justine Kibbe was the heart and foundation of the Island Sentinel program. A true naturalist in every sense of the word, Justine lived on Fishers Island from 2012 to 2019, serving most of that time as the Fishers Island Conservancy’s Naturalist. In 2013, she founded the Island Sentinel program with a simple but powerful idea: that local knowledge, careful observation, and science belong together, and that young people and community members can play a meaningful role in understanding and protecting their own landscape.
Justine had an extraordinary ability to notice what others might overlook. Through her daily walks and bike rides across the island, she carefully observed weather patterns, tides, migratory birds, shoreline changes, seaweed, seagrass, and wildlife behavior. She documented these observations through photographs, field notes, videos, and thoughtful writing, creating a living record of Fishers Island as it changed with the seasons.
As the founder of the Island Sentinels, Justine mentored students and community members in the art of observation. She taught that paying attention is a responsibility, and that consistent, careful monitoring builds understanding over time. Under her guidance, Sentinels learned how to look closely at the natural world, record data accurately, and recognize patterns and changes across the island’s beaches, ponds, and coastal habitats.
Justine’s impact extended well beyond the Sentinel program. She helped establish Sanctuary of the Sands on South Beach, providing protected nesting habitat for shorebirds, and she served on the Fishers Island Seagrass Management Coalition, contributing to island wide efforts to protect marine ecosystems. Her work helped bring science, stewardship, and community together in a way that felt accessible, grounded, and deeply connected to place.
Current Conservancy President Tom Sargent once described Justine as the eyes and ears of the Conservancy, a role she fulfilled with patience, curiosity, and care. Her legacy lives on in the Island Sentinel program, in the data that continues to be collected, and in the many people she inspired to slow down, observe, and care more deeply about Fishers Island.
The Sentinel program today is built on the foundation Justine created, and her influence continues to guide how the Conservancy approaches community science, education, and stewardship on the island.
FIConservancy Bids Fond Farewell to Justine Kibbe
For the past seven years, Justine Kibbe has lived on Fishers Island, most of that time as FIConservancy’s naturalist. We say a fond farewell to Justine this October as she leaves Fishers Island. Through photos, videos and the written word, Justine has recorded nature as it unfolds on Fishers Island, season by season. She has been FIConservancy’s treasure. “Justine has been the eyes and ears of FIConservancy,” said Tom Sargent, president. “Her beautiful pictures and thoughtful observations have greatly helped us in our ongoing effort to bring nature closer to the heart of the Fishers Island community.” Connecting with the environment and becoming familiar with its rhythm and verse is just one of Justine’s many gifts. She not only monitored weather, tides, local wildlife species, migratory birds, and the health of seaweed and seagrass, but she also cared deeply about preservation and sharing knowledge. Justine created “Sanctuary of Sands” on South Beach, which has become a secure home for returning shorebirds. In 2013, she founded the Island Sentinel program where she coached students in the art and responsibility of observation. She also served on the Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition. Justine will be missed by the entire Fishers Island community. We wish her the best of luck in all future endeavors! Justine Kibbe grew up summering on Fishers Island, where her parents renovated an old Fort Wright house on Officer’s Row near Silver Eel Cove. She spent long summer days bicycling, exploring, fishing and swimming, all of which instilled in her a passion for marine environments.