Fishers Island Conservancy Presents

The Ghost Net: An Environmental Musical of the Sea

Show & Performance by
Grumbling Gryphons
Traveling Children’s Theater

Saturday, August 12, 2023
at the Fishers Island Movie Theater

Pre-performance Workshop – 3 PM Sharp!

Performance – 4 PM

Ages 6 & up
Sing Dance, Act & Be in the Show!

To pre-register your children for the workshop, call Michele Klimczak at (631) 800-9394.

On the afternoon of the show from 3:00-3:50pm, Grumbling Gryphons will conduct a pre-performance drama workshop for children ages 6 & up who will train with the actors to become part of the show. Become a “Trash Creature” and join in the “Slimy-Sludge Rap” or dance as a colorful tropical fish in “The Coral Reef Calypso”!

The whole family can get in on the act!

The Ghost Net: An Environmental Musical of the Sea premiered in 1990 as part of an environmental expo – “The Visit of the Mimi” held at Captain’s Cove Seaport in Bridgeport, CT, which thousands of school children attended. With the invaluable input by marine biologist Barbara Whitman and other environmental educators, Leslie Elias created a play that has served as a powerful vehicle for promoting awareness of our planet’s rapidly depleting oceans and endangered marine life. Since 1990 the show has toured the United States, receiving rave reviews for its beautiful artistry and timely message.

Learn more grumblinggryphons.org

Coastal debris coordinator, Michele Klimczak has been collecting garbage on Fishers Island for about two decades – and full time for the FI Conservancy since 2018. In these past three years she has helped to remove more than 32,000 pounds of garbage from our shores, with no end in sight. Much of the trash Michele finds is tiny plastics that may be easy to overlook, but can be detrimental to our natural environment.

To learn more about how Michele’s efforts are so vital for the wildlife that inhabit our beach community and why more may need to done beyond our shores to help combat the growing problem, please see the article posted on Inside Climate News:

The ‘Sisyphus of Trash’ Struggles to Clean Relentless Waves of Plastic From a New York Island’s Beaches

Michele Klimczak’s passion for cleaning the beaches of Fishers Island led to a full-time, year-round job, but she still can’t keep up with the flood of plastic waste.

By Devin Speak
Inside Climate News
June 20, 2023

Photo Credit: Devin Speak

Individual Tickets and Sponsorship Opportunities Available! Please join us July 15th to celebrate the work we are doing together to conserve and preserve Fishers Island.

An osprey sitting on a new perch, April 2023 Photo: Jay Cushing

After wintering in warmer climates, migratory birds are returning to their northern breeding grounds and we need your help charting these bird populations.

Please join us with experts, Dr. Adam Mitchell from Tarleton State University, and the University of Delaware team, Emily Baisden and Will Almeida, for our annual spring migratory bird count on Sunday, May 7.

What: FI Conservancy 2023 Spring Migratory Bird Count
When: Sunday, May 7, 8am—10:30am
Where: Meet outside the Fishers Island Community Center & BYOBinoculars

Following Audubon bird count rules, birders will make 15 five-minute stops from the West End to the East End of Fishers Island. At each timed stop, birders count birds and call out what they see. Our experts will lead the count and answer your questions about migratory birds.

We hope to see you at this fun, informative outdoor event, celebrating the spring season at Fishers Island.

FIConservancy Team

Ferry Park photo by Laurie Marshall

This year was action-packed for the Fishers Island Conservancy. Thanks to your support, we focused on a wide variety of initiatives, starting with a successful spring Parade Grounds burn with the Fishers Island Fire Department, continuing through to our fall Migratory Bird Count.

Tom Sargent

If you’re on-Island and haven’t yet checked out Ferry Park, please do. Lucinda Herrick and others had a vision to upgrade the land and shoreline berm by the entrance to Silver Eel Cove, and we were happy to partner with the Fishers Island Ferry District to help them realize their concept. Over 15,000 native Virginia beach grass plugs have transformed a barren parking lot into a charming pocket park. As you know, native plants bring native insects, native insects bring native birds, and so on…

Below, you’ll find more exciting 2022 highlights and shout-outs. We’re looking forward to continuing this momentum and accomplishing even more together next year. To help make that possible, please consider donating a year-end gift now.

If I may, another request. Do you have phragmites on your property? We’ve entered into a five-year program to treat phragmites in and around the Parade Grounds. In conjunction with the Town of Southold and the NY DEC, we’ve hired outside contractors to tackle the problem. If you have phragmites on your property, please let us know and we’ll manage the estimates, coordination and timing to help eradicate this insidious invader. Contact Kristen Peterson at kmpfic@gmail.com to get started.

Thank you again for being part of our community and for caring for Fishers Island as much as we do.

Sincerely,

Tom Sargent
President, Fishers Island Conservancy

Thanks to you, more highlights from 2022:

  • The John Thatcher Native Garden and Parade Grounds never looked better thanks to Dianne Crary, Alden Butt, Geb Cook, Charlie Curtis, Dave McIntyre and others.
  • We had the honor of recognizing two legendary members of the community, Carol Giles and Ellie Kelly, at Sunset on the Beach in July. They have led by example in science education and environmental activism. Thanks to all who joined us to celebrate.
  • Michele Klimczak’s relentless efforts in our Marine Debris program continued to be a cornerstone of FIConservancy’s impact, and many of you rolled up your sleeves and joined in this important program, removing tons of waste from our shoreline. Michele’s work is highlighted in artist Duke Riley’s exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum on display now!
  • We tallied a whopping 64 species during our Spring Migratory Bird Count, and in October, despite howling winds and cold temps as Hurricane Ian swept through, we were able to coax out 42 species for the Fall Bird Count.
  • Stephanie Hall led the largest group of Island Sentinels yet! These eager young environmentalists monitored sensitive sites Island-wide and collected data to record changes in our fragile ecosystem.
  • Our youngest islanders converged on the Parade Grounds for creative, informative activities and lots of ice cream at Nature Days in August. Thanks to our Executive Director, Kristen Petersen, for her efforts on this event and the many tasks she accomplishes throughout the year.

Your generosity is essential to our work — we couldn’t do it without you. Thank you.

A gift to the Fishers Island Conservancy is a gift to Fishers Island.

Please give today.

(l-r) Honoree Carol Giles, FIConservancy President Tom Sargent and Honoree Ellie Kelly at award ceremony. Jane Crary Photo

The Fishers Island Conservancy honored two outstanding women, Ellen “Ellie” H. Kelly and Carol Giles, at FIConservancy’s annual event, Sunset on the Beach July 16 at the Big Club Beach.

Mrs. Kelly, the second president of FIConservancy, has dedicated her life to environmental causes both on and off Fishers Island. Carol Giles, who retired in June after 33 years as science teacher at Fishers Island School, has motivated countless students to become thoughtful and creative problem solvers in the field of science.

ELLEN H. KELLY

Mrs. Kelly was FIConservancy President from 2002-2006, but her dedication to preserving Fishers Island’s natural environment began in the 1970s before FIConservancy existed. Mrs. Kelly reflected on her early involvement with FIConservancy:

“Every Saturday in the 1970s, a little truck from Southold would spew out a cloud of DDT, spraying up and down every road, every driveway on the Island. Inspired by the groundbreaking environmentalist, Rachel Carson, Cherry Rafferty called together a small group: Mary Wood, Serge Doyen, John Thatcher, me and a few others. We wrestled with the problem of how to stop Southold’s mandated spraying of DDT on Fishers Island.

“Mary, Cherry and I would traverse Southold in Cherry’s old overheating Island clunker to attend meetings about banning the spraying of DDT. We were successful, and our indomitable first president John Thatcher organized organic mosquito control on Fishers Island.

“Our next problem was the dumping of toxic dredge spoil from the Thames River to a dump site two miles off the coast of Fishers Island. The fledgling FIConservancy sued the Navy. We were awarded a stipend, which became our little nest egg.

“As president, my aim was to broaden the scope of involvement in the Conservancy, establishing working committees, for example, to address mosquito control and the cleanup of West Harbor by pumping out waste from boats in the harbor.”

Off-Island, Mrs. Kelly impacted all of the boards on which she served, including the Rachel Carson Council, National Parks Conservancy and the Garden Club of America Conservation Group, which she started.

She has been acknowledged nationally for her work on the Alaska Lands bill by Jimmy Carter and influential with other bills such as the Clean Water Act as well as local laws protecting water and open space in the state of Maryland. Starting at the grassroots level, Mrs. Kelly always expanded to align herself with the larger public.

CAROL GILES

FIConservancy has developed a special relationship with Carol Giles through FIConservancy grants awarded to the school for specific science projects. Mrs. Giles speaks with pride about her students and their achievements:

“Maddie Hatfield’s four-month science project studying ocean acidification on a specific marine sponge species would not have been possible without FIConservancy’s grant to purchase two tank coolers and two filtration systems. Maddie’s research took one of the top prizes at the 2022 Long Island Youth Summit. 

“Lili Kane received a grant to purchase a vernier oxygen and carbon dioxide probe to conduct research on, “The Effect of Earthworms Lumbricus Terristris on Climate Change: Carbon Source or Sink?” Two years of research won Lili 1st Honors and Special Awards, including being a finalist for PepsiCo/Pfizer life Sciences, Petit Family Foundation Women in Science and Engineering, and Future Sustainability Awards at the 2021 Connecticut State Science Fair, and Best Research Paper on Climate Change for the 2021 Long Island Youth Summit.

“Arabella Hatfield used the fluorometer, provided through a FIConservancy grant, to conduct research on, “Ocean Acidification: How it Effects the Phytoplankton Species Nannochloropsis oculata”. Her project earned State Finalist status in the CT State Science Fair and was selected Outstanding Climate Change Research Project in the Long Island Youth Summit.

“FIConservancy has purchased binoculars for the school used by both elementary and high school students, especially for our seal counts, and also has supported the ongoing Biorock Project: Low voltage electricity is sent to a steel geodesic dome that causes the reduction of calcium carbonate causing the formation of an artificial reef.”

Michele Klimczak, FIConservancy’s Marine Debris Coordinator hauls debris from Fishers Island beach. Ian Lockey Photo

Fishers Island is being inundated with marine debris: Fishers Island Conservancy has cleared and hauled away over 10 tons in the past two years.

Michele Klimczak, FIConservancy’s Marine Debris Coordinator, has the monumental task of clearing this pollution year-round to help conserve our Island and protect our wildlife and community. But there’s still more shoreline to cover and more debris to collect.

We need your help! Sign up here.

Last summer, dozens of Islanders joined in our beach cleanup efforts, contributing to THOUSANDS of pounds of marine debris being cleared from Fishers Island’s shores. Will you join us this year? Here’s how:

How to Become a Shoreline Superstar

Step 1: Sign up here!

Step 2: Review our Beach Cleanup Safety Guidelines below.

Step 3: Gather friends and family and bring a bag to the beach.

Step 4:

  • Text Michele at 631-800-9394 whenever you have a full bag so she can collect the debris & snap a photo of you and your haul.
  • OR, you can take your own photo, drop your bag at the FIConservancy truck by the movie theater and text Michele your photo and beach clean up location.

Step 5: Repeat steps 3 & 4 when you can.

Michele will weigh and sort the debris, properly disposing of anything that cannot be reused.

The three teams that collect the most marine debris throughout the summer will receive prizes!

Together, we can help conserve Fishers Island and its waters. JOIN US HERE.

Enormous thanks to Michele for her passion and hard work and to you for your continued support. Together, we can “Keep it Clean” to help conserve beautiful Fishers Island.

See you on the beach!

IMPORTANT: Beach Cleanup Safety Guidelines

Rusted metal, hypodermic needles, glass and sharp plastic are commonly encountered during beach cleanup. The following guidelines should be followed to ensure safety.

What to bring:

  • Large bags, preferably reusable, in which to place the debris
  • A “sharps container” for items found such as metal or glass
  • A trash/debris nabber, if you have one

What to wear:

  • Thick work gloves to protect your hands
  • Fully enclosed, supportive shoes (no sandals or open-toed shoes)
  • Long pants are preferable, and don’t forget your sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat

What to do:

  • Bags should be carried an arm’s length from body for your safety
  • Follow the steps listed above and have fun!

The Fishers Island Conservancy is pleased to have been a part of the Fishers Island Ferry District’s new berm project at Silver Eel Cove.