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.

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.

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.)

New Maintenance Shed

There is something new behind the Movie Theater!

FIConservancy has installed a small, cedar-shingled structure in close proximity to the Demonstration Garden. The 10’ x 16’ shed will house a mower, weed-whackers and other tools.

Healthy growth of native plantings in the Demonstration Garden and Parade Grounds requires upkeep. The new maintenance shed will protect equipment and be a great help to Parade Grounds caretakers, who now will have ready access to the mower and tools. The previous “maintenance” area was through a back door to the movie theater, visible in the top left picture below.

The shed has a wide blue door, a hipped roof and two windows. It was built in rural Pennsylvania by Amish carpenters known for their craftsmanship. Following the advice of an engineer, the shed sits on a gravel surface that makes moving the shed easier, if ever necessary. It also sits above the flood plain.

FIConservancy Board members Dianne Crary and Laurie Marshall researched construction options and carefully followed the custom building and delivery of the maintenance shed in January.

Carolina chickadees photo courtesy of Desirée Narango

A Must Read!

This wonderfully “timely” article mentions Dr. Doug Tallamy, founder of “Neighborhood Nestwatch” and whose collaborative research with Fishers Island Conservancy has been monumental for land preservation here these past years. . .

Ecologists Have this Simple Request to Homeowners — Plant Native

A new study shows how quickly songbird populations fall off when gardens are planted with exotic trees and shrubs

By Adam Cohen
smithsonian.com
October 31, 2018

They say the early bird catches the worm. For native songbirds in suburban backyards, however, finding enough food to feed a family is often impossible. READ MORE . . .