The Habitat Committee, now a sub-committee of the Conservancy, is completing the second year of a project that has revitalized much of the Parade Ground and Airport area, by replacing invasive plants with native grasses. The results have been dramatic in this sixty-five acre area, which is the largest grassland on Fishers Island. The grassland had been choked with vines and scrub and was depleted of wildlife. It is now covered with beautiful native grasses teeming with butterflies and grasshoppers and birds.
Visitors are welcome – paths have been mowed to allow easy access from Equestrian Avenue. A rare sedge wren was heard on the grounds this Summer; and most recently, there are reports of whippoorwill calls. Ground-nesting whippoorwills have not been heard or sighted on Fishers in years. Keep your eyes and ears open.
This work was begun in the Fall of 2010 by the ad hoc Habitat Committee, led by Joe Henderson. Joe enlisted a broad group of dedicated Fishers Island individuals and organizations, who banded together to create a project that demonstrates what can be done throughout the Island to beat back the invasives that have choked out so much of the Island’s natural wildlife.
The Ferry District adopted a three-year-plan with the objectives of: (i) restoring a grassland habitat that can be managed in a cost-effective way; (ii) increasing the safety of the Airport and Parade Ground by improving aircraft visibility and controlling access to airport runways and Fort Wright concrete structures; and (iii) increasing public access to the improved habitat by enlarging the walking path system throughout the Parade Ground and creating directed access to Race Point.
The Fishers Island Fire Department has carried out the burns essential to maintaining the grasslands.
The Fishers Island Conservancy joined the Ferry District in funding heavy concrete and stone removal in 2011, and native grass seeding.
The Fishers Island Sportsmen’s Club provided specialized mowing, disking and reseeding machinery.
The Fishers Island Club helped propel the effort and reseeded the school athletic field. Donnie Beck, Larry Horn, Jimmy Ski, Greg Cypherd, J.R. Edwards, Louie Horn, Don Murray, Don Brown, Dave Mcintyre and others worked tirelessly and selflessly, clearing the invasive scrub, mowing and seeding the first half of the sixty-five acres in 2010-2011 and then the second half in 2011-2012.
Milkweed for butterflies, wild iris, native warm season grasses and cool season grasses are seen in the “After” pictures above, providing a sustainable multi-culture grassland habitat for nature’s creatures. The work continues. The Conservancy has given the effort permanence by adopting the Habitat Committee as a standing, ongoing sub-committee.
A battle has been won at the Parade Ground and Airport, but the war continues. This is an encouraging demonstration that we can restore our island working together. The Habitat Committee is in discussions to expand its efforts to other areas of the Island.
The Conservancy plans to prepare and distribute instructional materials describing how the techniques demonstrated on these grounds can be used by individual landowners to stop the spread of invasives and reclaim their property.
Breaching the the Island
Field NotesEast Harbor@1:50pm: Fishers Island Sound appears to be bridging with Long Island Sound-waters have now surged onto the golf course.
It’s All Gone South
Field Notes3:12pm: Electrical power is out on Fishers Island
Fierce Waves
Field NotesBig Club Beach@1:45pm: By now the winds out of the NE are 45mph with gusts of 50mph.
Through the salt spray and wind I can barely see flocks of Herring Gulls and Great Black Backed Gulls hunkered far west into the nearby wooded area of the cove. Two swans appear anchored in Money pond which has breached its banks.
Isabella Wash Out
Field NotesIsabella Beach @ 12:15pm: The ocean waters here on the South side are green, brownish red and black. Despite the outgoing tide the wild surf and washed out sands make for an unrecognizable beachscape.
Chocomount Before Sandy
Field NotesChocomount Beach @ 1:21pm: The path towards the beach shows signs of a previous tidal surge furiously pounding towards the parking lot area. The pond on the western end has breached- tons of rocks have been sucked back towards the sea.
Baby Snapping Turtle
Field NotesTurtle on the Green
Field NotesThis small snapping turtle was seen on the apron of the 1st green.
East Harbor, Looking West
Field NotesSingle Tracking Coyote
Field NotesMonday October 15@4:45pm: Hungry Point on the Island’s northern side is a major haul-out location for Harbor seals from Fall till late spring time. This year the seals arrived earlier than last and were observed basking in the sun’s warmth mid September.
I count 88 seals this evening. Coyote tracks are noted going westward along the small beach.
A Battle Won, in the War Against Invasive Plants
Conservancy News, NewsThe Habitat Committee, now a sub-committee of the Conservancy, is completing the second year of a project that has revitalized much of the Parade Ground and Airport area, by replacing invasive plants with native grasses. The results have been dramatic in this sixty-five acre area, which is the largest grassland on Fishers Island. The grassland had been choked with vines and scrub and was depleted of wildlife. It is now covered with beautiful native grasses teeming with butterflies and grasshoppers and birds.
Visitors are welcome – paths have been mowed to allow easy access from Equestrian Avenue. A rare sedge wren was heard on the grounds this Summer; and most recently, there are reports of whippoorwill calls. Ground-nesting whippoorwills have not been heard or sighted on Fishers in years. Keep your eyes and ears open.
This work was begun in the Fall of 2010 by the ad hoc Habitat Committee, led by Joe Henderson. Joe enlisted a broad group of dedicated Fishers Island individuals and organizations, who banded together to create a project that demonstrates what can be done throughout the Island to beat back the invasives that have choked out so much of the Island’s natural wildlife.
The Ferry District adopted a three-year-plan with the objectives of: (i) restoring a grassland habitat that can be managed in a cost-effective way; (ii) increasing the safety of the Airport and Parade Ground by improving aircraft visibility and controlling access to airport runways and Fort Wright concrete structures; and (iii) increasing public access to the improved habitat by enlarging the walking path system throughout the Parade Ground and creating directed access to Race Point.
The Fishers Island Fire Department has carried out the burns essential to maintaining the grasslands.
The Fishers Island Conservancy joined the Ferry District in funding heavy concrete and stone removal in 2011, and native grass seeding.
The Fishers Island Sportsmen’s Club provided specialized mowing, disking and reseeding machinery.
The Fishers Island Club helped propel the effort and reseeded the school athletic field. Donnie Beck, Larry Horn, Jimmy Ski, Greg Cypherd, J.R. Edwards, Louie Horn, Don Murray, Don Brown, Dave Mcintyre and others worked tirelessly and selflessly, clearing the invasive scrub, mowing and seeding the first half of the sixty-five acres in 2010-2011 and then the second half in 2011-2012.
Milkweed for butterflies, wild iris, native warm season grasses and cool season grasses are seen in the “After” pictures above, providing a sustainable multi-culture grassland habitat for nature’s creatures. The work continues. The Conservancy has given the effort permanence by adopting the Habitat Committee as a standing, ongoing sub-committee.
A battle has been won at the Parade Ground and Airport, but the war continues. This is an encouraging demonstration that we can restore our island working together. The Habitat Committee is in discussions to expand its efforts to other areas of the Island.
The Conservancy plans to prepare and distribute instructional materials describing how the techniques demonstrated on these grounds can be used by individual landowners to stop the spread of invasives and reclaim their property.