Panel Discussion

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Join us for a special evening of conversation and insight into the environmental work happening on Fishers Island.

On Friday, July 18, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, the Fishers Island Conservancy will host a panel discussion featuring four expert presenters sharing their research, programs, and conservation efforts.

Panel Overview

This event will highlight ongoing biodiversity studies, habitat restoration work, community science programs, and coastal protection efforts. It’s an opportunity to learn more about the natural environment of Fishers Island and the scientists and programs working to protect it.

Presenters & Topics:

Dr. Marina Caillaud
• Overview of the Fishers Island Conservancy

Dr. Adam Mitchell
• Insect & Plant Diversity on Fishers Island
• Habitat Restoration, Invasive Species Management, and Native Plant Projects

Anna White
• Bird Counts and Shorebird Monitoring
• Marine Debris Removal and Coastal Protection

Stephanie Hall
• Sentinel Program and iNaturalist Data
• Community Science and Youth Engagement Programs

Moderator: Ben Strong

We invite all members of the community to attend, ask questions, and engage with the work being done to study and preserve Fishers Island’s unique ecosystems.

Insect Catching and ID with Expert Entomologists

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Come explore the amazing world of insects with expert entomologists Bryan Danforth and Marina Caillaud (Cornell University). We’ll be out in the Parade Grounds with sweep nets and bug boxes, catching all kinds of cool critters and learning how to identify them!

This is a fun, hands-on session for all ages, whether you’re a bug lover or just curious about what’s crawling and flying around out there. The entomologists will walk you through the basics of catching, handling, and identifying insects, and they’ll be happy to answer all your questions!

All equipment will be provided. Just wear comfy clothes, closed-toe shoes, and be ready to explore.

Where: The Parade Grounds
When: July 19th at 9:30 – 10:30 AM

Moth Night Into The Lights at the Parade Grounds

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Love nature and bugs? Come join entomologist Dr. Adam Mitchell and our awesome FIRST team for a chill evening of insect discovery at the Parade Grounds!

We’ll be setting up big white sheets and vapor lamps to attract all kinds of cool critters—moths, beetles, and who knows what else! You’ll get to learn about their wild behaviors and help out with our annual biodiversity survey, which helps track native plants and how well the island’s habitats are bouncing back.

Details:
Friday, July 18th, 2025
Starts at 9:30 PM (drop by anytime)
Parade Grounds

Whether you’re a full-on bug enthusiast or just a little curious, this is the perfect chance to experience nature in a whole new way. Bring some friends, your sense of adventure, and let’s see what shows up under the lights!

Shorebird Season Winds Down, But Not Over

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As the summer progresses, the shorebird nesting season on island is winding down. This year’s monitoring included a mix of hopeful success and continued challenges. Here’s an overview of what we’ve seen so far, what remains, and how we can all play a role in protecting these sensitive species!

South Beach – Fencing Removal Coming Soon

Piping Plover pair with fledged chick Photo captured by Emma C.

This site hosted two Piping Plover pairs this year. One pair fledged a single chick, while the other successfully fledged two. These are encouraging signs, especially considering the vulnerability of these birds during the early chick-rearing phase. With fledging confirmed, we’ll be removing the symbolic fencing that has been protecting these nests.

Important note: Even after the fencing is taken down, please be mindful in this area. Fledged chicks often remain nearby for foraging and safety, and plovers are known to return to the same beaches year after year. Continued low-impact presence by beachgoers and staying on wet sand, avoiding flagged areas, and leashing dogs makes a real difference!

Big Club Beach – No Nesting Observed

This season, we saw no nesting activity here. A single plover was observed foraging, but it never established a territory or attempted to nest. The most likely cause? Repeated human disturbance. This beach, though really suitable in habitat, remains a high-traffic area. Without safe nesting space, plovers simply move on.

The fencing at this site will also be removed. While there were no active nests, continued public education and future monitoring remain critical. Restoring this beach as a viable nesting site will depend on all of us recognizing the signs and minimizing our impact!

Beach Pond (Behind the Oyster Farm) – Still Active & Vital

Least Tern nesting captured by Anna W.

Known formally by NYSDEC as “Beach Pond,” this remote site has become a key refuge for both terns and plovers. So far this year:

  • Three Least Tern nests have been confirmed, with two eggs in each (so far)

  • A Piping Plover pair has started their first nesting attempt, with a clutch of four eggs.

This site is unfenced due to its natural isolation and lack of public access, which reduces the risk of human-related disturbances. However, it is not free from threats… like gull predation. We have documented gulls interfering at the nest site, a common and difficult challenge for open-ground nesters like plovers and terns.

 

Eighth Hole Beach – Nesting Outside the Fence

4 Piping plover eggs (and a sneaky rock) captured by Anna W.

Here, a plover pair is attempting a second nest after an initial failure earlier this season. The symbolic fencing remains in place and will stay up until any chicks have safely fledged.

The new nest is located just outside the protected area, highlighting how nesting birds don’t always follow our boundaries. To adapt, we’ve marked the area with pink flags to signal nesting activity to beachgoers.

Please use caution when near this area. These nests are fragile and well-camouflaged. Even a single unintentional disturbance can cause adults to abandon their nest or lead predators directly to the eggs or chicks.

Mud Pond Beach (East Beach) – No Further Activity

After a failed nesting attempt in mid-June, no plovers have been seen at this site. It remains unfenced and inactive. While disappointing, this outcome isn’t unusual. Nesting success is heavily influenced by habitat conditions, predators, weather, and disturbances—all factors that fluctuate year to year.

This site will continue to be monitored in the seasons ahead. Even a site with no activity this year could become an important location in the future if conditions improve.

Stony Beach – Inactive Site

No Piping Plovers, no nests, and no activity observed during the entire season. This beach has remained quiet for plovers despite being historically suitable. We’ll continue to monitor it as part of our full island coverage.

This concludes our formal surveys for Piping Plovers, American Oystercatchers, Terns, Skimmers, Gulls, and Wading Birds, carried out in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). Only a few active nests remain, and fencing at those sites will stay in place until the chicks have fully fledged!

We’ll continue to track those nests, and you may see team members conducting follow-up visits in the coming weeks.

What You Can Do

2 Least Tern eggs captured by Anna W.

Fishers Island is one of the few places where endangered and threatened coastal birds still have a chance to thrive. Every resident, visitor, and beachgoer plays a role in that success.

Here’s how you can help:

  • Respect fencing and signage. These protect active nests and give chicks the space they need.

  • Keep dogs leashed and avoid flagged or marked areas.

  • Stay on wet sand when walking along the beach.

  • Report unusual activity including predator sightings, off-leash dogs near nests, or unmarked nest scrapes.

Let’s continue working together to ensure these birds return next year and have the space and safety they need to raise their young.

A Talk with Doug Tallamy

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Sunday, July 20, 2025 | 4:00 PM
FI Movie Theater & via Zoom

The Fishers Island Conservancy is proud to co-host a special presentation by Dr. Doug Tallamy, leading entomologist, conservationist, and co-founder of the transformative Homegrown National Park initiative.

Join us on Sunday, July 20 at 4:00 p.m. for an illustrated talk at the movie theater (also available via Zoom), where Dr. Tallamy will share his compelling vision for restoring biodiversity, starting in our own backyards! Following the talk, there will be a book signing and a reception.

With a national goal to convert 20 million acres of turfgrass into native plant habitat, Homegrown National Park challenges individuals and communities to rethink their landscapes and take action. Tallamy’s message is simple but powerful: we can no longer rely solely on protected wildlands to sustain native species! Real conservation must also happen where people live! On private property, in public spaces, and across working lands.

Drawing on decades of research and outreach, Dr. Tallamy will highlight how native plants support insects, which in turn support birds and the broader web of life. Through engaging visuals and practical advice, he’ll demonstrate how replacing lawn with native species not only helps wildlife thrive, but also reconnects us with the ecosystems we depend on.

A longtime advisor to the Fishers Island Conservancy, Dr. Tallamy’s ecological expertise helped guide the restoration of the Parade Grounds… a living model of habitat renewal that continues to inspire conservation efforts across the island.

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener, a curious newcomer, or someone looking to make a difference at home, this talk will leave you with the tools and motivation to take part in one of the most hopeful grassroots movements in conservation today!

Learn more about Homegrown National Park

Buzzing About Bees with FIWMD

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Eastern Carpenter Bee by Kristen Peterson (iNaturalist)

Eastern Carpenter Bee by Kristen Peterson (iNaturalist)

The Fishers Island Conservancy is helping Fishers Island Waste Management District get people buzzing about why bees are so important to the ecosystem and what are the non-lethal ways to reduce bees being drawn to our waste areas.

If you have an allergy or are otherwise concerned, please ask our attendants to dispose of your household trash and recycling for you. Your safety is our priority.

Why Bees Sting (and Why It’s Rare)

Please note that typically, the act of a bee stinging someone is far more dangerous to the bee itself than the person they are attempting to sting. This is because the stinger is often barbed and difficult to remove from the skin of a vertebrate—in some cases, the stinger itself remains embedded and the insect disembowels itself in the process of trying to get free.

Honeybee workers, which can have up to thousands in the hive, are expendable and their hive can afford the workers to sacrifice themselves like this.

Our native bees rarely sting as they are mostly solitary; however, both solitary and honeybees would likely be attracted to the same kind of lethal trap or poison that might be considered an option.

Why Bee Traps Don’t Work

Western Honey Bee by Murray Fisher (iNaturalist)

Western Honey Bee by Murray Fisher (iNaturalist)

Bee traps are ineffective in reducing the numbers of bees, and are even potentially counterproductive because they are baited to attract bees.

Sugary residues, food waste, and certain scents naturally attract them, especially when alternative foraging options are limited.

What You Can Do

While there will likely be no foolproof way to keep the bees from being attracted to any sweet-smelling waste, there are ways to mitigate the situation.

Pick up your complementary green 7-gallon bucket from the Compost Station and start separating your food scraps from your household trash. This diverts heavy wet materials from being a waste that is shipped off island into a resource that turns into beautiful free compost for your garden.

This also means less sweet-smelling household trash at the transfer station which will in turn attract fewer bees.

Rinse your recycling—this will also lessen the attractiveness to bees.

And, again, please know that our attendants are there to help you and can dispose of your trash and recycling on your behalf.

A Healthy Bee Population is a Good Sign

Seeing bees around the island is actually a good sign! It reflects the health and resilience of our local ecosystems and shows that our island continues to support a strong pollinator population.

Pollinator gardens provide high-quality food sources away from human areas, helping reduce direct bee-human encounters.

Traps, on the other hand, are largely ineffective because they kill indiscriminately, often harming beneficial or harmless species, and they don’t address the real attractants like unwashed recycling or food waste.

Broader native habitat improvements, like invasive plant removal and native species planting, will go a long way toward creating sustainable solutions that benefit pollinators and the larger ecosystem.

Bee ID: Who’s Buzzing Around?

Common Eastern Bumble Bee by Steffen Kucsera

Common Eastern Bumble Bee by Steffen Kucsera

Not all bees are the same, and not all are likely to sting or even live in colonies. Here’s how to tell some of our most common bee visitors apart:

Honey Bees
These bees are small and golden-brown with fuzzy bodies. They live in large colonies and are social pollinators. Honey bees are the ones that produce honey and can sting, but usually only when threatened.

Bumble Bees
Bumble bees are larger and rounder, with very fuzzy black-and-yellow bodies. They’re also social but tend to be gentle. Bumble bees are excellent pollinators and rarely sting.

Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees look similar in size to bumble bees but have shiny, hairless black abdomens. They’re often spotted near wooden structures, where they create small nesting holes. Males don’t sting, and females usually won’t unless directly handled.

Knowing which bee you’re seeing helps reduce fear and encourages appreciation for the vital role they play in our environment!

June 2025 Bird Count Results

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Read more

A Weekend with Dr. Douglas Tallamy

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The Fishers Island Conservancy is pleased to announce that Professor Douglas Tallamy, the renowned entomologist and conservationist, will be visiting Fishers Island July 18-20. Professor Tallamy will be receiving the first Conservancy medal, honoring his contributions to our understanding of biodiversity, conservation, and sustainable gardening practices. While on the island, Professor Tallamy will be giving an illustrated talk on native planting best practices, offering tours of the Parade Grounds, and will be available for some very limited home site visits.  Dr. Tallamy has been a key advisor to the Fishers Island Conservancy in the transformation of the Parade Grounds, lending his ecological expertise and guiding the use of native plants to maximize insect and bird biodiversity. His contributions have helped shape the site into a living example of habitat restoration, and his involvement has inspired continued efforts to expand native planting across the island. The Parade Grounds and Demonstration Garden now serve not only as habitat but also as educational resources for visitors and residents alike.

Dr. Tallamy’s simple message that native plants support diverse insect populations, which help sustain birds and other wildlife, has resonated with home gardeners across the country. His seminal book, “Bringing Nature Home,” has garnered widespread acclaim and serves as a guide for homeowners, landscapers, and conservationists, encouraging the use of native plants in gardens and urban environments. His second book, Nature’s Best Hope, became a New York Times bestseller and further established his role as a national leader in ecological gardening and grassroots conservation.

In addition, Dr. Tallamy has authored numerous books and scientific articles that contribute to the body of knowledge regarding the interactions between plants and insects. His efforts to educate the public about the ecological consequences of landscaping choices have helped foster a national movement towards more sustainable gardening practices. He emphasizes the idea that individual actions, such as planting native species, can collectively have a substantial impact on local ecosystems.
As a passionate environmentalist, Tallamy has also been involved in various initiatives aimed at promoting conservation and sustainability. He has collaborated with organizations like the National Wildlife Federation to develop programs that encourage home gardeners to create habitats for wildlife. He is also the co-founder of the Homegrown National Park initiative,  a grassroots movement that encourages people to partially convert lawns into native plant gardens, reflecting his commitment to changing how we view and interact with our landscapes. His educational and environmental stewardship has inspired countless individuals to rethink their gardening practices and the ways they contribute to local ecosystems.

The Fishers Island Conservancy looks forward to welcoming and honoring Dr. Tallamy this summer and continues to be inspired by his ongoing commitment to environmental education and awareness.

During his visit, Dr. Tallamy will lead guided nature walks through the Parade Grounds on both Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20 at 9:30 a.m., and deliver a public talk and book signing at the Henry L. Ferguson Museum on Sunday, July 20 at 4:00 p.m.

We hope you’ll join us for this special weekend of learning, inspiration, and celebration of the native landscapes that support life on Fishers Island and beyond.