What We Do
Home of the
Save Our Seagrass (S.O.S) Movement
The Fisher Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition proudly brings seagrass education, outreach, and engagement services to Fishers Island Sound residents and visitors. Our S.O.S Movement focuses on eelgrass - the dominant species of seagrass in Long Island Sound, how Fishers Island Sound residents and visitors benefit from eelgrass, what is threatening this valuable resource, and what we can do to protect it.
Our Mission
The mission of the FISM Coalition is to promote community learning about eelgrass meadows and how to protect, sustain and care for them; strengthen productive collaborative relationships among stakeholders, both within and outside the community; and foster the protection and effective management of this important resource and the benefits it provides Fishers Island and the region.
S.O.S Goals
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We want to help homeowners, landscapers, and caretakers find sustainable ways to make beautiful outdoor spaces.
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We encourage boaters to be aware of and careful around eelgrass. The damage boats create has a large cumulative impact on the ecosystem services it provides.
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Community is important to us; environmental stewardship starts with you! We want residents and visitors of Fishers Island Sound to engage with us in eelgrass protection, preservation, and restoration.
Founded in 2017…
the Henry L. Ferguson Museum and the Fishers Island Conservancy, with support from The Nature Conservancy, formed the Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition to initiate a collaborative process for protecting the island’s enduring eelgrass ecosystem.
The Coalition is comprised of representatives from the H.L. Ferguson Museum, Fishers Island Conservancy, Town of Southold, Island Community Board, Fishers Island Development Corporation, Fishers Island Club, Hay Harbor Club, FI Yacht Club, Harbor Committee, FI School, Pirates Cove Marina, and the FI Ferry District, as well as commercial fishing, aquaculture, contracted ferries, landscapers, divers, spearfishing, and recreational fishing representatives —groups that directly depend upon or interact with or may affect the island’s coastal habitats. These passionate individuals volunteer their time and expertise by attending Coalition meetings and have charged themselves with communicating back to other members of the stakeholder groups they represent.
“Forming a Fishers Island Seagrass Management coalition that helps educate our community, for me is really a huge part of our shared natural history- [I’m] hopeful that our natural environment, both above and underwater, thrives for generations to come.”
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We gathered Fishers Island representatives from stakeholder groups around Fishers Island to form a community-based Coalition. We began with group learning sessions to educate ourselves about eelgrass, its importance, and the threats it faces. The Coalition invited guest speakers to discuss marine ecosystems so they and the community could learn more about seagrass habitats.
Recognizing the importance of understanding the Fishers Island eelgrass ecosystem, we launched a pilot human uses monitoring program through MPA Watch to identify and quantify human activities in and around seagrass areas. We also partnered with the University of Rhode Island’s Watershed Watch program to monitor Hay Harbor and West Harbor water quality. Finally, we implemented water temperature monitoring around the island to analyze yearly trends to assess water temperature increase as a threat to the eelgrass habitat.
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The FISM Coalition realized that eelgrass was under great threat from nitrogen runoff and boat damage. We began some outreach efforts to engage boaters in seagrass-safe boating practices and create resources for homeowners to prevent nitrogen runoff. We created a landscaping brochure, a boating postcard, and an eelgrass habitat postcard to educate the Fishers Island community.
During this time we began assessing areas of the island that would benefit from additional protection through Seagrass Management Areas. We used the data collected from MPA Watch, Watershed Watch, and our temperature monitoring to inform these decisions.
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Our community engagement during Seagrass Management Area planning gave us a new perspective on the FISM Coalition’s mission and vision. We decided that Seagrass Management Areas were not in the community’s interest. Our focus changed to promoting voluntary actions that Fishers Island Sound residents and visitors can do to sustain and protect eelgrass. We believe that this community deserves the chance to demonstrate that sustainable environmental change does not require new laws and enforcement personnel.
We believe in the Fishers Island community’s commitment to the environment and their will to preserve and protect it for the coming generations. With that in mind, the FISM Coalition decided to set forward on a path to provide the Fishers Island Sound community with the tools to be environmentally responsible stewards.
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This was a big year for the FISM Coalition. Our Eelgrass Outreach and Education Plan passed with unanimous support and community members have received our new initiatives enthusiastically. We overhauled our website to include in-depth information about our educational initiatives regarding nitrogen runoff and boating damage.
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The Save Our Seagrass Movement includes three educational prongs: 1) eelgrass importance, 2) nitrogen pollution, and 3) boating damage. We know that Fishers Island Sound residents and visitors want to establish environmentally sustainable habits, but we also acknowledge that it is difficult to care for something you know very little about. Each FISM Coalition member started without much knowledge of eelgrass - now, they want to help community members along their journey toward a sustainable future for eelgrass and Long Island Sound.
To aid us in this purpose, this year, we will create new materials and hand outs that clearly explain our S.O.S messages. Look out for us at the Henry L. Ferguson Museum and at community events!