During the FISMC Summer Meeting we brought in Cayla Sullivan, a Life Scientist at the EPA, to speak to the coalition and community. She is heavily involved in restoring and protecting the coastal ecosystem, eelgrass, to Long Island Sound. Her presentation focused on the many ways that the EPA is getting involved in conservation and restoration with local groups around Long Island Sound to benefit eelgrass. Please watch the video of her presentation below!

Native plants are essential to repairing and sustaining our fragile ecosystem on Fishers Island. But what makes them unique, and how can we use them effectively? Join us on 25 May, 11 am, at the Henry L. Ferguson Museum for a first-of-its-kind event to find out!

The Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition will hold its winter meeting in February!

• When: Friday, 16 Feb, 12:00-1:30 pm

• Where: Virtual via Zoom – email our project coordinator for the link!

• Who: All members of the community are welcome!

The Fishers Island Seagrass Management (FISM) Coalition will hold its summer meeting in October!

When: Thursday, 12 Oct, 11:00 am-12:30 pm

Where: Hybrid meeting on Zoom and at the Henry L. Ferguson Museum - email our project coordinator to RSVP!

Who: All members of the community are welcome! Non-coalition members will be observers and have the opportunity to comment at the end of the meeting.

Boating is one of the many ways Fishers Island residents and visitors enjoy their leisure time, but what happens when recreation leads to the destruction of marine habitat? Most boaters do not know that their actions can directly affect eelgrass habitats, and even fewer know why they should look out for these underwater meadows. Today, we are looking at what can happen when shallow waters, motorized boats, and eelgrass meet.

If you like to fish from the shoreline of Fishers Island, you may be familiar with the tautog - also called blackfish. Juveniles find refuge in our eelgrass meadows and adults frequent our rocky shores! So, what is a tautog? Let’s find out!

We would love to tell you there is a simple solution to this issue in the form of native, drought-tolerant grass. There is not. But there is a native, drought-tolerant sedge with a grass-like appearance that might get you excited! It is called Pennsylvania Sedge - let’s discover more about it.

For some, composting evokes ideas of smelly backyards and unsavory aesthetics, but these negative impressions are mainly of poorly maintained compost piles. When properly taken care of, compost piles are a gardener’s “black gold.” And the good news is that Fishers Island has its own community compost station for community members to contribute their organic waste and purchase compost! So why do we like composting? There are so many reasons!

Not everyone loves the feeling of eelgrass touching them when they go for a swim, but it is important to remember that eelgrass works hard so you can have a safe swim! How is your swim in the waters around Fishers Island improved by eelgrass? Let’s find out!

Weed or wonder plant? Clover is commonly considered a weed in grass lawns, but should it be? Clover attracts pollinators, protects your vegetable garden, and keeps your lawn lush and green even through drought. There are so many reasons why clover would be an amazing addition to your lawn - let’s count them!

Wrack from eelgrass might not look the best, but it signifies a healthy, well-functioning marine ecosystem. Why? Because the life cycle of eelgrass includes regularly shedding its leaves. Let’s discover more about how Fishers Island eelgrass grows throughout the year!

During this 2023 season, we are focusing on asking beaters to anchor outside of eelgrass beds and addressing the barriers to boaters completing this task. So why are we asking you to look before you drop? Let’s find out!

Quick-release fertilizers have devastating long-term effects on terrestrial and marine environments. We know community members of Fishers Island want to limit their environmental impact, so today, we are looking into slow-release fertilizers and what makes them preferable to their fast-acting counterparts.

Everyone lives in a watershed - even homeowners that live on property further in-land can affect the health and safety of Long Island Sound because they live in the same watershed.

Discover how a walk on the beach can Save Our Seagrass!

Volunteering on the beach? Sign us up!