Pete attended the first organizational meeting of Friends of Outer Island in 2003 and has either served as a Docent or one-week Island Keeper every year since. He met Julie about that time. She often joined him on his Island duties and became a member of FOI and Docent a few years later. They love the unspoiled beauty of the Island and the fact that most of the Island remains a sanctuary for birds and other wild-life.

We are really pleased in the improvements made for Island visitors over the years and glad that they have, if anything, reduced the human footprint. In the first years, we remember needing to dump seawater into a toilet connected to the old boat house.  The waste likely went into an antiquated and ineffective septic system that can’t have been good for Long Island Sound. I was glad to help nail together the outhouse for the composting toilet that Bill Anthony designed and built.

We have served as Island Keepers for a week during each of the past four or five years. This program keeps the Island open Monday to Friday during September, after the college interns have returned to school. Island Keepers get to live in the main house and the duty is quite light, with an average of less than 10 visitors a day. I recommend it for any Friends of Outer Island who have the time. Where else could you escape to an Island get-away for free? Often on September weekdays Island Keepers get to help out with the program in which school kids visit the island, to have fun, hands-on sessions to learn about the importance of preserving our natural environment. 

Prior to starting to serve as temporary Island Keepers, we regularly took advantage of the program that allowed overnight stays the night before Docent duty. The beautiful sheltered deck that FOI built about 8 years ago really made that stay much nicer. We would pitch a tent there (to keep the bugs at bay), rather than sleep in the lab, which could get stuffy on hot summer nights. 

On 2011, one of those overnight stays led to our most unusual experience on Outer Island. Around 7 pm, after we had closed the Island and were preparing our dinner, we heard voices on the far side of the island. A motor boat had run out of fuel and had washed up on the Island’s granite shoreline, knocking a hole in its hull. We encouraged passengers to get off the boat, helped secure it, got the boat-owner’s name and contact information, and notified the Fish and Wildlife Service. The roughly ten “castaways” didn’t even know they were on an island.  We called emergency services, the town motor launch evacuated them from the Island, and so after a couple of hours of a-little-too-much excitement, we had a peaceful Island to ourselves again. 

The owner of that damaged boat told us he planned to have a friend tow it off the next day. This could have led to the boat sinking and spilling fuel and oil into Long Island Sound, so of course the Fish and Wildlife Service intervened to have the damaged boat safely towed with an inflated collar to keep it afloat.

About five summers ago, early one morning, before the other Docent had arrived, by coincidence three very large kayak groups all appeared within a half hour of eachother. They all needed a rest and so over thirty people landed on the Island simultaneously. It was hard to impress on that many people the need to stay off closed areas and to keep an eye on them all. 

It led me to realize that the Island’s “Area Closed” signage was dilapidated and inadequate. I asked Fish and Wildlife if I could make a dozen movable signs that could be placed as needed to help ensure that visitors stayed off of closed, sensitive or hazardous areas. During our next Island-Keeper stay, I built the signs from scrap wood left over from the ramp project and they have been in use since. The lesson is that USFWS is open to suggestions if you notice something, small or big, that you could do to help preserve our beautiful citizen-owned Island.

Peter and Julie's Q&A...

What was your first impression of OI (Outer Island)?

The floating dock! I really enjoy the rocking of the dock as you get out of the water taxi to walk toward the island. I also like to sit on the dock in the evening, feeling its gentle movement, and watch the sun go down. 

What's your first memory of FOI?

I don’t remember my first memory. But my fondest memory is waking up on island, hearing the sound of the waves and the buoy. I took a cup of coffee and sat on the east side of the island while the sun crested over the horizon, brilliant and bright. I experienced a sense of total well-being and gratitude for our beautiful Sound.

What has surprised you most about working with FOI?

One day my husband and I were island keeping and a large group of school kids came to the island on a field trip. Their enthusiasm and energy were like a whirlwind! They had a full curriculum, but we also helped them learn to use binoculars and taught them a bit about birds. It was fun to share birding – something we love so much.

What do you find most challenging about FOI?

The lack of running water makes it challenging to stay on the island for more than a few days. But it’s totally worth it!

What do you wish other people knew about OI?

I wish more people knew that it is open to – and owned by - the public! Many people think that all the Thimble Islands are private. But OI is this beautiful island just waiting for everyone to come visit!

Why are you supporting FOI as opposed to other groups working on similar causes?

I volunteer for several environmental groups. FOI is particularly enjoyable because I get to be outside in Long Island Sound in the fresh sea air.

What would you say are some of your strongest beliefs about OI?

I believe it should stay open to the public and remain a place of education for kids to get outside and learn about our natural treasures and also remain a place of enjoyment for people who otherwise may not have easy access to the Sound.

When your friends or family find out that you volunteer, what do they say or ask?

Everyone wants to know how they can volunteer, too!

The interest in FOI seems to be growing. Why do you think that is?

I think that more and more, people are realizing the importance of preserving natural places. They connect us to our common origins and remind us that we share this earth with brother/sister species like fish and birds and turtles. These places are sources of respite and rejuvenation. The sheer beauty of OI is a treasure that draws people to the island.

What would you tell someone who is thinking about volunteering?

Try it!

·What do you think will change about FOI over the next five years?

I think that as USFWS experiences cuts in funding, FOI will need to step up to volunteer and take on even more work on the island. The few USFWS employees are spread thin across the entire Stewart B. McKinney NWR.