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Spring 2013
Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina)
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Reservations must be made for these walks, workshops, and programs.For information, reservations, and directions to meeting places for any scheduled programming, please contact the South Fork Natural History Museum at (631) 537-9735 email: sofo@hamptons.com
There is no charge for SoFo Members (unless otherwise stated).
Non-Members are charged $7 per adult and $5 per child (ages 3-12).
Children 2 years and Under are free of charge. Fees include a visit to the
museum on the day of the program.
SoFo provides exciting and educational nature experiences through
out-of-doors nature walks and indoor workshops and programs.
Each event is led by an expert naturalist.
Benefits of a Membership
Join as a member and receive all the benefits of a membership, including free admission to programming and museum admission, plus the quarterly newsletter with listings of nature walks, talks and workshops for both children and adults.
Want to learn more about natural history & SoFo's nature programs?Sign-up for our E-mail List
by emailing SoFo at sofo@hamptons.com
Click on the E-mail link above to let us know the subjects that are of particular interest to you. In your E-mail please indicate the natural history areas you would like to know more about so that we can send you a list of programs geared to your special interests.
Birds · Insects · Mammals · Marine Life · Plants & Fungi
Reptiles & Amphibians · Activities for Children · All of the Above
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Eastern Bluebirds: For children ages 5 to 9
3/23/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton
Leader: Crystal Possehl, SoFo Nature Educator
The field behind the museum is a home to many insects, which makes it the perfect home for Eastern Bluebirds who happily use fabricated nest boxes in place of tree cavities, which are difficult to find due to land development. The telescopes on the upper deck of the museum provide a noninvasive way of watching these sky-blue birds as they go to and from the nest boxes. But what is going on inside the nest box? Crystal will read an engaging story of how a bluebird couple builds its nest, feed its young, and gets the young ready for the upcoming winter. After the story, children will create their own bluebird nest-with-chicks, and have an opportunity to take a nature walk out into the field to observe the bluebirds.
Photo: Eastern Bluebird
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735
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Spotted Salamander Search
3/23/2013
· 7:30 pm - Saturday
Bridgehampton
Leader: Andy Sabin, SoFo Board President
On this walk to one of our vernal ponds, we’ll be searching for the Spotted Salamander, one of our four native mole salamanders. This salamander is a beauty with its shiny black body and bright yellow spots. It, like the Eastern Tiger and the Blue-spotted Salamander, as well as the early-autumn breeding Marbled Salamander, is called a mole salamander because it spends most of its time underground. Please bring a flashlight and wear boots, as late winter rains will make the ground soggy. This walk will take place only after heavy rains.
Photo: Spotted Salamander
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
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Bluebird Walk, For Adults
3/30/2013
· 9 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton
Leader: Joe Giunta
In this program, learn all about our native Eastern Bluebird from Joe, an experienced birder, engaging teacher, and birding tour leader. First, Joe will offer a short bluebird slide program, and then it's off to see firsthand this cavity-nesting bird of open country and woodland edge. This walk is for adults, but children over the age of 12 may attend.
Photo: Joe cleaning out a Bluebird box located in Vineyard Field
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735
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Mad Scientist Chemistry Workshop
3/30/2013
· 11 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton
Leader: Tyler Armstrong, SoFo Nature Educator
For Children ages 8 to 10
Ever mix together all of the things in the fridge and have your mom get mad? Join Tyler as we learn what a chemical reaction is. You’ll have a chance to mix together some safe household chemicals without getting in trouble! Watch a colorful and action packed demonstration of how reactions make new substances or can even change blue into red. Then become a real scientist and make your own mixtures to see what kinds of reactions you can create. All materials are child safe, but wear clothes that can get messy. Limited enrollment, reserve now.
Photo: Chemical reaction in a beaker
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
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Hike the Moraine
3/30/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton
Leader: Jean Dodds, Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt (FLPG) Secretary
Co-sponsored: Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt (FLPG) and South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo)
This hilly 1.5-mile hike will take you to the top of the moraine in Bridgehampton, a vantage point of 218 feet above sea level, from which you will have a panoramic view extending from Mecox Bay to the Atlantic Ocean. Join Jean as she introduces you to the concept of a moraine, and the terms glacial erratic, kettle hole, and coastal outwash plain, as well as the phrase “vernal ponds,” the special breeding places of our endangered Eastern Tiger Salamanders. Meet on Mill Path off Lopers Path East, in Bridgehampton.
Photo: Hiking along the Long Pond Greenbelt
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
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Sounds of Spring: Family Program
4/6/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Crystal Possehl, SoFo Nature Educator
“Cheer-up, cheerily, cheer-up” sings the American Robin reminding us that winter is ending and spring is around the corner. The calls of many other animals also herald the coming of spring, but it is sometimes tricky to see who is calling. Join Crystal for a sound and slide show to identify our spring songsters such as Spring Peepers, Wood Frogs, Red-winged Blackbirds, Northern Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, and many more. Bring your binoculars, if you have them, for a walk in SoFo’s Vineyard Field after the presentation to see some of our vernal songsters.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: American Robin
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One-Day Tracking Intensive: For Adults
4/6/2013
· 10 am to 5 pm - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Callie Velmachos, Level III Certified Animal Tracker in the Cybertracker International tracking system
This unusual class with Callie will include classroom time and “dirt” time, and is designed for those who want to develop enhanced observational and deduction skills in the out-of-doors. Going beyond track and sign identification—to include animal behavior, physical structure, and the dynamics of motion—you’ll learn how to “read” the landscape and the behavior of our native animals in a unique and more meaningful way. Bring lunch, a notebook, eyeglasses (if you need them), measuring tape, and a magnifying glass. We will be traveling to one or two nearby field sites. There is a $30 fee for this limited enrollment workshop—10 participants only. Advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please -call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Advanced reservations are necessary. Please reserve by April 1st. Advanced Payment is required.
Photo: Raccoon Tracks
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Build your Own Bat House: For Children ages 8 and up
4/7/2013
· 1 pm - Sunday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Molly Adams, SoFo Nature Educator
Did you know that a single Little Brown Bat might eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour? In late spring, the Little Brown Bat will reappear on Long Island after its winter hibernation. During the summer, these nocturnal animals spend their days in dark, small spaces inside trees, under bridges, and in buildings. As forests are being cleared for development, bats have a difficult time finding trees to roost in and raise their young. During this workshop, Molly will help you put together your own bat house as you learn more about these animals, their important roles in local ecosystems, and the ways in which you can help them. There is a $15 materials fee. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-5374-9735.
Photo: Little Brown Bat
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Backyard Entomology -- Native Insects and Your Garden
4/13/2013
· 1 pm - Saturday (TIME CHANGE)
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Laurie Mickaliger McBride, Cornell Cooperative Extension Agricultural Stewardship Technician
and Molly Adams, SoFo Nature Educator
Certain insects and plants “work together” in order to survive, and if you have a garden, it’s important to know about the different species you’re planting and their relationships to common insects in the area. Join Laurie, an insect expert from Suffolk County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension, for a special cosponsored event that brings live insects to the museum. After you are introduced to some of the different species, Laurie and Molly will offer hands-on activities where you will examine these insects under magnification, learn how to scout plants for invasive insects, and how to trap these insects without using harmful pesticides that have negative impacts on local ecosystems. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Nine-spotted Ladybug
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Early Spring Forest Walk: For Families with Children 5 and up
4/13/2013
· 1 pm - Saturday
East Hampton
Leader: Tyler Armstrong, SoFo Nature Educator
As the weather finally warms up our local plants awaken from their winter sleep. Many native trees like Black Cherry, Red Maple, and Flowering Dogwood produce some much-overlooked flowers. Skunk Cabbages even get a head start on the spring by creating their own heat to melt the snow around them. Join Tyler on this family nature walk to greet our early rising neighbors.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735
Photo: Flowering Red Maple
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SoFo Earth Day Celebration - Free Open House and MORE!
4/20/2013
· 10 am - 4 pm
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: SoFo Staff
Free Admission for all to the Museum, Live Animal Program, Walks, and Art Experience. We Urge Members to bring friends!
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Beach Cleanup with SoFo Staff at Long Beach, Noyac
4/20/2013
· 8:30 am to 9:30 am - Saturday
Long Beach, Noyac
Leader: SoFo Staff
Beach debris is dangerous to birds and marine life. Join us, meet new friends, and start the day off right by doing a beach cleanup, a service to all. Meet at Long Beach.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
This is apart of SoFo's Earth Day Celebration Open House. All events are free of charge.
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Meet Live Reptiles, Amphibians and Insects from Around the World at SoFo
4/20/2013
· 10 am -11 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Erik Callender, Erik's Reptile Edventures
Celebrate the diversity of reptiles, amphibians, and arthropods from North America, with the engaging Erik Callender. Children will have the opportunity to see, touch, and learn about these amazing creatures. They’ll meet twelve species of animals including, lizards, snakes, turtles, tree frogs, toads, salamanders, and an American Alligator named Walley, and will leave the program with new information and a greater appreciation for the diversity of life on our planet. Limited space, please call (631) 537-9735 for reservations now.
To make a reservation for this program please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Erik with Giant African Millipede
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Nature Walk in SoFo's Vineyard Field
4/20/2013
· 1pm to 2 pm - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: SoFo Nature Educator
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Self-guided Walk in SoFo's Vineyard Field using the SoFo Audio Tour
4/20/2013
· 2 pm - 3 pm - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Whether you tour the field behind the museum-–Vineyard Field-–with a SoFo nature educator or on your own, with SoFo’s Audio Tour of the small-loop trail, you’ll be sure to discover the beauty and wealth of the native animal and plant life that make this habitat so valuable.
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The Expansive Field - the Environmental Art of Christine Sciulli at SoFo
4/20/2013
· 12 pm to 9 pm - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Christine Sciulli
The unique work of projection and installation artist Christine Sciulli inaugurates SoFo’s Artist in Residence program. Sciulli’s work combines light, geometry, and natural materials to generate immersive projection installations. The Expansive Field is a series of indoor and outdoor projects, which envelop the viewer and landscape in swarming points of light and shapes. From April 20 through Memorial Day, school groups and the public will be invited to participate in large-scale collaborative workshops with the artist, using video projection and natural materials found on the grounds of SoFo.
Sciulli holds an Architectural Engineering degree from Penn State, an MFA from Hunter College, and is represented by New York gallery Causey Contemporary.
Photo: Christine's Environmental Art
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In Search of Cavity Nesting Birds: For Adults
4/21/2013
· 8 am - Sunday
Sag Harbor
Leader: Joe Giunta
Join Joe, an expert birder, international birding-tour leader, delightful teacher, and Director of SoFo’s Bluebird Nest Box Program, on this very popular walk to see cavity-nesting birds such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, titmice, chickadees, and bluebirds. This walk is for adults, children 12 and up may attend. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this walk, please call the museum at 631-5347-9735.
Photo: Hairy Woodpecker
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Visit to the East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery
4/27/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Montauk
Leader: John "Barley" Dunne, Hatchery Director
Join Barley to see how the Town raises ten million seed shellfish—hard clams, oysters, and bay scallops—for the purpose of restocking public shellfish beds in Town and surrounding State waters. You’ll have an opportunity to understand shellfish breeding and spawning, see the larval stages and early juvenile rearing of millions of these animals, as well as see the food production system needed for raising these animals. For adults, and children 10 and up. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735
Photo: Oyster Seed
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Make Your Own Plant Terrarium: For Children ages 7 to 15
4/27/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Cyrstal Possehl, SoFo Nature Educator
We frequently learn about the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the nitrogen cycle just by reading about them. Now here’s a way to reinforce the concepts by seeing them in action. Join Crystal as she helps you create your own experimental, enclosed plant habitats to see, first hand, how air, soil, and water work together to keep life in balance even in a small jar. There is a $10 materials fee. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735
Photo: Moss Terrarium
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Birding for Beginners with Frank Part 1 of 3 - Spring Migration
4/27/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Frank Quevedo, SoFo Executive Director
The spring bird migration is evident everywhere this time of year. Just about every natural habitat on the East End is teeming with migrants, here to feed or establish territory for nesting sites. Frank’s Birding for Beginners has been developed as a way to encourage new birders to take part in this healthy, outdoor pursuit. Part one of this series will focus on the field marks and behaviors of birds of the grasslands and shoreline habitats. Bring your binoculars, a scope, and a field guide to Birds of Eastern North America, if you have one. For adults, and children 12 and up.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Blue-winged Teal
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Beachcombing and Sandcasting: For Children 5 and up
4/28/2013
· 10am - Sunday (TIME CHANGE)
East Hampton
Leader: Lindsey Rohrbach, SoFo Nature Educator
Beachcombing is always a favorite family activity. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to identify the shells, feathers, seaweed, and other natural treasures you come upon, collect them, and then cast them in plaster of paris to make your own seaside work of art to take home. There is a $3 materials fee. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Ocean Sandcast
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Fourth Annual Peconic Family Fun Day: Free Children's Environmental Carnival
5/4/2013
· 10 am to Noon, Saturday
Bridgehampton, CMEE & SoFo
Held at CMEE (Children’s Museum of the East End), across the street from SoFo, this family fun day presents exhibits, programs, and hands-on activities sponsored by CMEE (Children’s Museum of the East End), Cornell Cooperative Extension, Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt, EECO Farm, Group for the East End, Peconic Estuary Program, Peconic Land Trust, Ross School, South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo), and other environmental organizations.
In addition to all the activities, SoFo will host two easy-paced nature walks at the South Fork Natural History Museum to see the blossoms, birds, butterflies, turtles, frogs, and myriad plant and animal life that call the field behind the museum home:
10:30 am: Nature Walk Leader: Frank Quevedo, SoFo Executive Director
11:15 am: Nature Walk Leader: Crystal Possehl, SoFo Nature Educator
Photo: Vineyard Field Nature Walk
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The Art of Observation - Looking Closely at Birds
5/5/2013
· 10 am - Sunday
Sag Harbor
Leader: Molly Adams, SoFo Nature Educator
For Adults and Children 8 years and up.
Hundreds of different species of birds call the East End home during the springtime, and it is sometimes challenging to tell one from another. There are many different ways of learning how to remember these animals, and the location of this program, where birds perch right on your hand, is the perfect spot to hone your observational skills. Whether you choose to take notes or photographs, record sounds, or note colors, shapes, or field marks, Molly will help you develop your skills and introduce you to some new ones. Bring the recording tools of your choice. Clipboards with paper and pencils will be provided. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Downy Woodpecker
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Star Trail Photography - Capturing the Cosmos
5/11/2013
· 8 pm - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Robert Wood, Photographer
For Adults and Children 12 and up
There is a hidden pattern in the night sky, a pattern as predictable and consistent as the sunrise and sunset, a pattern that can be viewed through the lens of time-lapse photography. In this unusual workshop, Robert will assist you in capturing these starlight configurations. Please bring a tripod and either a digital SLR camera with ‘Bulb’ mode, or a 35mm camera with a cable release. All cameras require a tripod for star-trails. If you don’t have the equipment, join us anyway; take notes on the technique and see some of Robert’s own work in this unique photography style. Weather dependent. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Star Trail Photography
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Marine Meadows Workshop -- Eel grass Restoration Project
5/11/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Kimberly Barbour, Habitat Restoration Outready Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), a submerged aquatic vegetation species, serves as important marine habitat for many species of finfish and shellfish, and helps to enhance the health and productivity of our local bays. In recent decades, local populations of this species have declined considerably. The Cornell Cooperative Extension is one of the prime movers in the effort to restore eelgrass beds through their Marine Meadows Project. In this workshop, they’ll teach you about eelgrass and then give you the unique opportunity to assist in land-based efforts to restore our local, eelgrass populations. You’ll weave eelgrass shoots (harvested from healthy donor meadows in our local waters) into burlap planting discs which, once assembled, will be planted by trained SCUBA certified CCE Marine Program staff, in carefully selected restoration sites in our local estuaries
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Weaving eelgrass shoots which will later be planted in the bays
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Lodo's Bee Story Time: For Children ages 3 to 5
5/11/2013
· 1 pm - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Crystal Possehl, SoFo Nature Educator
Spring flowers are so nice after a cold winter. But who helps the flowers make seeds to grow into flowers next year? Bees, that’s who! Join Crystal and her story-time puppet, Lodo, the River Otter, as they read a story about what baby bees look like, how bees work together, and what life is like inside a hive. After the story, children will make their own model bee, and take a short nature walk looking for early flowers. There is a $3 materials fee. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Honey Bee
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Sounds at the Beach, For Children ages 2 to 4
5/12/2013
· 10 am - Sunday
East Hampton
Leader: Lindsey Rohrbach, SoFo Nature Educator
Come sing and dance to the sounds of the beach in this program for very young children, designed to help them heighten their awareness of nature’s own music. Join Lindsey as we practice making these sounds while exploring the beach to see what natural items we find. We’ll also listen to songs about nature, and enjoy a special, beach story time to complement the morning’s adventure. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Long Island Beach
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Tyler's Turtle Time For Children ages 3 to 5
5/18/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Tyler Armstrong, SoFo Nature Educator
Our friend the turtle makes its home in many different places on Long Island. Join Tyler for some fun, turtle-inspired games, and the opportunity to learn where turtles live and how they help us. Then we will meet some of SoFo’s very own turtle friends, and, with luck, see their outdoor buddies basking by our pond. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Painted Turtles basking
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Mist Netting to Study and Band Birds
5/18/2013
· 7 am to 10 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton
Leader: Shaibel Mitra, Assistant Professor of Biology at the College of Staten Island
During this unique three-hour program„Ÿcome for an hour or stay for all three„ŸShai Mitra, master licensed bird bander, will demonstrate how ornithologists set up and use mist nets, a special kind of delicate net resembling an oversized volleyball net virtually invisible to birds, to capture wild birds for study and banding. In the United States, federal and state permits are required to capture wild birds with mist nets, so this is a rare opportunity to see mist netting in action.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Catbird being caught in a mist net
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Family Salt Marsh and Bay Nature Walk
5/18/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Southampton
Leader: Crystal Possehl, SoFo Nature Educator
Now¡¯s the perfect time to get outdoors as a family for this delightful spring walk with Crystal. You¡¯ll visit a salt marsh¨C-a dynamic ecosystem where fresh water and saltwater habitats meet©¤travel over a board walk, so the mud doesn¡¯t suck off your shoes©¤and wind up on a little sandy, bay beach filled with plants, crabs, shells, worms, and lots of other critters. You¡¯ll probably even see some fish swimming in the bay.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Salt Marsh
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Monitoring Horseshoe Crabs
5/23/2013
· 7:30 pm - Thursday
Pikes Beach, Westhampton Beach
Leader: Gina Mulhearn and mark Cappiello, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Suffolk County, Horseshoe Crab Research Project
From about mid-May to the first week of June, thousands of horseshoe crabs, as well as a variety of migrating birds (including Red Knots) gathered at Pikes Beach. It’s an incredible sight to see, all the more so in the beautiful light of the setting sun. The horseshoe crabs are there to spawn, the birds to feed on their eggs and fuel themselves for their long migration journeys. But, due to human intervention, something is happening to this age-old process. Data needs to be collected to document and assess the status of horseshoe crabs in our waters. You can help. Become a citizen scientist and join SoFo and Cornell to assist in collecting information for this study, while you witness one of nature’s most amazing wildlife events.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Horseshoe crabs mating
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Salamander Seining... and Some Frogs Too!
5/25/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Andy Sabin, President, SoFo Board of Directors
Many salamanders breed in water, and here’s your chance to see the larval aquatic stage of the endangered Eastern Tiger Salamander before it comes on land to live. You’ll also see some of our local frog tadpoles, as Andy Sabin, “Mr. Salamander,” wades into a freshwater pond and, using a seining net (a large two-person fishing net with weights at the lower edge and floats at the top), brings to the surface the pond-stages of these young animals, members of the class Amphibia.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Salamander Larva
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Nature Paddle: Focus - Horseshoe Crabs
5/25/2013
· 9 am - 11 am - Saturday
East Hampton, Springs
Leader: Mike Bottini, Naturalist
Join us on a leisurely paddle through Goose Creek in Three Mile Harbor to observe horseshoe crab mating and egg laying. We will discuss the ecological role of this unusual creature, as well as its unique adaptations.
Singe Kayaks ($40), Tandem Kayaks and canoes ($60) and standup paddleboards ($50) are available to rent (and include lifejacket), or bring your own.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Horseshoe crabs mating
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Birding for Beginners with Frank Part 2 of 3 - Shorebirds
5/26/2013
· 1 pm - Sunday
Hampton Bays
Leader: Frank Quevedo, SoFo Executive Director
Join Frank on this shorebird migration walk at Shinnecock. These beaches, tidal flats, and wetlands are excellent staging areas for migrating birds. They provide abundant food sources for the birds’ nourishment and thus the energy reserves they need to continue and sustain their long-distance flights. In addition to seeing migrating shorebirds you’ll also be on the lookout for sparrows, rails, grackles, and other specialties of the area. You can also check out the ocean for pelagic birds, which occasionally come in close at this time of year. Bring your binoculars, a scope, and a field guide to Birds of Eastern North America, if you have one. For adults and children ages 12 and up.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Dunlin
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Nature's Colors and Shapes: For Children ages 3 to 5
5/27/2013
· 10 am - Monday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Lindsey Rohrbach, SoFo Nature Educator
Nature has combined colors and shapes to create the beautiful world outdoors. Come explore the field in back of the museum with Lindsey as she works with children to help them “read the landscape” by unraveling nature’s complex mixtures of color and shape. Children will learn about nature’s shapes by creating some of their own, and about color by mixing colors and making their own simple color wheel. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Hawkweed
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Beach Scavenger Hunt: For Children ages 3 to 5
6/1/2013
· 10:30 am - Saturday
East Hampton
Leader: Molly Adams, SoFo Nature Educator
The ever-changing tides carry a diverse range of natural and unnatural objects up on to the beach each day. Meet Molly, at low tide, for a scavenger hunt where you will complete a puzzle by finding natural objects such as shells, gull feathers, and maybe even a mermaid’s purse! After everyone has finished their collection, you’ll share what you find with the group and learn how everything is interconnected. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Codium (seaweed)
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Scientific Names: For Children ages 8 and up
6/1/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Tyler Armstrong, SoFo Nature Educator
Is a starfish really a fish? Is a painted turtle really painted? Is a buttercup really made of butter? These names aren’t very accurate, but there are scientific names that make a lot of sense, once you learn to break them down. Just like the super cool names of dinosaurs, they are big words, but kids can learn them too. Join Tyler as we explore the museum, discuss the common and scientific names of the animals and plants that we live with, and learn to become better readers and writers at the same time. We will even create our own unique scientific names that describe ourselves!
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Buttercup
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Shark Dissection: For Children ages 8 and up
6/8/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Frank Quevedo, SoFo Executive Director
Back by popular demand. If you love sharks, this workshop with Frank is for you! You’ll dissect a small shark, known as a Spiny Dogfish, and learn to identify its anatomical parts to better understand how it swims, eats, and respires. Frank will focus on the internal aspects, but will discuss the external as well. Dissecting tools, gloves, and eye-protection will be supplied. There is a $20 materials fee. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Students dissecting a dogfish shark
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Our Geologic History: For Adults and Children 12 and up
6/8/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Montauk
Leader: Angela Firestone, Geologist and Former Curator of Geology, Cranbook Institute of Science
Join Angela for a hike to the Ronkonkoma Terminal Moraine, which was deposited on the South Fork during the last advance of the Wisconsin/Illinois ice sheet, about 10,000 years ago. Through observation of glacial erratics found along the shore and in the moraine, Angela will trace the origin of the material that you will see, which was scraped up as the glaciers advanced over the mountains, eventually transporting and dropping this material as the face of the glacier melted. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735
Photo: Erratic Boulder
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"Driftology" and Assemblage - Nature Art at the Beach: For Adults
6/8/2013
· 1 pm - Saturday
Montauk
Leader: Scott Bluedorn, Curator or Neoteric Gallery, Owner of Scott Bluedorn Fine Art
On our shores we find flotsam drifting in from many places; it’s strewn across the sand and is seemingly useless to many people. Let’s give this drifted “treasure” a place to shine, as local artist Scott Bluedorn leads us in making nature-inspired art pieces while we clean up our beautiful beaches. He will share his theories of “driftology” and inspire us to engage in the art of assemblage. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Buoy found in Montauk by Scott Bluedorn
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Breeding Warblers
6/12/2013
· 8 am - Wednesday
Montauk
Leader: Joe Giunta
Thirteen species of warblers have been recorded as breeders on Long Island; nine are confirmed breeders in one area in Montauk. Joe, experienced birder and delightful teacher, will lead you on a search to find these active small songbirds and with luck you will hear them singing and possibly see them carrying food to their nests. This walk is for adults, children over the age of 12 may attend. Limited enrollment, advance reservations necessary.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735
Photo: Yellow Warbler
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An Ecology of Mind - A Film Portrait of Gregory Bateson
6/22/2013
· 8 pm - Saturday
Bridgehampton, SoFo
Leader: Film presentation
“What pattern connects the crab to the lobster, the orchid to the primrose, and all four of them to me? And me to you?” – Gregory Bateson
Join us for Long Island’s first public screening of Nora Bateson’s documentary “An Ecology of Mind.” This film explores the extraordinary life of her father, Gregory Bateson, a multitalented biologist, ecologist, anthropologist, systems theorist, family therapist, creative thinker, and husband of Margaret Mead. His interdisciplinary work fostered a unique way of thinking about the world by focusing on the relationships between living things. The film outlines her father’s work, and shows us optimistic ways in which his thinking has been, and can be, used to approach many of the enormous challenges confronting the natural world. Light refreshments will be served.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735
Photo: Portrait Gregory Bateson
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Family Seashell Identification Field Walk
6/22/2013
· 1 pm - Saturday
East Hampton
Leader: Frank Quevedo, SoFo Executive Director
If you’ve walked our bay and ocean beaches we’re certain you’ve started a shell collection. But have you ever wondered about the name of the animal that lived in that shell? On this introductory walk to seashell identification, Frank will talk about how seashells form, the lives these animals lead, and what books to add to your collection to help you identify seashells on your own. If you wish, bring some of your native shells for identification.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Transverse Arc
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Birding for Beginners with Frank Part 3 of 3 - Woodland Species
6/29/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Sag Harbor
Leader: Frank Quevedo, SoFo Executive Director
In June, our woodlands are home to dozens of birds that only flourish in heavily treed areas. These
birds include the American Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Ovenbird. Searching for these birds, or any others, in the dense, deciduous forest can be a challenge, but if you are familiar with their songs and calls, identification will be much easier. Join Frank on this walk to learn how bird sound can be your biggest ally and which tools you can acquire to help you enhance your birding skills. Bring your binoculars, a scope, and a field guide to Birds of Eastern North America, if you have one. For adults, and children ages 12 and up.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: Ovenbird
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Family Forest Walk to Wolf Swamp
6/29/2013
· 10 am - Saturday
Southampton
Leader: Crystal Possehl, SoFo Nature Educator
Get outdoors with the family and join Crystal to explore a three-quarter mile, open trail through the woods in this beautiful wetland habitat. You’ll stop to study the plants, make leaf rubbings, listen to the birds, look for insects, and enjoy the beauty of a spring day in nature.
To make a reservation for this program, please call the museum at 631-537-9735.
Photo: New York Fern
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