Program Leader: Frank Quevedo, Executive Director, South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo)
Let’s venture by boat into the remote areas of Shinnecock Bay onboard Stony Brook University/Southampton’s 45-ft. research vessel, Peconic, and marvel at the wealth of migratory birds, waterfowl, and seals that inhabit the region at this time of year. We’ll cruise along areas of the salt marsh and sand flats that are not visible by land, and hopefully witness the activities of a variety of wildlife. Bring binoculars and a light snack. There is a fee of $25 for members and $35 for nonmembers for this program. The program is for adults, but children ages 10 and older may attend. Advance reservations necessary.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Photo Credit: Wolfgang Wander
Program Leader: Crystal Oakes, South Fork Natural History Museum Environmental Educator
As daylight increases and the temperatures rise, animals get ready for another productive year—for many animals, that means securing a good territory with plenty of food and shelter to raise a family. How do animals know if a tree or a pond or a flower is already occupied? They sing! Join Crystal for a family-friendly game to guess which birds, amphibians, and insects will be singing in our backyards in the coming months to find the right place to raise their families. After the game, we’ll test our ears with a listening walk in Vineyard Field, behind the museum, to find out who is out and about.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Workshop Leader: Melanie Meade, South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo) Environmental Educator
The four forces of flight—lift, thrust, drag, and weight—affect kites in the same way they affect airplanes and anything else that flies. In this workshop with Melanie, we’ll learn about these forces and how they work with kites. We’ll build our own kite to see how a kite’s size and shape create lift and thrust that balance weight and drag so our kite will fly high and in control.
Wind is always a big help when flying a kite, but we can make our kite move enough even indoors to see how it will fly outside. Material fee: $5
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Photo Credit: Xylia Serafy
Hike Leader: Jean Dodds, Secretary, Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt
Cosponsored by Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt and South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo)
The Pink Moon’s name comes from the herb Moss Pink, or Wild Ground Phlox, which is one of the earliest and most widespread flowers of spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full-Sprouting Grass-Moon, the Egg Moon, and, among coastal tribes, the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn. Join us on this one-hour, leisurely paced hike through open-field trails … with convivial conversation and refreshments afterward. This program is free.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Cosponsored by the Children’s Museum of the East End, Peconic Land Trust, Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt, and the South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo)
Join us at the Children’s Museum for this free annual carnival of environmentally themed crafts, activities, and family fun! Enjoy games, arts and crafts stations, seed planting, and more! Visit SoFo’s station, where you’ll uncover the secrets of a freshwater pond as you look through magnifying glasses and microscopes to discover the tiny animal and plant life found there. Make your own fish print t-shirt, enjoy the fun sounds of the Bridgehampton School’s Marimba Band, and explore CMEE—fun for the whole family! Rain or shine.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Workshop Leader: Muriel Appelbaum. Muriel is a working artist with an MFA in Studio Art from Pratt Institute in NYC. She mostly draws from nature—landscapes, people, and live animals. See her artwork at www.murielappelbaum.com
Do you think you’d enjoy drawing, but can’t seem to find the perfect time to do it? Come draw with us. If you’ve drawn before, come hone your skills in a comfortable and relaxed place and, if drawing is new for you, this is an enjoyable way to get started in an encouraging setting. Bring a 9”x12”drawing pad with a hard back for support and two drawing implements—for example, a very soft (dark) pencil (4B is good), conté crayon, or ballpoint pen.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Photo Credit: Suffolk County Historical Society
Program Presenter: Kim Tetrault of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s SPAT (Suffolk Project in Aquaculture Training) Program
Join us for this talk describing the fascinating history of the oyster in New York. In the early 1900s, New York, specifically the East End of Long Island, was a major epicenter for growing, harvesting, and marketing the Eastern Oyster. The industry was fueled by aquaculture practices even in its infancy. Kim will illustrate his talk with photos depicting the oyster community at the turn of the century and the rise of a new industry that continues to the present.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Game Creator: Eleni Nikolopoulos, South Fork Natural History Museum Environmental Educator
Why does a bird fly? Have you ever thought about it? Join us for an interactive game where we will learn about animal adaptation and the possible pathways that avian flight evolved from. Starting before Archaeopteryx, a primitive ancestor of the modern bird, participants will have to figure out the driving forces that pushed the formerly ground- or tree-dwelling species into the air. Going over the two main theories of the evolution of avian flight, participants will not only learn about evolution in a fun way but also learn to truly appreciate modern flying species and the journey they have taken to get to where they are today!
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Cosponsored by the South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo), the Concerned Citizens of Montauk (CCOM) and The Oceans Institute of the Montauk Point Lighthouse (MOI)
Program Leader: Eleni Nikolopoulos, South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo) Environmental Educator
If you have ever been to the museum and spoken to any of our educators, you know how much we care about preserving the natural environment of the South Fork. The mission of the museum itself is to stimulate interest in, advance knowledge of, and foster appreciation for the natural environment. Our staff has decided that—in order to uphold the mission of the museum—we need to take direct action to help keep Long Island habitats pollution-free. That’s why we are doing our “SoFo Cleans the Beach” programs. This spring, since we will be cleaning the beaches in Montauk, we are partnering with the Concerned Citizens of Montauk (CCOM) and the Oceans Institute of the Montauk Point Lighthouse (MOI). We hope you will join us on our mission to pick up as much trash as possible. Our plan is to go to a different beach each month and clean for one hour. During our cleaning sessions, we will tally what type of trash we are finding and, when we are finished, weigh it out. Over time, we will be able to get an idea of the kind of trash that is washing up on our beaches… and we can knowledgeably advocate avoiding those materials in the future. We’re excited to continue this program and hope you will join us in reaching our goal of keeping our hometown beaches pollution-free!
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Workshop Leader: Xylia Serafy, South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo) Environmental Educator
What do trees need to grow? Some of their needs are the same as those of people and other animals. Test your luck as a tree and see if you can collect enough nutrients to survive each year. Will you get more nutrients if you stand alone? What if you stand in the middle of a group of other trees? Reach as far as you can to gather as many nutrients as possible but remember—trees can’t move! This activity can only take place if there is more than one participant.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.