SOFO Shark Research and Education Team Panel Discussion and Q&A: This program is for all ages
Panel: SOFO Shark Research and Education Team
Sharks can be found swimming in Long Island waters all year long. However, the species change with the seasons. In this panel discussion, the SOFO Shark Research and Education Team will be reviewing what is currently known about shark populations in and around Long Island waters. They will also be discussing why there are so many other species, such as whales and dolphins found in our waters and will inform participants how their research is being used to educate all user groups on a variety of issues including beach safety!
This is a free program.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735.
Full “Strawberry Super Moon” Hike With Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt. This free program is for all ages.
Hike Leader: Jean McDermott, Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt
Join Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt and SOFO on a leisurely-paced, one-hour hike through open-field trails. The strawberry name for this moon was universal to every Algonquin tribe because the harvesting of strawberries occurred in June.
” A supermoon occurs when the full moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth in its orbit. Supermoons make the Moon appear a little brighter and closer than normal, although the difference is hard to spot with the naked eye.” www.space.com
This is a free program. Sign up at greenbeltnews@aol.com.
Feeding Time at the Museum: This program is for children ages 6 and older.
Program Leader: Nikole Holowat, SOFO Environmental Educator
Get ready for a behind-the-scenes tour at SOFO. Nikole will give you a chance to see how we prepare the food for our animals, then you’ll get up close and personal with the animals as they are fed. We’ll investigate food webs and the differences between carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores.
For nonmembers, there is a $15 fee for Adults and $10 fee for children for this program. This program fee will also provide non-members with free admission to the museum on a day of their choice. Members are free. Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735.
The Day in the Life of a SOFO Pond─A Pop-up Exhibit: This program will continue
through the spring, summer, and the beginning of fall, and is for all ages.
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl-Oakes, SOFO Environmental Outdoor Education Specialist
When we stand at the edge of a pond, we tend to notice the larger animals, like frogs, turtles, and birds. But why do those animals choose to live at or visit the pond? We would have to get into the water to see the multitude of smaller animals that keep a pond healthy, but mud would be easily stirred up by a diver or ROV. Join Crystal after she has collected pond water in a variety of containers, leaving plenty of time for the mud to settle and creatures to start moving, and help collect and identify the secret life in the pond with a variety of magnifiers and microscopes. This pop-up exhibit will be held the first Sunday of the month, April through September, so stop by to see how pond life changes through spring and summer!
For nonmembers, there is a $15 fee for Adults and $10 fee for children for this program. This program fee will also provide non-members with free admission to the museum on a day of their choice. Members are free.
Image Credit: Greg Lavaty
Breeding Warblers of Long Island With Joe Giunta: This program is for adults. Enrollment is limited.
Walk Leader: Joe Giunta, birding instructor for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, trip leader for New York City Audubon and lecturer for many local chapters, and owner of Happy Warblers LLC, a birding and educational travel company
Thirteen species of warblers have been recorded as breeders on Long Island; nine are confirmed breeders in one area in Montauk. Joe, an 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.
For nonmembers, there is a $15 fee for Adults and $10 fee for children for this program. This program fee will also provide non-members with free admission to the museum on a day of their choice. Members are free. Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735.
Image Credit: Cornell Lab of Orinthology
GOATSUCKERS GALORE─Whip-poor-will Walk With John Turner and Four Harbors Audubon Society (4HAS): This free program is for adults and teens.
Walk Leader: John Turner. John is a SOFO Board Member, Senior Conservation Policy Advocate for the Seatuck Environmental Association, and Conservation Chair for the Four Harbors Audubon Society. He is the author of the popular Long Island nature guide Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Nature Guide to Long Island and a children’s book Waylon’s Wandering Waterdrop. John is the President and Founder of Alula Birding and Natural History Tours, a small, Long Island based tour company, catering to the birder and naturalist who enjoys small and intimate group tours.
Join SOFO and 4HAS as we venture out to the Long Island Dwarf Pine Plains. We’ll listen for two of the Island’s native “goatsuckers”─ chuck-will’s-widow and whip-poor-will, as they call at night during the breeding season. The walk will provide an overview of this fascinating group of birds, and you’ll learn how they got their “goatsucker” name!
Before dark we’ll look for nesting birds such as the prairie warbler, Eastern towhee, and vesper sparrow, that inhabit the Dwarf Pine Plains. With some luck, we might see a buck moth, striped skunk, or gray fox. Bring a flashlight and wear comfortable shoes as we’ll be walking approximately two miles. And don’t forget to wear tick-repellent clothing.
For nonmembers, there is a $15 fee for Adults and $10 fee for children for this program. This program fee will also provide non-members with free admission to the museum on a day of their choice. Members are free. Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735.
National Dragonfly Day Free Celebration: This program is for all ages.
Cosponsored by Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt and the South Fork Natural History Museum.
Come learn about Dragonflies, Damselflies and their Wetland Habitat
Dragonflies are a sentinel species; their presence (or absence) is indicative of the health of our wetland ecosystems. Nearly every dragonfly species around the world has now been assessed against the IUCN Redlist criteria revealing that 16% of species are at risk of extinction.
10:00AM-1:00PM
Crafts with the Children’s Museum of the East End, the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt and the South Fork Natural History Museum
Face Painting with Fun4UFaces
Storytime with the Hampton Library
Refreshments
Dragonfly slide show and photos from the collection of Jean Held
10:30AM State Assemblyman Fred Thiele presents the Dragonfly Day Proclamation
11:00AM-11:45AM Dragonfly presentation by Annette DiGiovinne
12:00PM-12:45PM Guided dragonfly and damselfly walk with Annette in Vineyard Field.
Dragon Fly Day events listed above are free for members and nonmembers. Museum admission remains $10 for adults and $7 for kids for non-members; member museum admission is free.
Birds of the Meadow and Woods─Eric Salzman Memorial Bird Walk With Eastern Long Island Audubon Society (ELIAS): This free walk is for adults and teens.
Walk Leader: Member of ELIAS
For many years, the late Eric Salzman, a SOFO board member of long-standing, led this walk to explore the avian life of the meadow behind the South Fork Natural History Museum and the adjacent Greenbelt woodlands and wetlands. With his keen musical ear, Eric was adept at identifying birds simply by their songs and calls. We hold this annual walk in his memory and cosponsor it with the Eastern Long Island Audubon Society, an organization in which he was very active.
This is a free program. Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735.
Tour of the Town of East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery─Oysters, Clams, and Scallops , and How They Grow: This free program is for adults, teens, and children ages 10 and older.
Tour Leader: Samir Younes
The East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery produces large quantities of oyster (Crassostrea virginica), clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), and bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) seed to enhance valuable shellfish stocks in local waterways. On this tour of the shellfish hatchery’s broodstock conditioning, algae culture and shellfish culture systems, in their Navy-built building, expect to see all stages of shellfish from day-old swimming larvae to spat and learn about what they eat, how they are feed and how they are grown at the hatchery.
For nonmembers, there is a $15 fee for Adults and $10 fee for children for this program. This program fee will also provide non-members with free admission to the museum on a day of their choice. Members are free.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735.
Young Birders Club Meeting: This free program is for ages 8 to 18
Club Leader: Frank Quevedo, SOFO Executive Director
Birding is a great way to make new friends, learn about the environment, and get outdoors. Join our Young Birders Club! The Club meets at 10AM on the third Saturday or Sunday of every month and is open to anyone ages 8 to18 who is interested in learning about birds. Since Long Island has many great habitats that are home to a wide variety of species, we concentrate on birding in local areas.
Please bring binoculars if you have them (we will have a few pairs to lend) and a field guide to birds of the Eastern United States. If you don’t have a field guide we’ll have one for you to use.
This is a free program.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735.