Walk Leader: Andy Sabin, South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) President, Board of Directors
Andy Sabin, known to us as the “Salamander Commander,” is equally as interested in snakes as he is in salamanders. In fact, Andy is fascinated by all kinds of reptiles and amphibians so he is just the right person to lead us on a search for the Northern Black Racer snake (Coluber constrictor). What’s more, we’re in luck—the field behind SOFO, known as Vineyard Field, is the perfect habitat for this very active, diurnal (it comes out during the day) reptile. Just to make certain we can find them, we’ve put boards out in the field which these snakes like to hide under, so we’re very likely to find some on our snake search with Andy.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Tour Leader: John “Barley” Dunne, Town of East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery Director
In this program, whether you’re a current or potential oyster gardener or just interested in shellfish culture, you’ll tour the Town of East Hampton Hatchery’s upwelling shellfish nursery on Three Mile Harbor, learn about the work of the hatchery, and find out about or review how the shore-based oyster gardening program works. This is a FREE program.
Background Information: East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery and SHSEED Program
“East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery introduces over two million oysters, four million clams, and a few hundred thousand scallops into the town’s tidal waters each year to help clean the water and fortify the shellfish population…The hatchery’s growing operations are divided between a spawning facility on Fort Pond Bay in Montauk, near the train station, and a nursery at Gann Road on Three Mile Harbor.
In February, when the spawning process begins, water is pumped from Fort Pond Bay into tanks, where shellfish release eggs and sperm into the water, larvae grow overnight, and proceed to float around in the tanks. After two weeks, the larvae, which are about a quarter of a millimeter in size, begin to settle to the bottom of the tank, developing into juvenile shellfish.
In April, hatchery staff start bringing the shellfish to the nursery at Three Mile Harbor, where, as the water gets warmer, they continue to grow in containers submerged in water.” —27east.com
“Since the 1980’s, East Coast waters have experienced devastating shellfish losses due to continuing overfishing and damaging algae blooms. In 2016, a corps of eco-conscious South Fork residents collaborated to expand shellfish education and enhancement programs in East Hampton (EH) town waters by forming an oyster-growing community cooperative, or oyster gardening program. By linking with the successful EH Town Shellfish Hatchery, the EHSEED program created opportunities for local citizens to learn about and help the threatened ecosystem that is part of the vital Peconic Estuary system, resulting in educated and dedicated stewards of the environment.”
https://ehamptonny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/95/EHSEED-East-Hampton-Shellfish-Education-and-Enhancement-Directive-PDF?bidId=
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
Walk Leader: Andy Sabin, South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) President, 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.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Hike Leader: Miles Todaro, South Fork Natural History (SOFO) Environmental Educator
The Promised Land of Napeague is not only home to a great diversity of wildlife, but it’s also the site of a unique part of Long Island history. Nestled amongst the native grasses and pitch pines are the abandoned ruins of an old fish factory, slowly being taken back by the flora and fauna of the Promised Land. Join Miles on this approximately two-mile hike to learn what makes this area of Napeague significant and to explore the history of an abandoned Long Island industry.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Photo Credit: Dawn Scranton
Walk Leader: Frank Quevedo, South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) Executive Director
Cosponsored by Eastern Long Island Audubon Society (ELIAS)
For many years, 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. Eric passed away two years ago. We are holding this walk in his memory and cosponsoring it with the ELIAS, an organization in which he was very active.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Photo Credit: Bob Henricks
Workshop Leader: Xylia Serafy, South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) Environmental Educator
In this hands-on program, children will discover the tiny “secrets” that inhabit a pond and help our friends (the turtles, frogs, ducks, and fish) to not just survive but thrive! We will use magnifiers and microscopes to view the secrets that are too small for our unaided eye to see. We’ll discover the strange ways pond “secrets” breathe, catch their food, and hide from danger as we look for spinning balls of algae, dragonfly young, cousins of crabs, bubble-carrying beetles, and, with luck, tadpoles. Please dress to get wet or muddy!
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) Education & Outreach Coordinator
Nano is short for nanoscience—the study of things at the nanoscale: 1 nanometer = 1 billionth of a meter. It is a way of explaining why the behavior of some materials (what we can see), is dependent on their nanostructure (what we can’t see). We can observe the natural iridescence of peacock feathers, butterfly wings, and soap bubbles and the corresponding biomimicry of holograms on currency, credit cards, in some e-screens, and in sunscreen. Find out more about what nano is by experimenting with butterfly wings and sunscreen. Make a UV- sensitive bead bracelet and a shimmering rainbow film to take home. 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: Wolfgang Wander
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.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Program Leader: April Nill-Boitano, certified Early Childhood and Elementary Education teacher
“Tick Wise” is an engaging, interactive program designed to teach young children (and grownups!) how to prevent tick bites and what to do if bitten. The program is presented by East End Tick & Mosquito Control in cooperation with Southampton Hospital’s Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Cleanup Crew: SOFO Environmental Educators and CCOM Representatives
Did you know it takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to break down in the ocean? Every day thousands of tons of waste and trash are dumped into oceans worldwide. Not only does this waste harm—and sometimes kill—the marine life we know and love, it makes its way up the food chain into the food we eat, hurting humans as well. In just one hour, you can help make the beach a cleaner and safer place for everyone! Please join us in our efforts to keep our hometown beaches pollution-free! This is a FREE program.
Advance reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.