SOFO’s Young Birders Club: For ages 8 to 18
Club Leader: Rachel Speckenbach, South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) Environmental Educator
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 10:00 am on the third Sunday of every month and is open to anyone ages 8 to 18 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. The Club’s leader is SOFO Environmental Educator Rachel Speckenbach. The two Club advisors, both avid birders, are Frank Quevedo, the South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) Executive Director, and Barbara Blaisdell, educator and experienced birder. 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 here for you to use. This is a free program.
Please note that, as mandated by the latest State Executive Order regarding COVID-19 safety precautions, our outdoor nature walks and programs will at all times follow stringent six-feet distancing separation protocols required by the Department of Health for the safety of our participants and environmental educators. We will provide masks and gloves for all attendees.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, which has limited enrollment please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735. Spots will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
Photo Credit: Xylia Serafy
Walk leader: Melanie Meade, SOFO Education & Outreach Coordinator
Experience spring at Mashomack Preserve. The Nature Conservancy’s Mashomack Preserve is one of the biggest and most spectacular nature preserves on Long Island. Its 2,039 acres protect a huge variety of habitats and countless species of native plants and animals. Join SOFO on a hike through the heart of the preserve and observe seasonal changes at this “Jewel of the Peconic.” .” Limited enrollment. This walk if for adults, teens, children age 8 and older
There is a $10 fee for Adults and $7 fee for children for this program. Members are free.
Please note that, as mandated by the latest State Executive Order regarding COVID-19 safety precautions, our outdoor nature walks and programs will at all times follow stringent six-feet distancing separation protocols required by the Department of Health for the safety of our participants and environmental educators. We will provide masks and gloves for all attendees.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, which has limited enrollment please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735. Spots will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
Red-tailed Hawk. Non-releasable due to injured wing.
Zoom Live Animal Presentation: Live Raptors, Owls Included & Introduction to the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center
Program Presenter: James MacDougall, Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center
The Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Center celebrates its 20th year rescuing injured and orphaned wild animals across eastern Long Island from Montauk to Mastic, and Port Jefferson to Plum Island. Join our Zoom session as we learn about the mission of the center and the thousands of rescues they perform each year. The session will conclude with a virtual introduction to some of center’s education raptors. This presentation is for all ages
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, please register here:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUvfuutrTkuGt1zTRoAh89eToBZGAkNvaXm
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Photo: Frank Quevedo
Program Leader: Rachel Speckenbach, South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) Environmental Educator
Lazy Point is a breathtaking viewpoint looking out onto Napeague Harbor. Throughout the year, many different migratory species, including the many birds that frequent our coastline, can be observed here. In this program we will take a walk along the shore to view and appreciate all that this gem of the Hamptons has to offer. This program is for adults, teens, and children age 8 and older.
There is a $10 fee for Adults and $7 fee for children for this program. Members are free.
Please note that, as mandated by the latest State Executive Order regarding COVID-19 safety precautions, our outdoor nature walks and programs will at all times follow stringent six-feet distancing separation protocols required by the Department of Health for the safety of our participants and environmental educators. We will provide masks and gloves for all attendees.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. For more information, reservations, and directions to meeting places, please call: (631) 537-9735.
Photo Credit: Gina Mulhearn
Walk Leader: Lindsey Rohrbach, Marine Biologist; Former SOFO Environmental Educator
At Pike’s Beach in past years, from about mid-May to the end of June, thousands of Horseshoe Crabs, as well as a variety of migrating birds (including Red Knots) gather at this beach. It’s an awe-inspiring sight to see – all the more so in the beautiful fading light on the bay. The horseshoe crabs are there to spawn, the birds to feed on their eggs to make their long migration journeys. For years, special attention has been made to collect data regarding movements of Horseshoe crabs around our waters and beyond. The usual citizen science that is so greatly valued, has been postponed. However, witnessing this annual congregation of prehistoric-like creatures, learning of their unusual characteristics, their fight for survival, and how citizen science has attributed to the knowledge of these marvelous creatures, is an event worth attending. This program is for adults, teens, and children 8+. Enrollment is limited.
There is a $10 fee for adults, and a $7 for children for this program. Members are free.
Please note that, as mandated by the latest State Executive Order regarding COVID-19 safety precautions, our outdoor nature walks and programs will at all times follow stringent six-feet distancing separation protocols required by the Department of Health for the safety of our participants and environmental educators. We will provide masks and gloves for all attendees.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, which has limited enrollment please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735. Spots will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
Full Flower Moon Hike, Co-Sponsored by Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt
Hike Leader: 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. Flowers are abundant in most areas during this time. Thus, the name of this Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon. Hikes are limited to 25 participants and priority will be given to 2021 Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt members. To register email: greenbeltnews@aol.com. This free program is for all ages.
Please note that, as mandated by the latest State Executive Order regarding COVID-19 safety precautions, our outdoor nature walks and programs will at all times follow stringent six-feet distancing separation protocols required by the Department of Health for the safety of our participants and environmental educators. We will provide masks and gloves for all attendees.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, which has limited enrollment please contact greenbeltnews@aol.com. Spots will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
Black Racer Snake Walk – a Beautiful & Beneficial Reptile
Walk Leader: Andy Sabin, President, SOFO 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. To ensure 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 see some snakes on our search with Andy. This program is for all ages.
There is a $10 fee for Adults and $7 fee for children for this program. Members are free.
Please note that, as mandated by the latest State Executive Order regarding COVID-19 safety precautions, our outdoor nature walks and programs will at all times follow stringent six-feet distancing separation protocols required by the Department of Health for the safety of our participants and environmental educators. We will provide masks and gloves for all attendees.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, which has limited enrollment please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735. Spots will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
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. This program is for all ages.
There is a $10 fee for Adults and $7 fee for children for this program. Members are free.
Please note that, as mandated by the latest State Executive Order regarding COVID-19 safety precautions, our outdoor nature walks and programs will at all times follow stringent six-feet distancing separation protocols required by the Department of Health for the safety of our participants and environmental educators. We will provide masks and gloves for all attendees.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, which has limited enrollment please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735. Spots will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
SOFO’s Young Environmentalist Society (YES!): Ages 10-16
Club Leader: Mare Dianora, an educator and the mother of two young sons, is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice involves building community and exploring connections to home and place.
The mission of SOFO’s new Young Environmentalists Society, known as YES!, for ages 10 to 16, is to engage young minds in developing a fuller awareness and understanding of the current state of our environment. The group works together and, through experience-based learning, place-based learning, critical thinking processes, and local activism, develops strategies for individuals and the community that are designed to shape how we live on this planet now and in the future.
The Club meets the last Saturday of each month, from 10am to 11:30am. This is a free program, thanks to the generosity of a foundation which prefers to remain anonymous. There is bilingual support for Spanish speaking participants. The date may change for this program. Please contact SOFO at (631) 537-9735 or info@sofo.org for up-to-the-minute information.
Please note that, as mandated by the latest State Executive Order regarding COVID-19 safety precautions, our outdoor nature walks and programs will at all times follow stringent six-feet distancing separation protocols required by the Department of Health for the safety of our participants and environmental educators. We will provide masks and gloves for all attendees.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, which has limited enrollment please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735.
Birding & Hiking in Hither Hills with Wayne Whitmore
Birding Leader: Wayne Whitmore, South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) Board of Directors
Montauk is a migration trap for migratory birds. Join Wayne Whitmore, SOFO Board Trustee, on this leisurely paced bird walk in search of spring migrants and breeding warblers. Wayne will lead you on the access roads and nature trails in Hither Hills searching for a variety of birds that utilize this habitat. Some species likely to be observed are: Blue-winged Warbler, American Redstart, Prairie Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Ovenbird, and many others. Please bring binoculars and a Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America if you have one. This walk is for adults and teens. Enrollment is limited. This program is for adults and teens.
There is a $10 fee for Adults and $7 fee for children for this program. Members are free.
Please note that, as mandated by the latest State Executive Order regarding COVID-19 safety precautions, our outdoor nature walks and programs will at all times follow stringent six-feet distancing separation protocols required by the Department of Health for the safety of our participants and environmental educators. We will provide masks and gloves for all attendees.
Advanced reservations are required for all events. To register for this program, which has limited enrollment please contact us at info@sofo.org or call 631-537-9735. Spots will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.