South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center

"Baby Sharks in the City" Screening by SOFO
2024-08-14 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Sag Harbor
Join SOFO for a screening of National Geographic’s SharkFest 2024 documentary Baby Sharks in the City at the Sag Harbor Cinema! Following the screening, enjoy a panel discussion and Q&A with the SOFO Shark Research and Education Team for an update on the latest shark research projects.
Panel Discussion Leaders: SOFO Shark Research and Education Team
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children ages 8+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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MUSEUM CLOSED: Documentary Screening
2024-08-14

Beach Glass Jewelry Making
2024-08-11 10:30 | SOFO
Join us at SOFO to learn about what forms beach glass and to make jewelry out of glass! Feel free to bring your own beach glass if you have some, samples of glass will be provided. Materials fee: $5.
Program Leader: Rebecca Rogers, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 8+.
For non-members, there is a $15 fee for adults and a $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.

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Goat on a Boat Puppet Theater Workshop─Shark Stories
2024-08-10 13:00 - 15:00 | SOFO
Join Goat on a Boat Puppet Theater to create one of several types of shark puppets. Bring your shark to life in our custom PUPPET SHARK TANK!
Workshop Leader: Liz Joyce, Goat on a Boat Puppet Theater
This program is for children ages 4+.
For non-members, there is a $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.

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Kayak Tour along Bass Creek and Sandflat Exploration at Mashomack Preserve
2024-08-10 09:00 - 11:00 | Shelter Island
Join us for a kayak exploration of Bass Creek. The paddle will wind through the shallow waters of the tidal marsh from the bay to the far back reaches of the creek. Along the way, we’ll have a chance to stop and explore wildlife on the sandflats and along the marsh grasses on foot. We’ll use hand nets to catch and examine different species before returning them safely back to the water.
Co-sponsored by The Nature Conservancy at Mashomack Preserve and SOFO.
Program Leader: Rebecca Kusa
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children ages 10+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Easy Does It Yoga with Karen Meyer
2024-08-08 16:15 - 17:30, 2024-08-01 16:15 - 17:30, 2024-07-25 16:15 - 17:30, 2024-07-18 16:15 - 17:30 | SOFO
Easy does it!
Let’s explore finding and maintaining balance,
Listening to inner wisdom,
Following Divine Guidance through breath,
Mindfully moving from inspiration to action,
Connecting with self, with others and with Nature.
Yoga
Please join Karen for an hour of Yoga at
SOFO on Thursday afternoons, starting June 13th @ 4:15 PM
We will practice outside, in the beauty of Nature
(In the back of the building, on a wooden patio, protected from the sun)
Please bring your own props
(yoga mat, 2 blocks, a strap, a towel, and water)
Wear comfortable clothing
Everyone welcome, regardless of experience
RSVP is mandatory
as class size is limited
with respect to individualized needs

Yoga Instructor: Karen Meyer
This program is for adults.
For non-members, there is a $25 fee for this program. For SOFO members, there is a $20 fee for this program. Advanced reservations are required for all events.
Limited enrollment. Register with Karen at 917-843-2555 or MoonheartMeyer@gmail.com.

MUSEUM CLOSED: Maintenance
2024-08-06

Pop-up Pond Life Exhibit
2024-08-04 13:00 - 15:30 | SOFO
The ponds in Vineyard field are an important habitat for turtles, frogs, birds, and especially the Eastern Tiger Salamander. But none of these animals would be able to survive without the tiny life found in the water and in the mud. We will have tanks, trays, magnifiers, and microscopes set out on tables on our bottom deck to help us discover the secret life in our ponds. Join us on the first Sunday of the month, April through October.
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl-Oaks, SOFO Environmental Outdoor Education Specialist
This FREE program is for all ages. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Feeding Time at the Museum
2024-08-04 10:30 | SOFO
Get ready for a behind-the-scenes tour at SOFO. Becca will give you a chance to see how we prepare the food for our animals to eat; 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.
Program Leader: Rebecca Rogers, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for children ages 6-9.
For non-members, there is a $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.

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YES! Presents: Strength, Flexibility, and Posture, Wellness Sundays
2024-08-04 09:00 | SOFO
Come and learn about how you can improve your strength, flexibility, and posture with Dina Khairy. Please bring a yoga mat, water, and wear comfortable shoes. Limited enrollment.
Program Leader: Dina Khairy, Yoga Studio Owner
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children ages 10+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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YES! Presents: Watch Our Garden Grow
2024-08-03 13:00 - 14:00 | SOFO
Join us for farming and fun in our YES! garden at the museum. Come see the progress from our previous sessions and participate in some fun new projects!
Club Leader: Mare Dianora, Young Environmentalists Society (YES!) Director
This FREE program is for ages 1-9. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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MUSEUM CLOSED: Outreach Event (1 pm - 4 pm)
2024-08-02 13:00 - 16:00

Gaelin Rosenwaks Presents: Studying the Ocean from Plankton to Sperm Whales!
2024-08-01 18:30 | SOFO
For centuries, we have been fascinated by the sperm whale, the world’s largest toothed predator. Like many of our co-inhabitants on the planet, sperm whales were nearly hunted to the brink of extinction. While the most famous sperm whale of all is Moby Dick, it was a young male nicknamed Physty—who fell ill in the early 1980s and came ashore just off Long Island, New York that captured the heart of Gaelin Rosenwaks and started her on a career in marine science—studying, protecting, and documenting the world’s most marvelous ocean species. In her new book, SPERM WHALES: THE GENTLE GOLIATHS OF THE OCEANS (Rizzoli, 2022), Rosenwaks gives you a beautiful look at these magnificent animals.
In her presentation, Gaelin will take you on a journey from satellite tagging Bluefin Tuna in the Western Atlantic Ocean to drilling ice cores in the frozen Bering Sea to the bottom of the Blue Hole in Belize, in order to illuminate cutting-edge scientific research being conducted to understand the complexity of our ocean ecosystems. Gaelin hopes to heighten people’s awareness and sense of responsibility to preserve the health of our planet.
Program Leader: Gaelin Rosenwaks, Marine Scientist, Filmmaker, and Author
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children 10+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Community Beach Cleanup
2024-07-28 11:30 - 13:30 | East Hampton
Join SOFO and County Legislator Ann Welker for a summer beach cleanup! Meet at Cedar Point County Park and help us clean the beach! Rain or shine, severe weather cancels.
Co-sponsored by SOFO and the Office of Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker.
Program Leader: Rebecca Rogers, SOFO Environmental Educator
This FREE program is for all ages. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Story Time: Garden Neighbors
2024-07-28 10:30 | SOFO
Join us for some stories and a garden search for butterflies, beetles, and other tiny neighbors found in the SOFO Native Plant Garden.
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl-Oakes, SOFO Environmental Outdoor Specialist
This program is for children ages 3-7.
For non-members, there is a $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.

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Sunlight & Shadow─Building Your Own Sundial with William Francis Taylor
2024-07-27 14:00 | SOFO
For thousands of years, people have used sundials as a clock that never requires batteries or winding up—only a clear, sunny day. Learning how a sundial works teaches us how the sky around us moves and orients our lives in both time and space. Students in this workshop will be invited to build their own sundials from simple materials, gaining the knowledge they need to design dials suited to their own homes and gardens. Solar viewing via telescope may follow the program. Materials fee: $5 (paid at the door).
Co-sponsored by SOFO and Hamptons Observatory (https://hamptonsobservatory.org/).
Program Leader: William Francis Taylor, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, MSc.
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children ages 6+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Young Environmentalists Society (YES!) Meeting
2024-07-27 10:30 | SOFO
SOFO’s Young Environmentalists Society (YES!) is led by Mare Dianora, an interdisciplinary artist whose practice involves building community and creating connections to home and place. YES! is open to young environmentalists, aged 10-16 (and Junior members ages 5-9), who want to help prevent climate change as they discuss various challenges and ideas that can impact our precious environment. The program includes guest speakers and field trips and explores topics such as climate change, aquaculture, environmental career goals, water conservation, local ecology, and more.
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.
This FREE program is for ages 10-16. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Celebrate International Moon Day and Create Moon Crafts
2024-07-27 10:30 | SOFO
Join SOFO to learn about the uneven surface of the moon and the different moon phases. Afterwards, we’ll use foil and paints to make moon crafts.
Program Leader: Erin Hwong, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for children ages 5+.
For non-members, there is a $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.

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Nature & Bird Watching Cruise
2024-07-27 10:00 - 13:00 | Southampton
Let’s venture by boat into the remote areas of Shinnecock Bay onboard Stony Brook University/Southampton’s 45-ft. research vessel, RV Peconic, and marvel at the wealth of migratory birds and waterfowl that inhabit the region at this time of year. We’ll cruise along areas of the salt marsh and flats that are not visible by land and hopefully witness the activities of a variety of wildlife. Bring binoculars and a light snack.
Program Leader: Frank Quevedo, SOFO Executive Director
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 10+.
For members, there is a $35 fee per person, and for nonmembers, there is a $45 fee per person. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Full "Buck Moon" Hike with Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt
2024-07-21 21:00 - 22:00 | SOFO
Join FLPG and SOFO on a leisurely-paced hike through open-field trails. The July full moon is named the “Buck Moon” as it is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. Meet at the SOFO Museum parking lot, 377 Bridgehampton Turnpike, 200 yards north of the RR tracks.
To register, email: greenbeltnews@aol.com.
Hike Leader: Jean Mc Dermott, 631-599-2391.
This FREE program is for all ages. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Make A Fish Print T-Shirt and Learn about Local Fishes
2024-07-21 10:30 - 12:30 | SOFO
In this popular, delightful—and what has become annual—hands-on workshop, children and their adult companions will learn about the variety of fishes in our waters while making their own colorful fish-print T-shirts to take home and wear with pride. Please bring a smock or cover-up. Materials fee: $12 per person for a T-shirt and supplies. Limited enrollment.
Workshop Leaders: Sue and Al “Big Time” Daniels
This program is for all ages.
For non-members, there is a $15 fee for adults and a $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.

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SOFO’s East End Outdoor Nature Education with Crystal at Hallock State Park, Riverhead
2024-07-20 13:00 - 15:00 | Riverhead
*Please note: registration for this program closes on Friday, July 19th, at 4 pm*
SOFO is offering a monthly program which will take place on the 3rd Wednesday of the month and following Saturday at 1 pm for children ages 3 to 7 years and is geared toward homeschooling families. Programs will have a variety of activities to strengthen language development, literacy, math, and science and will take place at various locations on Eastern Long Island.
We will continue our adventures on Saturday July 20, 2024, exploring the forest, dunes, and sound shore at Hallock State Park Preserve with some stories, simple nature journals, and worksheets to take home. Crystal Possehl-Oakes, the program leader, has worked as an environmental educator at SOFO since 2005 and part-time since 2019 after her son Wyatt was born. Wyatt and I look forward to meeting you and learning with you!
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl-Oakes, SOFO Environmental Outdoor Specialist
This program is for families with children ages 3-7.
There is a $10 per child admission/material fee, which includes a participating adult. 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.

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Young Birders Club Meeting
2024-07-20 10:00
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 AM on the third Saturday 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.

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.
Club Leader: Frank Quevedo, SOFO Executive Director
This FREE program is for ages 8-18. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Observing Ospreys
2024-07-20 09:00 - 10:30 | Sag Harbor
You may have noticed the many Osprey nests around the East End where the adult ospreys have been busy raising their young since the eggs hatched in late May or early June. The female does most of the incubating or sitting on the eggs, and the male brings fish for all of them. By early July, the oldest osprey chicks are big enough to start exercising their wing muscles while still on their nest. By late July, with their parents perched in a nearby tree whistling encouragement to the young birds, they begin to fly out of the nest under their own wing power. If we are lucky, we may see a fledgling stretching its wings on the edge of its nest!
Southampton Town Beach Parking Permit or daily parking fee required.
Walk Leader: Melanie Meade, SOFO Education Director
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 8+.
For non-members, there is a $15 fee for adults and a $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.

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En Plein Air Still Life Drawing at the Beach!
2024-07-19 09:30 | Westhampton
Follow the footsteps of early impressionists on the South Fork and take part in a group En Plein Air (“in open air”) still life drawing class. Artist and SOFO Environmental Educator Rebecca will give a 10-minute talk about the practice of drawing from life, and will provide tips as you draw. Drawing materials provided–bring your own chairs, and easels + your own materials if you have them.
Program Leader: Rebecca Holloway, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 12+.
For non-members, there is a $15 fee for adults and a $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.

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MUSEUM CLOSED: School Group (10 am - 11 am)
2024-07-18 10:00 - 11:00

SOFO’s East End Outdoor Nature Education with Crystal at Hallock State Park, Riverhead
2024-07-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Riverhead
SOFO is offering a monthly program which will take place on the 3rd Wednesday of the month and following Saturday at 1 pm for children ages 3 to 7 years and is geared toward homeschooling families. Programs will have a variety of activities to strengthen language development, literacy, math, and science and will take place at various locations on Eastern Long Island.
We will continue our adventures on Wednesday July 17, 2024, exploring the forest, dunes, and sound shore at Hallock State Park Preserve with some stories, simple nature journals, and worksheets to take home. Crystal Possehl-Oakes, the program leader, has worked as an environmental educator at SOFO since 2005 and part-time since 2019 after her son Wyatt was born. Wyatt and I look forward to meeting you and learning with you!
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl-Oakes, SOFO Environmental Outdoor Specialist
This program is for families with children ages 3-7.
There is a $10 per child admission/material fee, which includes a participating adult. 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.

Sign Up Here!
