South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center

En Plein Air Painting Class at SOFO
2025-08-23 10:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | SOFO
Co-sponsored with the Bridgehampton Museum.
This class is one of a series, two classes per month offered thru the Bridgehampton Museum. Join us for another summer of building community while expanding your artistic skills! These classes are for students of all experience levels, ages 13 and older. Each class visits another unique location in our community.
Register with the Bridgehampton Museum at https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/gbt2t5OLa5aaOxsiJ-buGQ?t=1740185677.

MUSEUM CLOSED: Birthday Party (2 pm - 4 pm)
2025-08-21 14:00 - 16:00

SOFO’s East End Outdoor Nature Education with Crystal at the Elizabeth Morton Wildlife Refuge, Sag Harbor
2025-08-20 13:00 - 15:00 | Sag Harbor
Join us for a beginner birding walk and graphing activity on the way to a beach exploration along Little Peconic Bay.
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl-Oakes 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!
There is a $10/child fee (participating adult included) 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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Puppet Camp with Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre at SOFO
2025-08-18 09:00 - 12:00 | SOFO
Join master puppeteer Liz Joyce for a week of story making, puppet building, performances, and play. Campers will create a series of their own puppet shows throughout the week. Exploring various puppetry styles, children will work together with Liz to construct stories to bring them to life with their own cast of hand-made characters. Our focus will be on learning about local wildlife and incorporating the nature around us into our stories. The last day of camp will include a sharing of our puppet shows.
Campers should bring their own snack and water bottle daily. This is an outdoor camp, conducted in the shade. Children should arrive with sun protection and bug spray. Please dress ready to make a mess. In the event of rain, we will be under the Puppet Truck’s awning. Please wear boots and raincoats.
We look forward to a wildly creative and fun week with your child. This camp is for children ages 4-7 and is limited to 12 campers. $700 per child per week, siblings $500 per week.
Contact Goat on a Boat to register: goatonaboat@gmail.com.

YARD ARK: Transforming Your Yard Into an Ark of Biodiversity
2025-08-16 16:00 - 17:30 | Sag Harbor
This event is SOLD OUT!

Learn how to transform your landscape into a welcoming home for biodiversity with Perfect Earth’s Edwina von Gal, April Gornik, co-founder of The Church, and Frank Quevedo, Executive Director of the South Fork Natural History Museum. Join three eco-minded institutions in the spirit of collaboration, creativity, and conservation as we host a conversation designed to uncover the simple ways we can cultivate healthy eco-systems in our own backyards! Those in attendance will have the opportunity to present questions to the speakers. Join us for a Saturday afternoon centered on giving back to Mother Earth through knowledge, insight, and botanical creativity.
Co-sponsored by Perfect Earth, The Church, and SOFO.

Guided Tour of the Moran Studio and Garden
2025-08-16 11:00 - 12:00 | East Hampton
This guided tour will give insight into the life and art of the Moran family. As the critic Joni Kinsey states, “In making remote and mysterious regions accessible to the American public through paintings, drawings and illustrations, he influenced an entire generation’s understanding of its country. Thomas Moran provided his viewers with a visual sense of place, thus contributing to making the West an indelible part of the American consciousness.”
Tour Leaders: Stacy Myers, East Hampton Historical Society Education Director and Caly Stewart, Moran Studio Guide
This FREE program is for adults. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Bass Creek Kayak and Sandflat Exploration, at Mashomack Preserve, Shelter Island
2025-08-16 09:30 - 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.
Kayaks will be provided by The Nature Conservancy at Mashomack Preserve. Limited enrollment.
Program Leader: Melanie Meade, SOFO Education Director and Mashomack Preserve Staff
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children ages 10+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Young Birders Club Meeting
2025-08-16 09:30
Birding is a great way to make new friends, learn about the environment, and get outdoors. Join our Young Birders Club! The Club meets 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: Aidan Perkins, Wildlife Biologist
This FREE program is for ages 8-18. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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MUSEUM CLOSED: Outreach Event (2 pm - 4 pm)
2025-08-15 14:00 - 16:00

Guided Tour of the Amagansett Life-Saving Station
2025-08-14 11:00 - 12:00 | Amagansett
The Amagansett Life-Saving Station was constructed on Atlantic Avenue in 1902 and was one of a network of thirty life-saving stations on the South Shore of Long Island. The museum is dedicated to the historical preservation of the building and to all who served in the Life-Saving Service and Coast Guard in Amagansett until 1944 and is a significant part of the Town of East Hampton’s maritime history.
Co-sponsored by SOFO and East Hampton Historical Society.
Tour Leader: Stacy Myers, Education Director, East Hampton Historical Society
This FREE program is for adults. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Learn to Press Marine Algae to Make a Print
2025-08-10 11:00 | SOFO
Join SOFO and learn how to press macroalgae and create a print to take home! Learn about some of our native and nonnative algae species. When we’re done, we’ll press the algae for a print to take home! It takes a few days to remove all of the water from the algae, so you’ll either need to come back in a few days to pick up your print or bring it home and place it under some heavy books. $5 materials fee.
Program Leader: Rebecca Rogers, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 10+.
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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Full Sturgeon Moon Hike
2025-08-09 21:00 - 22:00 | SOFO
Join FLPG and SOFO on a leisurely-paced hike through open-field trails. The Native American fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this moon, since sturgeon were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze.
Co-sponsored by Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt & the South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO).
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 McDermott, 631-599-2391.

Seining for Freshwater Fishes
2025-08-09 11:00 - 12:30 | Bridgehampton
Join SOFO and meet some of the freshwater fish that call our local freshwater ponds home. Participants will assist SOFO staff in conducting seine net collections to capture local fish such as yellow perch, largemouth bass, and pumpkinseed sunfish.
Program Leader: SOFO Staff
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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MUSEUM CLOSED: Maintenance
2025-08-06

Pop-Up Pond Life Exhibit
2025-08-03 13:30 - 16:00 | SOFO
Discover the amazing tiny life in a pond, an important part of the web of life that helps our friends the frogs, turtles, salamanders, and birds.
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl-Oakes, 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
2025-08-03 11:00 | SOFO
Get ready for a behind-the-scenes tour at SOFO. Sydney 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: Sydney Mantione, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for children ages 6-9.
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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Make a Fish Print T-shirt
2025-08-02 11:00 - 12:30 | SOFO
In this popular 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. $12 materials fee.
Program Leader: Moe Kennedy, SOFO Environmental Educator
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.

Sign Up Here!

Marine Biology and Bird Watching Cruise
2025-08-02 10:00 - 13:00 | Southampton
On this bay adventure, you’ll participate in a variety of activities performed by marine biologists as you trawl the waters of the bay to learn about its biology and ecology. You’ll help bring in, then study, finfish, and invertebrates. You’ll do a benthic grab sample to examine the type of bay bottom and collect a water sample from below the surface. We’ll keep an eye out for 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: Naturalists and Marine Biologists, Southampton Campus, Stony Brook University and SOFO.
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 8+.
For non-members, there is a $35 fee for members and a $45 fee for non-members for this program. This program fee will also provide non-members with free admission to the museum on a day of their choice. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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SOFO Shark Research and Education Program Update and Panel Discussion
2025-08-01 18:00 | SOFO
Join SOFO’s Shark Research and Education Team for a panel discussion and update on the latest shark research projects.
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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Storytime: Squiggly Salamanders
2025-07-27 13:30, 2025-07-27 10:30 | SOFO
Join us for some fun salamander stories and meet some of SOFO’s resident salamanders.
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl-Oakes, SOFO Environmental Outdoor Education Specialist
This program is for children ages 3-7.
For non-members, this program is included in the museum admission fee. Members are free. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Join Us for a Whale of a Time at the East Hampton Town Marine Museum
2025-07-26 10:30 - 12:00 | Amagansett
This guided tour will focus on marine mammals and maritime history of Eastern Long Island.
Co-sponsored by SOFO and the East Hampton Historical Society
Tour Leader: Stacy Myers, Education Director, East Hampton Historical Society
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children ages 8+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Young Environmentalists Society (YES!) Meeting
2025-07-26 10:30
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 is a FREE program, thanks to the generosity of a foundation that prefers to remain anonymous. The date may change for this program. Please contact SOFO at (631) 537-9735 or info@sofo.org for up-to-the-minute information. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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What Goes Buzz in the Night?
2025-07-25 20:15 - 22:15 | SOFO
Mothing or light-sheeting is an activity used by scientists studying nighttime insects to catch and identify local species. By setting up a light trap, a large light directed at a white sheet, we’ll be able to see which moths (and more!) are flying about our dark skies! Join SOFO educator Moe Kennedy and celebrate National Moth Week 2025.
Program Leader: Moe Kennedy, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 10+.
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
2025-07-23 13:00 - 15:00 | Riverhead
Join us for a beach exploration along Long Island Sound with a texture scavenger hunt, classification/graphing, and seining with net to meet our marine neighbors.
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl-Oakes 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!
There is a $10/child fee (participating adult included) 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.

Sign Up Here!

Root to Rise: Outdoor Gentle Yoga with Karen Meyer
2025-07-22 15:00 - 16:00 | SOFO
Root your feet on the earth.
Lengthen your spine, open your heart, and rise to the heavens.
Allow your breath to guide you through gentle yoga movements as you connect to your body, mind, and spirit.

Everyone is welcome, regardless of yoga experience. Adults only.
$20 per class, $10 for SOFO members.
Reservations are required.
RSVP to Karen: MoonheartMeyer@gmail.com.
Classes take place on the wooden deck, protected from the elements.

Seining with SOFO
2025-07-20 11:00 - 12:30 | East Hampton
Join SOFO staff in pulling a seine net at the shore to see what fish and crabs are making their home there! In the shallow waters of the estuary, young fish, crabs and other marine invertebrates find food and shelter until they grow large enough to move into the deeper bay.
This nursery is an important resource for fish that people like to eat and for the equally important small fish that the bigger fish need for food. We’ll learn about food webs and sieve the sandy mud to see what other invertebrates are hiding there.
Program Leader: Sydney Mantione, SOFO Environmental Educator
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.

Sign Up Here!

MUSEUM CLOSED: Outreach Event (10 am - 1 pm)
2025-07-20 10:00 - 13:00

East End Environment Series: Discovering Moths with John Himmelman
2025-07-19 15:30 - 16:30 | SOFO
This is the sixth lecture of our East End Environment Series!
Join SOFO for light refreshments and a lecture about moths with naturalist and author illustrator of children’s and nature books John Himmelman as he discusses the amazing beauty of these nighttime fliers, their life cycle, their importance in nature, and how just a tiny handful of the many moth species are truly pests to humans. Hear how to attract moths with lights and bait, when and where to observe them, and how best to photograph these tiny subjects.
Co-sponsored by the Hampton Library, Southhampton Dark Skies Committee, and SOFO.
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 10+.

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The first part of this program will be at 1:00–2:00 pm: Join us at the Hampton Library for a book signing and Q&A with John Himmelman, author of Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard and Wait Till It Gets Dark: A Kid’s Guide to Exploring the Night. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/southampton-town-dark-skies-committee-book-signing-lecture-tickets-1358940891789. Books will be available for purchase at Hampton Library.

Young Birders Club Meeting
2025-07-19 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 10AM 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: Aidan Perkins, Wildlife Biologist
This FREE program is for ages 8-18. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!
