South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center

SOFO’s East End Outdoor Nature Education with Crystal at the Elizabeth Morton Wildlife Refuge, Sag Harbor
2025-08-20 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | 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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MUSEUM CLOSED: Birthday Party (2 pm - 4 pm)
2025-08-21 14:00 - 16:00

En Plein Air Painting Class at SOFO
2025-08-23 10:00 - 13:00 | 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.

Oyster Farming on the Water: Boat Tour & Oyster Seeding
2025-08-28 11:00 - 13:00
This program has reached maximum capacity. Please contact the museum at 631-537-9735 to join the waitlist.

Join CCOM, EHSEED, and SOFO for a boat cruise on the bay and help local shellfish populations by seeding oysters onto suitable bottom. Please dress for wet and windy conditions. Rain date: Wednesday, September 3.
Co-sponsored by Concerned Citizens of Montauk (CCOM), East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery (EHSEED) and SOFO.
Program Leader: Rebecca Rogers, SOFO Environmental Educator, CCOM staff, and EHSEED staff
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children ages . Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Snapping Turtles─Andy Sabin's Annual Prehistoric Monster Search
2025-08-30 10:00
Of ancient lineage, the Snapping Turtle—which can grow to a length of three feet from head to tail and weigh as much as 70 pounds—will be the main subject of this annual adventure with Andy. You’ll also get to know the Eastern Painted Turtle and perhaps meet up with the aptly named Stinkpot Turtle. Children love this annual walk.
Search Leader: Andy Sabin, President, South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) Board of Directors
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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Young Environmentalists Society (YES!) Meeting
2025-08-30 10:30 - 17:00, 2025-09-27 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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Storytime: Food Chains & Feeding Time
2025-08-31 10:30, 2025-08-31 13:30 | SOFO
Join us for some fun stories explaining the food chain and watch some of SOFO’s resident animals enjoy their favorite foods.
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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MUSEUM CLOSED: Maintenance
2025-09-03

Birding for Beginners
2025-09-06 10:30 | SOFO
Explore Birding as a new hobby: Take a walk with volunteer docents Cindy & Dave in the Vineyard Field behind the Museum and learn how to identify the birds that we might find, including blue jay, black-capped chickadee, starling, northern mockingbird and red-tailed hawk. Listen to the voices and observe the behavior of the birds to help identify them. No prior experience required. Bring binoculars if you have them.
Program Leader: Cindy Lenkiewicz and Dave Polek, SOFO Docents
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children ages 10+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Exploring the World of Butterflies
2025-09-06 11:00 - 12:30 | SOFO
Butterflies are one of our favorite pollinator pals throughout gardens, parks, farm fields, and beyond! But how much do you know about our fluttering friends? Grab your butterfly nets and magnifying glasses for a walk through the SOFO Pollinator Garden and milkweed plants and join us to learn about the beautiful butterflies of Long Island.
Program Leader: Moe Kennedy, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 5+.
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!

Seining for Tropical Fishes with SOFO
2025-09-06 13:00 - 15:00
Join SOFO on a search for juvenile tropical fish carried north by the amazing Gulf Stream while the water is still warm. We will be on the lookout for butterflyfish, lookdowns, our native seahorses, and more at this hands-on marine discovery event!
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.

Sign Up Here!

Full Harvest Moon Hike
2025-09-07 19:30 - 20:30 | SOFO
This full moon’s name is attributed to Native Americans because it marked when corn was to be harvested. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this moon. Join Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt and SOFO on this one-hour, leisurely-paced hike through open-field trails.
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.

MUSEUM CLOSED: Outreach Event
2025-09-13, 2025-09-20

Pop-Up Pond Life Exhibit
2025-09-14 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.

Sign Up Here!

MUSEUM CLOSED: School Group (10 am - 1 pm)
2025-09-15 10:00 - 13:00

SOFO’s East End Outdoor Nature Education with Crystal at Old Ponquogue Bridge, Hampton Bays
2025-09-19 13:00 - 15:00 | Hampton Bays
Please note: this program was moved from September 16 to September 19.
At high tide or low tide, the salt marsh next to old Ponquogue Bridge is a great place to explore and meet your marine neighbors of Shinnecock 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.

Sign Up Here!

Young Birders Club Meeting
2025-09-20 10:00 - 11:00
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.

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Bird Walk at Shadmoor State Park
2025-09-21 10:00 - 11:30 | Montauk
Take a walk with the Montauk Library Bird Club, led by Frank Quevedo, Executive Director of the South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center. Observe and learn to identify birds throughout a variety of habitats, including woodland, grassland, wetland, and ocean species of Shadmoor State Park. The walk will be a moderate-paced hike along well-maintained trails. Parking is free. Please wear tick protection and bring water. All experience levels are welcome. A limited number of binoculars will be available to borrow.
Co-sponsored by Montauk Library and SOFO.
The program is FREE but registration is required.

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Printing with the Sun!
2025-09-21 11:00 | SOFO
Developed in 1842, cyanotype printing is one of the oldest photographic processes. A chemical reaction between ferric ammonium citrate, potassium ferricyanide, and UV (sun) light creates a beautiful “Prussian Blue” print that cyanotypes are famous for. Don’t worry, the (non-toxic) solutions are mixed and applied to the paper beforehand, so all you need to do is place your materials on the paper, put it in the sun, and rinse the paper in water! Feel free to bring any of your own findings from nature to print, but pressed flowers will be provided! $5 materials fee.
Program Leader: Rebecca Rogers, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 5+.
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!

Join Us for a Beach Clean Up to Celebrate World Clean & Green Week
2025-09-27 11:00
World Clean & Green Week is a global effort to keep our planet clean by reducing waste and eliminating environmental pollution. Help SOFO celebrate World Clean & Green Week by cleaning one of our local beaches! During the beach clean-up, we’ll document what waste we find, and then we’ll report the data to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society to contribute to their research efforts.
Program Leader: Moe Kennedy, SOFO Environmental Educator
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children ages 5+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

Storytime: Remarkable Reptiles
2025-09-28 10:30, 2025-09-28 13:30 | SOFO
Join us for some fun stories to learn about our reptile neighbors and learn some cool facts about SOFO’s resident reptiles, from our smallest lizard to our largest turtle.
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.

Sign Up Here!

Birding for Beginners
2025-10-04 10:30 | SOFO
Explore Birding as a new hobby: Take a walk with volunteer docents Cindy & Dave in the Vineyard Field behind the Museum and learn how to identify the birds that we might find, including blue jay, black-capped chickadee, starling, northern mockingbird and red-tailed hawk. Listen to the voices and observe the behavior of the birds to help identify them. No prior experience required. Bring binoculars if you have them.
Walk Leaders: Cindy Lenkiewicz and Dave Polek, SOFO Docents
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children ages 10+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

How to Plant Milkweed and Butterfly Weed to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden
2025-10-04 11:00 | SOFO
Support your local butterflies and other bugs by planting your very own milkweed plants! After learning a little about why these plants are so important for our native pollinators, plant some seeds of your own to take home with you and help your garden flourish!
Program Leader: Moe Kennedy, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 5+.
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!

Fall Beach Walk
2025-10-05 11:00 - 12:30 | Hampton Bays
Join SOFO for a fall beach walk! Let’s explore the wrack line, learn about the shells we find, and learn about our local beach finds! Rain or shine, severe weather cancels.
Program Leader: Rebecca Rogers, 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!

Pop-up Pond Exhibit
2025-10-05 13:00 - 15:30 | SOFO
Join us for the last pond life exhibit of 2025 and discover the amazing tiny life that helps our friends the frogs, turtles, salamanders, and birds.
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl-Oakes, SOFO Environmental Outdoor Education Specialist
This FREE outdoor exhibit is for all ages. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

Full Hunter's Super Moon Hike
2025-10-06 18:30 - 19:30 | SOFO
Native Americans named this bright moon for obvious reasons. The leaves are falling from trees, the deer are fattened, and it’s time to begin storing up meat for the long winter ahead. Because the fields were traditionally harvested in late September or early October, hunters could easily see fox and other animals that come out to eat the fallen grains. Join us for this leisurely paced one-hour hike in Vineyard Field, the field behind the South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO).
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.
