South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center

Celebrate Observe the Weather Day─Cloud Hunting
2025-01-25 10:30 (America/New_York) | SOFO
Join SOFO in celebrating Observe the Weather Day by making a “Cloud Hunt” viewer using cardboard. Then, we’ll take our “Cloud Hunt” viewers outside and go for a short walk through Vineyard Field to learn about the different types of clouds and what they look like.
Program Leader: Erin Hwong, 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.

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Owl Prowl with Frank Quevedo
2025-01-25 18:00 | SOFO
Listen for the whinnying sound of the Eastern Screech Owl or maybe the seven-note hoot of the Great Horned Owl on this nighttime owl prowl that marks the beginning of our owls’ courtship season. Frank will present a slide show of our native owls and then lead a walk into the field to search for these nocturnal raptors. Bring binoculars and a flashlight. Limited enrollment.
Program Leader: Frank Quevedo, SOFO Executive Director
This program is for adults and teens.
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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Owl Storytime & Craft
2025-01-26 10:30 | SOFO
Winter is a wonderful time to listen for our local owls since they are setting up their breeding territories, calling to their partners or warning other owls away, and an early sunset lets younger family members listen “at night.” Join Crystal as she reads her 6 year old’s favorite owl story, learn about our local owls, and make a paper bag owl puppet to take home.
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl, SOFO Outdoor Education Specialist
This program is for families.
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 Your Own Nature Suncatcher
2025-01-26 14:00 | SOFO
Make a sun-catcher window decoration using natural materials. We will have pressed flowers, leaves, and recycled cardboard, or bring your own!
Program Leader: Sydney Mantione, 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.

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Celebrate World Wetlands Day─Wetland Walk
2025-02-01 10:30
In celebration of World Wetlands Day, we’ll go on a leisurely-paced walk through one of our local wetlands and learn about the different species that call the wetlands home.
Walk Leader: Erin Hwong, 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.

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East End Environment Series: Bats on the Beach, Bay, and Beyond with Delaney Costante
2025-02-01 16:00 - 17:00 | SOFO
Join SOFO for light refreshments and a presentation with Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences graduate student Delaney Costante about her research on local bat species.
Understanding the distribution and habitat use of bats is important to their conservation. While many people know about bats in the woods, relatively few realize that there are bats in coastal ecosystems as well! She uses passive acoustic monitoring to better understand where bats are spending their time. In this talk, you’ll learn about our local bat species, why they’re so important to their ecosystems, and that you just might find them at the beach!
Program Leader: Delaney Costante, Graduate Student, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University
This FREE program is for adults, teens, and children ages 10+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Let’s Make a Bird Feeder!
2025-02-02 10:30 | SOFO
Birds that overwinter in colder regions need lots of calorie-dense foods to survive in the winter. Make a seed or suet-filled treat to attract birds to your yard! Everyone will take home a biodegradable/compostable item that you can hang outside to help the birds.
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.

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MUSEUM CLOSED: Maintenance Day
2025-02-05

Birding for Beginners Walk in Vineyard Field
2025-02-08 10:00, 2025-03-01 10:00 | 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 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.

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Seal Cruise, co-sponsored with CRESLI
2025-02-08 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-02-15 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-02-22 09:00 - 11:00, 2025-03-01 14:00 - 16:00 | Southampton
For the second year in a row, the Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island (CRESLI) and the South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center (SOFO) are co-sponsoring seal cruises. Join us as a CRESLI scientist leads 2 hour expeditions to view, photograph, and gather information about the diversity and distribution of the seals in Shinnecock Bay. You’ll learn about the different species of seals in our waters, as well as the characteristics and behaviors that allow these animals to thrive. You’ll hear about the history of seal exploitation and recovery and see these animals in their natural habitat.
CRESLI Seal Cruises on the RV Peconic around Shinnecock Bay will meet and board 30 minutes before the listed departure time at the dock area (address: Stony Brook Marine Station, 8 Little Neck Road, Southampton, NY 11968).
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 8+. The cost for the cruise is $40 per person.
Spaces are limited and registration is required. Registrations can be made by visiting cresli.org.

DELAYED OPENING: Museum Opens at 11 am
2025-02-09 11:00, 2025-02-12 11:00

MUSEUM CLOSED: Birthday Party (2 pm - 4 pm)
2025-02-09 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-02-14 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-02-22 14:00 - 16:00

Full Snow Moon Hike with Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt
2025-02-12 17:30 - 18:30 | SOFO
The Farmer’s Almanac tells us that since the heaviest snow usually falls during this month, native tribes of the north and east most often called February’s full moon the Full Snow Moon. Join us on this leisurely paced hike through Vineyard Field’s open field trails, behind the South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO), and stay afterward for some light refreshments and convivial conversation.
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.

Birding with Frank─Shinnecock Specialties
2025-02-15 10:00 | Shinnecock
The barrier beach area at Shinnecock is one of the few remaining undeveloped dune/salt marsh habitats on the eastern end of Long Island, an area that frequently has wintering Snowy Owls and Short-Eared Owls. Join Frank on this birding expedition at Shinnecock, one of SOFO’s most popular birding walks. If we’re lucky, we may see either of these two owls and even an American Bittern, Snow Bunting, or a lingering Clapper Rail. *Please note: this program was rescheduled from 2/1*
Bring binoculars and/or a spotting scope and a field guide to birds of the Eastern United States (if you have one).
Walk Leader: Frank Quevedo, SOFO Executive Director
This program is for adults and teens, although children over the age of 10 may attend.
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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Marine Mysteries─A Multi-Sensory Exploration with Rob “Rockfish” Gelling
2025-02-15 10:30 - 12:00 | SOFO
Reach into your “mystery bag” and use your sense of touch to guess what might be inside! Can just the feel of the part of a marine animal or even a once living organism allow you to correctly identify what it is? Then look inside to see if you were correct. Information cards found within will offer the common name, scientific name, phylum, class and a fun fact. In the end, be able to walk our local shorelines and know your marine biology!
Program Leader: Rob “Rockfish” Gelling, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for adults, teens, and children ages 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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Winter School Break Walks: Where Do Insects Go in Winter?
2025-02-17 10:30 - 11:30 | SOFO
Join SOFO’s Environmental Educators for our Winter School Break Nature Education Programs!
These programs are for children of all ages.
This FREE program is for all ages. There is a separate museum admission fee to explore the museum ($10/adult and $7/child ages 3 and up). Advanced reservations are required for all events.

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Winter School Break Walks: Scavenger Search
2025-02-19 10:30 - 11:30 | SOFO

SOFO’s East End Outdoor Nature Education with Crystal at Sagg Swamp, Sagaponack
2025-02-19 13:00 - 15:00 | Sagaponack
SOFO is offering a monthly program which will take place on the 3rd Wednesday of the month 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.
There is a $10 per child admission/material fee, participating adult included.
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!
This program is for 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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Winter School Break Walks: Winter Bingo
2025-02-21 10:30 - 11:30 | SOFO

Young Environmentalists Society (YES!) Meeting
2025-02-22 10:00 | 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 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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Animals in Winter Stories & Meet the Animals
2025-02-23 10:30, 2025-02-23 13:30 | SOFO
Animals have many ways to survive the winter. Some move south, some sleep, and some stay active all winter. Join us for some winter stories to learn what our backyard neighbors do during the winter and meet some of SOFO’s reptiles and amphibians.
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl, SOFO Outdoor Education Specialist
This program is for families with children ages 3-7.
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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Annual Eastern Tiger Salamander Search with Andy Sabin
2025-03-01 19:30 | Bridgehampton
“Salamander Commander” Andy Sabin will take us into the nighttime woods in search of the largest of our native salamanders, the endangered Eastern Tiger Salamander. Don’t miss a rare opportunity to see this salamander as it makes its way to the pond to mate and to lay its eggs. Please bring a flashlight and wear boots, as late winter rains will make the ground soggy. This walk will take place only if there have been heavy rains. *Please note: this program was rescheduled from 2/15*
Walk Leader: Andy Sabin, SOFO Board of Directors President
This program is for families with children ages 6+.
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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