South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center

Spring School Break Walk: Wildlife Observations
2026-04-08 11:00 (America/New_York) | SOFO
Join SOFO’s Environmental Educators for our Spring School Break Nature Education Programs!
Program Leader: SOFO Environmental Educator
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.

Sign Up Here!

Spring School Break Walk: Scavenger Hunt
2026-04-07 11:00 | SOFO

Spring School Break Walk: Spring Bingo
2026-04-06 11:00 | SOFO

MUSEUM CLOSED: Easter
2026-04-05

Full Pink Moon Hike
2026-04-01 20:00 - 21:00 | SOFO
Join FLPG and SOFO on a leisurely-paced hike through open-field trails. The Pink Moon name comes from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn. 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 & 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: Maintenance
2026-04-01

YES! Presents: The Biggest Little Farm Screening
2026-03-29 16:00 - 18:00 | SOFO
Join SOFO’s Young Environmentalists Society (YES!) for a screening of The Biggest Little Farm! Limited enrollment.
This FREE program is for all ages. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

Water Cycle Stories and Experiments
2026-03-29 13:30, 2026-03-29 10:30 | SOFO
The first rains in March are a welcome sign that spring is starting, and the natural world is waking from winter. But why does it rain? Join us for some fun stories and simple experiments to explore the water cycle that we all depend on.
Program Leader: Crystal Possehl-Oakes, SOFO Outdoor Education Specialist
This program is for families.
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!

Beach Clean-Up with SOFO
2026-03-29 11:00 | Southampton
Welcome spring and give a helping hand to our Earth by cleaning one of our local beaches! Rain or shine, severe weather cancels.
Walk Leader: Rebecca Rogers, SOFO Environmental Educator
This FREE program is for all ages. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

Amphibian Big Night: Spotted Salamander Search & Wood Frogs
2026-03-28 19:00 | Bridgehampton
SOFO is pleased to announce a new community environmental education and outreach initiative─Coastal Connections: Shared Shores, Shared Futures. This one-year collaborative effort with Chickadeeds, a volunteer organization located in Portland, Maine, delivers hands-on, accessible environmental education and stewardship programs to residents in both communities. To kick off this new partnership, SOFO’s Amphibian Big Night: Spotted Salamander and Wood Frog Search will take place on March 28, and Chickadeeds’ Amphibian Big Night will take place on April 20.
Join SOFO on an adventure into the nighttime woods in search of wood frogs and spotted salamanders. Don’t miss a rare opportunity to see these unique animals as they make their way to the pond to mate and lay their eggs. Please bring a flashlight and wear boots, as late winter rains will make the ground soggy.
Walk Leader: South Fork Natural History Museum
This FREE program is for all ages. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

MUSEUM CLOSED: Birthday Party (2 pm - 4 pm)
2026-03-28 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-03-08 14:00 - 16:00

Spring Has Sprung! Pollinator Garden Planting
2026-03-28 11:00 | SOFO
Greet the beginning of spring by helping your garden grow! Plant native wildflower seeds and learn about how to manage your garden to help our springtime wildlife flourish.
Program Leader: Moe Kennedy, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for adults 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!

Seal Cruise, co-sponsored with CRESLI
2026-03-28 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-03-15 12:00 - 14:00 | Southampton
For the third 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.

Alewife Trail Walk (0.5 mile) with Peconic Baykeeper Pete Topping
2026-03-28 09:00 | Southampton
Streams and rivers along the East Coast once “ran silver” every spring as alewives and other diadromous fish made their annual spawning migrations from saltwater to freshwater. Join Peconic Baykeeper Peter Topping as we search for alewives in Southampton’s Alewife Creek. Along the way, we will learn about the history of these threatened and ecologically important fish as well as the efforts being made to protect their future on Long Island. This will also be a great opportunity to see osprey, herons, and egrets, so bring binoculars! Ticks may be present; dress accordingly. Limited enrollment.
Photo by Byron Young
Walk Leader: Pete Topping, Peconic Baykeeper
This FREE program is for adults and children ages 8+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

Who’s Hungry?! with SOFO
2026-03-26 11:00, 2026-03-12 11:00 | SOFO
Introducing “Who’s Hungry?!” with SOFO! Join us for this FREE hands-on experience and help the staff feed our resident animals! This will be a weekly activity every Thursday at 11 AM. We’ll feed different animals each week, so be sure to join us regularly.
This experience is appropriate for all ages. It is free for SOFO members and included with museum admission for non-members. Registrations are not necessary.

Annual Blue-spotted Salamander Search
2026-03-21 20:00 | Montauk
Montauk’s vernal ponds are some of the few places in the world where the Blue-spotted Salamander, in its purebred form, can be found. Join SOFO on this nighttime expedition as we search for this unique native species. 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.
Walk Leader: South Fork Natural History Museum
This program is for adults and children ages 6+.
For non-members, there is a $5 fee per person for this program. Members are free. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

Young Birders Club Walk with Aidan Perkins
2026-03-21 19:00
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 children and young adults ages 8-18. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

SOFO’s Bug Club: Bugwatching Buddies
2026-03-21 11:00 | SOFO
This Week: National Learn About Butterflies Day.
To celebrate the wonderful world of butterflies, let’s prepare for the coming spring season and plant some native wildflowers! Learn where butterflies come from in the springtime, which flowers they like best, and which butterflies we can expect to see in our gardens. Attendees will take home their own planted native wildflower seeds.
Club Leader: Moe Kennedy, SOFO Environmental Educator
This FREE program is for ages 5-16. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

MUSEUM CLOSED: Private Event
2026-03-19

East End Outdoor Nature Education at Cupsogue County Park, Westhampton
2026-03-18 13:00 - 15:00 | Westhampton
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 towards 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, March 18, at Cupsogue County Park in Westhampton Beach exploring the beach wrack line for shells and treasures and scanning the ocean and bay waters for birds and seals that think Long Island is a great place to spend the winter. We will enjoy some fun stories, simple nature journals, beginner graphing, and worksheets to take home.
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!

DIY Science for Kids – Water Experiments
2026-03-15 11:00 - 12:30 | SOFO
Water is a very important part of our Earth. It can exist as liquid water in the ocean, rivers, lakes, and even underground; it can exist as solid water in icy glaciers and snowy climates; and it can exist as water vapor, a gas, in the air. We’ll experiment with water and discover some of its behaviors that make it so special and so essential to life on Earth.
Program Leader: Tommy Steinbrecher & Sydney Mantione, SOFO Environmental Educators
This program is for adults 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.

Sign Up Here!

Eastern Tiger Salamander Search with Andy Sabin
2026-03-14 20:00 | 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.
Walk Leader: Andy Sabin, President, South Fork Natural History Museum Board of Directors
This program is for families/children ages 6+.
For non-members, there is a $5 fee per person for this program. Members are free. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

East End Environment Series: Roy Latham’s Unpublished Journals (1902-1978) with John Holzapfel
2026-03-14 11:00 - 13:00 | SOFO
Join SOFO for light refreshments and a presentation with John Holzapfel (Oysterponds Historical Society).
Legendary naturalist and Orient native son Roy Latham spent decades examining the natural world of the East End, amassing what’s thought to be the most extensive natural history collection ever assembled by one individual. In 2023, Latham’s daughter Diana donated her father’s papers to OHS, which include his Journals (1902-1978), field notes, correspondence, and more. John has transcribed and digitized much of the journal collection and will take us on a virtual tour of how the journals were acquired and preserved. SOFO is privileged to host a display of some of Roy Latham’s natural collections at the SOFO Museum for the month of March, 2026: photos, taxidermy specimens, and other artifacts. After the lecture, John will give a tour of the collection.
Co-sponsored with Oysterponds Historical Society.
This FREE program is for adults. Advanced reservations are required for all events.
Presenter: John Holzapfel, Oysterponds Historical Society

Sign Up Here!

Seal Walk with SOFO
2026-03-14 11:00 | Westhampton
Several species of seals come to visit Long Island during the colder winter months in search of food. The three most common species that visit Long Island at this time of year are harbor seals, gray seals, and harp seals. Join us for a guided walk during low tide and learn more about these mammalian winter visitors and how to safely view them.
Walk Leader: Sophia Cecere, SOFO Environmental Educator
This program is for adults and children ages 8+.
For non-members, there is a $5 fee per person for this program. Members are free. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

Birding for Beginners
2026-03-14 10:30 | SOFO
Explore Birding as a new hobby: Take a walk with volunteer docents Cindy & Dave 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
This FREE program is for all ages. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Sign Up Here!

East End Environment Series: Thar She Blows: Whaling in New York
2026-03-07 15:00 - 16:00 | SOFO
This is the eighth lecture of our East End Environment Series!
While Native Americans were the first people to whale in New York, Europeans arriving on the shores of New York quickly came to see these ocean mammals as a valuable commodity. Starting in the 1640s, Long Island towns such as East Hampton and Southampton formed local shore whaling companies that led to the whale becoming New York’s first “cash crop.” This industry would then help drive the local economy in the 19th century as young men travelled the world, pursuing whales for their oil and bones. Today, whales continue to attract New Yorkers, though no longer for hunting, but rather for whale watching. This presentation will explore how whaling has shaped New York’s maritime communities and culture.
Light refreshments will be provided.
Presenter: Dr. Tara Rider, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University
This FREE program is for adults and children ages 8+. Advanced reservations are required for all events.
Please note: this program was rescheduled from February 7.

Sign Up Here!
