EXPLORATIONS Group for the East End’s varied year-round Explorations include day and evening hikes, nature walks, wildlife searches and paddling trips. Join us by calling or e-mailing the Exploration’s leader. Learn more about nature with our recommended field guides and naturalist books.

JUNE BIKE & HIKE IN SOUTHOLD (SOUTHOLD) Thursday, June 26 (5:30 to 7:00 p.m.) Join Kate Schertel for a 4-mile bike ride and short (but beautiful!) hike in Southold. We will meet at the Group?s new office (54895 Main Road, just west of the Fire Department) and bike to Horton Point, where all who attend will enjoy expansive views of Long Island Sound, and then bike back to the start. As time permits, we may take a tour of the new office after the ride. Sorry, no bike rentals are available. Please bring your own bike, helmet, and bottle of water. For reservations or more information, please contact Kate Schertel at (631) 537-1400 ext. 13 or kschertel@eastendenvironment.org.   COLORFUL BUGS IN FLIGHT (RIVERHEAD) Sunday, June 29 (9:30 to 11 a.m.) Cranberry Bog County Park is alive with damselflies, dragonflies, and butterflies in late June. Join us for a leisurely stroll around Swezey Pond in search of these colorful flying insects. Binoculars are required. For reservations or more information, please contact Steve Biasetti at (631) 537-1400 ext. 15 or sbiasetti@eastendenvironment.org. JULY   FAMILY FUN IN THE SALT MARSH (EAST HAMPTON) Thursday, July 3 (10:30 to 11:30 a.m.) Children of all ages and their parents are invited on this informal exploration of the salt marsh at Sammy’s Beach. Environmental Educator Anita Wright will bring plenty of tanks, buckets, nets, magnifying glasses and other fun equipment that families can use to investigate life in the water and on the shore. Bathing suits, towels, sunscreen and water shoes are recommended. For reservations or more information, please contact Anita Wright at (631) 537-1400 (x17) or acwright@eastendenvironment.org.   NORTH STREET CLEANUP (GREENPORT) Sunday, July 6 (10:30 a.m. to Noon) Join your neighbors and Group staffers as we continue to cleanup bottles, cans and other litter along North Street, around the corner from the Greenport Schools. Our first trails cleanup was a huge success with 15 volunteers removing more than a ton of trash. Help us with this ongoing effort as we restore the Silver Lake area to a natural habitat to make way for walking and bicycle trails. Collection bags will be provided. Please bring gloves and a friend. Meet at the east end of North Street Extension. For more information, please contact Jeremy Samuelson at 631-537-1400 (x12) or jsamuelson@eastendenvironment.org.   HELP PROTECT THE PECONICS FROM INVASIVE PLANTS! (RIVERHEAD) Saturday, July 12 and Sunday July 13 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) For the third year in a row, the Peconic Estuary Program and a variety of partners will be working to remove the invasive aquatic plant, Water Primrose (Ludwigia peploides) from the Peconic River, and they need your help! Like many non-native invasive plants, Water Primrose can have a variety of negative impacts on our local environment, including reducing biodiversity, reducing the functioning habitat within the river for fish and other aquatic organisms, and blocking sunlight from reaching other aquatic plants. This is a wonderful volunteer opportunity, especially for those who are not afraid to get their hands dirty! Usually many people turn out to join in the fun and help work to protect the Peconic River! Please bring such items as waders, gloves, sunscreen, beverages, canoes/kayaks, and life jackets. Lunch will be provided and your help is certainly appreciated! For reservations or more information, please contact Jennifer Skilbred at 631-537-1400 (x18) or jskilbred@eastendenvironment.org (or Laura Stephensen of the Peconic Estuary Program at 631-444-0871 or lbstephe@gw.dec.state.ny.us). © Judy Christrup KICK-OFF SAGG POND PADDLE AND BBQ (SAGAPONACK) Friday, July 18 (6 to 10 p.m.) Join us for a one-mile paddle down Sagg Pond to the ocean beach, where we will gather to enjoy a BBQ, bonfire, and sunset. Weather permitting, we will paddle back by the light of the full moon. Boat Rentals: single kayak $40; double kayak or canoe $50. BBQ Fee: $25 (under 12 $15). Please bring your own drinks and a chair or blanket to sit on (supplies must be transported in your kayak or canoe). For reservations or more information, please contact Jodi Grindrod at 631-537-1400 (x23) or jgrindrod@eastendenvironment.org. AUGUST CLEANUP AND PICNIC AT MAIDSTONE PARK (EAST HAMPTON) Saturday, August 2 (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) Group staffer Kate Schertel and Volunteer Melanie Lauzon are teaming up to clean up East Hampton’s Maidstone Park. Please join in to ensure our natural spaces remain clear of debris and we will reward you with some great prizes. Teams of 2 to 4 will compete to clean up the most litter – each team’s bags will be weighed at the end of the cleanup and prizes will be given to the teams with the most weight in trash! Please feel free to bring a beach blanket and picnic lunch to enjoy after the cleanup. Group for the East End will provide water, soda and snacks for all participants. For more information, please contact Kate Schertel at 631-537-1400 (x13) or kschertel@eastendenvironment.org. LATE ARRIVAL SAGG POND PADDLE AND BBQ (SAGAPONACK) Friday, August 15 (6 to 10 p.m.) Due to the popularity of our Sagg Pond Paddle, we have decided to hold two events this summer! Please join us again for a one-mile paddle down Sagg Pond to the ocean beach, where we will gather to enjoy a BBQ, bonfire, and sunset. Weather permitting, we will paddle back by the light of the full moon. Boat Rentals: single kayak $40; double kayak or canoe $50. BBQ Fee: $25 (under 12 $15). Please bring your own drinks and a chair or blanket to sit on (supplies must be transported in your kayak or canoe). For reservations or more information, please contact Jodi Grindrod at 631-537-1400 (x23) or jgrindrod@eastendenvironment.org.	AUGUST (cont.) © Scott Pehrson / Dreamstime.com SEPTEMBER   HALLOCK BAY PADDLE & BBQ (SOUTHOLD) Saturday, September 13 (5:30 to 10 p.m.) In coordination with Bayview Tours and Eagle’s Neck Paddling Company, Group for the East End will host its first ever Hallock Bay Paddle & BBQ. Join us for a one-mile paddle from the end of Platt Road in Southold to Orient Beach State Park, where we will gather to enjoy a BBQ, bonfire, and sunset. Weather permitting we will paddle back by the light of the full moon. Boat Rentals: single kayak 40; double kayak or canoe $50. BBQ Fee: $25 (under 12 $15). Please bring your own drinks and a chair or blanket to sit on (supplies must be transported in your kayak or canoe). For reservations or more information, please contact Kate Schertel at 631-537-1400 (x13) or kschertel@eastendenvironment.org. MORE SALT MARSH FUN! (NOYACK) Saturday, September 13 (11 a.m. to Noon) Children of all ages and their parents are invited to come out and explore the Peconic Estuary. It will be a fun and educational exploration for children as well as adults! We will have plenty of nets, tanks, buckets, magnifying glasses and other instruments to investigate life in the water and on shore. If weather permits, definitely plan on getting your feet wet! For reservations or more information, please contact Jennifer Skilbred at 631-537-1400 (x18) or jskilbred@eastendenvironment.org.   BEACH CLEANUP AT SAGG MAIN (SAGAPONACK) Friday, September 19 (3 to 5 p.m.) September is International Coastal Clean Up month. Join the Group and pitch in to clean up the beach as the season comes to a close. Meet at Sagg Main Beach at 3:30 p.m. Just bring some gloves and come ready to pick up after the litter bugs! For more information, please contact Jenn Hartnagel at 631-537-1400 (x21) or jhartnagel@eastendenvironment.org.   MORNING HIKE IN SOUTHOLD Saturday, September 20 (9 to 11 a.m.) Take an early morning stroll through Southold’s Arshamomaque Pond Preserve. Learn about the Preserve’s history and its various ecological communities including the flora and fauna species common to the area. After the hike, meet at the Group’s Southold office for an Open House! For reservations or more information, please contact Jenn Hartnagel at 631-537-1400 (x21) or jhartnagel@eastendenvironment.org. You can also join us for the Open House, which starts at 11 a.m. (see below).   OPEN HOUSE - SOUTHOLD OFFICE Saturday, September 20 (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) Drop by the new Group for the East End office in Southold, at 54895 Main Road, to tour the building, chat with staff and board members, and have a bite to eat. For more information, call 631-765-6450 after August 1st. You can also join us for the Morning Hike in Southold, which starts at 9 a.m. (see above).   WILDLIFE MIGRATION ALONG THE BARRIER ISLAND (HAMPTON BAYS) Sunday, September 28 (12:30 to 3 p.m.) Join Steve Biasetti for a wildlife search along Dune Road west of the Shinnecock Inlet. The trip is timed to coincide with low tide, which should enhance our chances to see diverse shorebirds and wading birds. If winds are blowing from the northwest, migrating swallows, hawks, dragonflies, and butterflies will compete for our attention. Please bring binoculars. For reservations or more information, please contact Steve Biasetti at 631-537-1400 (x15) or sbiasetti@eastendenvironment.org.
THE WALKING DUNES The Walking Dunes area in Nappeague is the most ecologically diverse  ecosystem on Long Island and the site of many Explorations sponsored by the Group for the East End.
click and hold on image and pull left or right to view panorama
Field Guides Recommended by Steve Biasetti Field Guide to the Birds of North America (5th edition). National Geographic. 2006. The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley. National Audubon Society. 2001. Mammals of North America, by Roland W. Kays & Don E. Wilson. Princeton Field Guides. 2002. Animal Tracks (Peterson Field Guides), by Olaus J. Murie. 1974. Tracking & the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks & Sign, by Paul Rezendes. 1992. Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern/Central North America (3rd edition), by Roger Conant & Joseph T. Collins. The Peterson Field Guide Series. 1998. Butterflies Through Binoculars: A Field and Finding Guide to Butterflies of the Boston-New York-Washington Region, by Jeffrey Glassberg. 1993. Dragonflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America, by Sidney W. Dunkle. Oxford University Press. 2000. A Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Massachusetts, by Blair Nikula, Jennifer L. Loose, and Matthew R. Burne. Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. 2003. Damselflies of the Northeast, by Ed Lam. Biodiversity Books. 2004. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, by Lawrence Newcomb. 1977. A Field Guide to Wildflowers: Northeastern & North-Central North America (Peterson Field Guides), by Margaret McKenny and Roger Tory Peterson. 1998. The Shrub Identification Book, by George W.D. Symonds. 1963. The Tree Identification Book, by George W.D. Symonds. 1958.	Books for the Naturalist Recommended by Steve Biasetti “The American Seasons Series”, by Edwin Way Teale. North With The Spring. 1951. Autumn Across America. 1956. Journey Into Summer. 1960. Wandering Through Winter. 1965. Author and his wife tour the country from the beginning to end of each season, observing and celebrating nature. Fascinating glimpses at natural America a half-century ago. Those of the Forest, by Wallace Byron Grange. 1953. Thoughtful, well-written tale detailing the many ways that woodland creatures interact with each other and their physical surroundings. Awarded the John Burroughs Medal in 1955 as “distinguished book of natural history”. Wild America, by Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher. 1955. Watching Birds: An Introduction to Ornithology, by Roger F. Pasquier. 1977. Handbook For Butterfly Watchers, by Robert Michael Pyle. 1984. Engaging introduction to the world of butterflies and butterfly-watching. The Complete Birder: A Guide to Better Birding, by Jack Connor. 1988. Enjoyable, informative read on the hobby of birdwatching. The Year of the Turtle, by David M. Carroll. 1991. The Feather Quest, by Pete Dunne. 1992. Broadsides from the Other Orders: A Book of Bugs, by Sue Hubbell. 1993. Four Wings and a Prayer: Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly, by Sue Halpern. 2001. Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard, by Jack Himmelman. 2002.

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