GROUP EDUCATORS IN ACTION

Summer 2016

FORECAST PREDICTS FUN IN THE SUN THIS SUMMER!

Group For The East End’s Summer Field Ecology Program is approaching fast. This year we will be conducting four outdoor sessions throughout eastern Long Island, accommodating two different age groups: PONDHAWKS (ages 8 to 10) & TERRAPINS (ages 11 to 13). The South Fork sessions will cover an area spanning from Sag Harbor to Montauk, while the Western sessions visit locations from Hampton Bays through Riverhead to Wading River.

Children in our summer programs have an absolute blast! Hermit crab races, skipping stones, catching estuary creatures, building rock cairns, making nature crafts, competing in team scavenger hunts, biking along forest trails, paddling through salt marsh creeks, barbecuing at the beach… Is it any surprise that numerous children participate in the program for three or four or five years in a row?

The South Fork PONDHAWKS session -- during the week of July 11th -- is filled to capacity. But we still have a slight few spots available for the other three sessions: South Fork TERRAPINS (week of June 27th), Western PONDHAWKS (week of July 25th), and Western TERRAPINS (week of August 8th).

If you are interested in any of these sessions, or have general questions about the Group’s Summer Field Ecology Program, please contact Steve Biasetti at 631-765-6450 ext. 205 or sbiasetti@eastendenvironment.org.

Photo credits: Anita Wright

HORSESHOE CRAB MONITORING CONTINUES

On a cool and damp May 21, for the Group’s Twenty-First Annual Fauna-thon Fundraiser, nearly thirty participants from eleven teams scoured eastern Long Island in search of wildlife. Included were a handful of dedicated volunteers who have helped out year after year after year : Nick Hamblet (12 years), Bruce Horwith (14 years), Gigi Spates and Tom Damiani (16 years each), and Jay Kuhlman (all 21 years!). Thank you to them and everyone else that participated!

Each year the Fauna-thon raises funds for Group For The East End’s extensive environmental education programs: school classroom lessons and field trips, summer field ecology sessions, community explorations and habitat restoration projects. If you are interested in making a donation to the Fauna-thon and Group education, please contact Steve Biasetti at 631-765-6450 ext. 205 or sbiasetti@eastendenvironment.org.

Although the weather was not in our favor on May 21, collectively we were able to find 164 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies and dragonflies in the five East End towns. Among the interesting observations: Common Raven in Eastport, Vesper Sparrow in Westhampton, Italian Wall Lizard in Hampton Bays, Northern Diamondback Terrapins at Mashomack Preserve and Three Mile Harbor, two Spotted Salamanders in Southold, and a Meadow Vole in East Hampton. While we didn’t find any new species this year, an incredible 381 species have been recorded over the Fauna-thon’s twenty-one years!

Please contact Steve Biasetti if you would like to receive this year’s Fauna-thon summary and/or a compilation report for the event’s entire twenty-one years.

TWENTY ONE YEARS CHASING FAUNA FOR EDUCATION

Group staffers, Jessica Kennelly and Christine Tylee, have had a successful horseshoe crab monitoring season this year, counting as many as 33 horseshoe crabs in one night, and tagging 24 crabs to date. They hope to see a few more spawning events before the season ends.

Special thanks to Group interns Amy Dries and Alex Groeler and volunteers Pamela Heidtmann, Stephanie Sforza, Catie Callaghan and Lorraine Warren for braving challenging conditions late at night, all for the sake of horseshoe crab conservation!

Photo credits: Francois Bernardi

Photo credit: Christine Tylee

PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD

Collection of shells from the ocean beachPhoto credit: Peg Conklin

Planting a native garden at the Unitarian UniversalistMeetinghouse. Photo credit: Ken Ettlinger

NoFo beach clean-up volunteersPhoto credit: Christine Tylee

Southampton 5th graders measuring wind speed Photo credit: Amy Lester

Tire planting at Downs Farm Preserve Photo credit: Christine Tylee

WHAT’S THAT? A BULLFROG OR A GREEN FROG?

You’re walking along a freshwater pond when suddenly a frog hops out from the water onto a nearby log. We know a frog when we see one, but sometimes it is hard to distinguish which type of species we have come across. The Bullfrog and Green Frog are both commonly found on Long Island and can easily be confused based on their similar color, shape, and size.

During our Fauna-thon this year, both the Bullfrog and Green Frog were spotted at Quogue Wildlife Refuge. The two frogs resemble each other in many ways, but luckily, there are a number of characteristics you can look for to determine which species you have stumbled upon. Take a look at the two incredible photos taken by Francois Bernadi.

Bullfrog at Quogue Wildlife Refuge -Francois Bernadi

Green Frog at Quogue Wildlife Refuge - Francois Bernadi

One of the first characteristics you may notice is the round circle located near the eyes. This is their eardrum, also known as a tympanum, and can be useful in helping us identify the species. The Bullfrog has a ridge that comes from the eye and wraps around the tympanum. The Green Frog has a ridge that comes from the eye and goes beyond the tympanum continuing down the frog’s back. This is one of the easiest characteristics to look for when determining which species you are looking at.

Using color to determine the species is not a helpful choice as both frogs vary in color. Size can be a more useful and helpful characteristic because the Bullfrog and Green Frog differ in how large they can grow to be as adults. In North America, the Bullfrog is the largest frog and can grow to be 3 1/2 to 6 inches long. The Green Frog is smaller in that it grows to be only 2 1/2 to 4 inches long. So If you find one of these frogs and it looks larger than 4 inches it is most likely the Bullfrog.

Lastly, we can identify the Bullfrog or Green Frog by listening to their calls as they differ greatly from each other. The Bullfrog has a long, drawn out and deep call while the Green Frog has a shorter, two-noted higher pitched call (gulp-gulp).

Next time you walk along a freshwater pond or shallow wetland, keep an eye (and ear) out for these frogs and use these facts to help you identify which one hops into your sight!

- Lauren Rosella Reference: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

THE 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR IN REVIEW

As this school year winds down, and children eagerly look forward to the approaching summer break, Group educators look back on a fun and exciting ten months of classroom and field lessons. The numbers, when taken in full, certainly validate our current sense of exhaustion!

We partnered with twenty-one East End schools and youth groups during the 2015-16 academic year, reaching 244 classes and about 4,800 schoolchildren spanning kindergarten through 12th grade. Group For The East End teachers taught 103 classroom lessons and led 96 field trips, covering a wide range of environmental topics, between last September and this June.

If you are interested in bringing GFEE environmental education programs to your school for the upcoming 2016-17 school year, please contact Steve Biasetti at 631-765-6450 ext. 205 or sbiasetti@eastendenvironment.org.

LIST OF SCHOOLS THAT GFEE PARTNERED WITH IN 2015-16:

Amagansett Elementary Peconic Community SchoolAquebogue Elementary Ross LowerCutchogue East Elementary Ross High Dayton Avenue Elementary Sag Harbor ElementaryEast Hampton Middle Southampton ElementaryEastport Elementary Southampton IntermediateEast Quogue Elementary Southold Daisy TroopJohn Marshall Elementary Southold ElementaryLong Island Home School Springs ElementaryMattituck High Westhampton Beach ElementaryMontauk Elementary

Photo credits: Anita Wright

Following a lengthy candidate search this winter, Group For The East End was thrilled to hire Lauren Rosella as an Environmental Educator. Lauren’s credentials include an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from College of the Holy Cross, a Master’s degree in Marine Conservation & Policy from Stony Brook University, and environmental education experience with Blue Ocean Institute and the National Audubon Society.

Since her start at the beginning of April, Lauren has been involved with school field trips virtually non-stop. In just her first twelve weeks, Lauren has co-led nearly forty field trips with twelve East End schools and every age group from kindergarten through sixth grade. How’s that for “baptism by fire”!

There’s not much of a break at the end of the school year, either. Our Summer Field Ecology Program begins five days after the final school field trip. Needless to say, Group educators are delighted to welcome Lauren Rosella to our team!

GROUP EDUCATION WELCOMES LAUREN ROSELLA

DOWNS FARM PRESERVE UPDATE

On April 23rd, Group for the East End hosted the 3rd Annual Earth Day Celebration at Downs Farm Preserve in Cutchogue. Even with questionable weather, we attracted over 300 patrons who had the opportunity to play nature-related games, create arts and crafts, learn about local environmentally-oriented businesses and organizations, listen to live music and much more!

At the Earth Day Celebration, Quogue Wildlife Refuge staff offered a presentation with live animals, providing an exciting learning experience for children and adults. Thank you to all those that attended this event and we look forward to seeing you next year!

This summer the Group will also be holding a Young Naturalist Program at Downs Farm Preserve for the second consecutive year, a week-long camp for ages 5-7, which filled up almost immediately!

For upcoming events at Downs Farm Preserve, please see “Exploring the East End” on page 7, or visit our events calendar at www.eastendenvironment.org

Photo credits: Lisa Finn

Exploring the East EndJoin Group for the East End staff on one of our many explorations this Summer! For a complete list of events or to reserve your spot on any of these explorations, please visit the “events” page on our website: GroupfortheEastEnd.org.*denotes a suggested family donation for these events

JULYMarine Debris of All KindsDowns Farm PreserveCutchogue11am to 1pmJessica Kennelly

Nature JournalsDowns Farm PreserveCutchogue11am to 12:30pmJessica Kennelly

6

Family Scavenger Hunt*Pequash BeachCutchogue10am to 12pmJessica Kennelly

Native American Talking-SticksDowns Farm PreserveCutchogue1pm to 2:30pmChristine Tylee

9

Storytime with Barefoot BooksDowns Farm PreserveCutchogue11am to 12pmJessica Kennelly 12

Family Scavenger Hunt*Cedar BeachSouthold10am to 12pmJessica Kennelly

14

1 7

Let’s Talk TurtlesDowns Farm PreserveCutchogue11am to 12:30pmChristine Tylee

27

AUGUSTFamily Scavenger Hunt*New Suffolk BeachNew Suffolk10am to 12pmJessica Kennelly

4

StorytimeDowns Farm PreserveCutchogue11am to 12pmJessica Kennelly

9

Movie Night Under the StarsDowns Farm PreserveCutchogue8:30pm to 10pmJessica Kennelly

Lost Ladybug ProjectDowns Farm PreserveCutchogue10:30am to 12pmChristine Tylee &Anita Wright12 17

Family Scavenger Hunt*South Harbor BeachSouthold10am to 12pmJessica Kennelly 25

SEPTEMBERTropical Fish of Shinnecock BayHampton Bays11am to 1pmSteve Biasetti

11

Beachcombing Along the Ocean ShoreHampton Bays12:30pm to 2:30pmSteve Biasetti 17

Migrating Monarchs andMerlinsHampton Bays9am to 11:30amSteve Biasetti 25

With help from over 75 dedicated and passionate volunteers, 3 schools, and 110 students this past spring, we were able to clean up 9 different beaches along the North Fork of Long Island! We found a variety of objects such as straws, bottle caps, shotgun shells, plastic pieces and so much more. This summer we’ll be sorting and repurposing the collected trash into sculptures of wildlife who are impacted by marine debris. To learn how you can get involved, please contact Jessica Kennelly at jkennelly@eastendenvironment.org. Wildlife thanks you!

NoFo COASTAL CLEAN-UP SPRING SERIES

Photo credit: Christine Tylee

doTerra Essential Oils*Downs Farm PreserveCutchogue11am to 12pmJessica Kennelly

23

Anita WrightAssistant Director of Environmental Education

acwright@eastendenvironment.org 631-765-6450, ext. 206

Steve BiasettiDirector of Environmental Educationsbiasetti@eastendenvironment.org

631-765-6450, ext. 205EDUCATION STAFF

Jessica KennellyOutreach Coordinator

jkennelly@eastendenvironment.org631-765-6450, ext. 215

Lauren RosellaEnvironmental Educator

lrosella@eastendenvironment.org631-765-6450, ext. 219

KIDS FUN PAGE

Who Doesn’t Belong in the Group? Pick one organism that doesn't belong in the group they are placed with. The organism may not belong to the group because they have a different role in the food chain, they might be a different type of organism, or they may have different habitat compared to the other organisms in the group. Choose the one that is most different.

Cardinal American Goldfinch Chickadee Piping Plover

1.____________________________

Eastern Oyster Ribbed Mussel Channeled Whelk Hard Clam2.____________________________

3.___________________________

Blue Claw Crab Horseshoe Crab Fiddler Crab Lady Crab

1.Piping Plover - Shorebird that lives on the beach (vs.) Songbirds that live in upland habitats2.Channeled Whelk - Univalve and predator that feeds on other mollusks (vs.) Bivalves that are filter feeders3. Horseshoe Crab - Not a true crab and is more closely related to spiders (vs.) Crabs that have pincer claws4. Green Moss - Simple plant that is not a fungus (vs.) Fungi that are decomposers

Green Moss White Shelf Fungus Lichen Black Knot Fungus

4.___________________________

Answer Key: