Mashomack Preserve offers programs for families, teens, and adults in late July. Enjoy wading in marshes with your kids? How about sending your teens off to participate in real science at no charge? Or, taking a quiet, adults-only paddle along a natural shoreline? There’s something for you at Mashomack.
Summer Seedlings: Marsh Exploration for families
Kids ages 4 to 7, along with their caregivers, wade through the water and explore the shoreline of Bass Creek. They’ll check out the fish, crabs, snails, and other animals that call the marsh home. Be sure to wear clothes that can get wet. Mashomack will provide nets and buckets. Repeats Thursday, August 24, from 9:30 to 11 AM. To register, write to mashomackpreserve@tnc.org.
Mashomack Preserve
Wednesday, July 19, 2:30 to 4 PM
Teens Summer Ecology and DNA Lab
This is a unique free opportunity for teens in grades 9 to 12 to practice scientific research at Mashomack and Shelter Island School. Teens will explore the outdoors and practice sampling and identification skills. Then, they’ll learn state-of-the-art DNA techniques in the school’s biology lab. Research by teens last year contributed to the Citizen DNA Barcode Network database. And, to the National Institute of Health’s genetic sequence database, GenBank. No experience is needed, and Mashomack will provide plenty of guidance, including a Spanish-speaking instructor. Transportation from Shelter Island ferries is provided. Teens can build their science resumes, explore new places, make friends, and have fun. There is no cost to register or attend. Sign up here. For more information, contact Cindy Belt at cbelt@tnc.org.
Mashomack Preserve and Shelter Island School
Monday to Friday, July 24 to August 4, 9 AM to 2 PM
Adults-only Early Morning Coastal Paddle
Enjoy the beauty of Mashomack in the quiet of the morning. Adults can join a kayak trip from Bass Creek to Log Cabin Creek on Wednesday, July 26, at 7:30 AM.
Paddle along a natural coastline, explore the quiet waters of Log Cabin Creek, and learn about The Nature Conservancy’s efforts to protect our coasts and estuaries. Kayaks and life jackets are provided; to register, email mashomackpreserve@tnc.org.
About Mashomack Preserve
Mashomack Preserve, which occupies about one-third of Shelter Island, is considered one of the richest habitats in the Northeast. Girdled by 11 miles of shoreline, Mashomack Preserve is known as “the Jewel of the Peconic.”
The Preserve offers educational programming throughout the year, and its 11 miles of well-marked and varied trails are typically open to the public during daylight hours. Closures may occur due to and following severe weather and in hunting season when Mashomack participates in a coordinated effort to keep the Island’s deer herd at sustainable levels.
While events at Mashomack generally are free, The Nature Conservancy suggests donations of $3 per adult and $2 per child to preserve the place for future generations.
Please, save the date for The Nature Conservancy’s next listening session on Saturday, August 19, from 10 to 11:30 AM at Mashomack Preserve. You can also take part in a Community Engagement Survey to help TNC better understand the community’s aspirations for the Preserve; follow this link to the brief questionnaire.
