Bridgehampton’s Andy Sabin, a respected herpetologist and President of The South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature will lead his walk into in search of the Blue-Spotted Salamander this Saturday, March 4, at 7:30 PM ET.
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. Andy Sabin will lead this nighttime expedition to search for this unique native species. This walk will take place only if there have been heavy rains.
In New York, this salamander occurs in a patchy distribution outside of high elevation areas; its occurrence on Long Island is only in the farthest eastern reaches. Blue-spotted salamander habitat is the moist forest floor of deciduous or mixed woodlands near ephemeral bodies of water.
Blue-spotted salamanders are between 3.9 and 5.5 in in length. Their skin is bluish black, with characteristic blue and white flecks on its back, and bluish-white spots on the sides of its body and tail. They have elongated bodies and long toes: four on the front feet and five on the hind feet. Males tend to be smaller than females, though they have longer, flattened tails.
ANDY SABIN UPCOMING SALAMANDER WALKS
March 11, 2023 at 7:30pm – Andy Sabin’s Second Blue-spotted Salamander Walk.
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. Andy Sabin will lead this nighttime expedition in search for this unique native species. This walk will take place only if there have been heavy rains.
March 18, 2023 at 8:00pm – Andy Sabin’s Annual Spotted Salamander Search:
On this walk to one of the vernal ponds, Andy Sabin will search for the Spotted Salamander, one of the four native mole salamanders. This walk will take place only if there have been heavy rains.
ABOUT ANDY SABIN
Andrew Sabin, Chairman of Sabin Metal Corporation, established The Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, in 2008 to make his philanthropy more impactful. Sabin, who is the President of The South Fork Natural History Center and Nature Museum, is an environmental activist who supports responsible leadership, humankind and the earth to help provide future generations with climate-minded elected leaders. Each year, the foundation gives nearly 200 grants that focus on protecting our environment, strengthening our communities and advancing cancer research. Our local and global initiatives share one common goal: build a healthier world for all of us.
ABOUT SOFO
The South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO) & Nature Center is the only state-of-the-art natural history museum on the South Fork of Long Island. Founded in 1988 by a group of South Fork naturalists as The Nature Clubhouse in Amagansett, the museum opened at its permanent location in May, 2005 in eastern Suffolk County at 377 Bridgehampton / Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton, New York. A place for children and adults of all ages to discover, explore, learn, and engage, the South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center is open seven days a week, except on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.sofo.org.
