General Information about Seal Walks: CRESLI seal walks will take
place between November and May. Please note that weather will play a
significant role in determining the seal walk schedule. Please call
CRESLI at (631) 244-3352 for schedule changes and cancellations.
Please be prepared for the
weather, i.e., wear warm clothing (outerwear should be in muted colors)
in layers. Hats, gloves, warm waterproof shoes, and water are also
recommended, as are cameras and binoculars. For those without
waterproof shoes, an additional dry pair of shoes and socks (for the
ride home) would be beneficial.
You mustregister
for any CRESLI seal walks. Registration
will enable us to contact you regarding changes and/or
cancellations.
This season CRESLI is introducing seal season passes that
will allow the holder unlimited seal walks! We are offering
three levels: Grey, Harp and Harbor Seal
Pinniped Passes.
Grey Seal Pinniped Pass ($65) is for a family up to
6 people
Harp Seal Pinniped Pass ($50) is for up to 4 people
Harbor Seal Pinniped Pass ($30) is for up to two
people.
Each pass lasts the whole seal season and can be used an
unlimited number of times.
This is an inexpensive and easy way to see Long Island’s
seals all season.
All you need to do is go to our website and register. We
will send you a laminated card that you will need to bring
to each seal walk for which you have made a reservation.
Considering that we have 27
scheduled seal walks and ask each person for $5. This is a
REAL bargain!
Please
note that seal walks for groups of 10-50 (school groups,
scouts, etc.) have to be scheduled separately and can be
scheduled on dates other than those listed. Please
send an e-mail with your requests, by clicking on this link
to
Dr. A. Kopelman
* on 4/04/09, extreme
winds (30+ knots, gusting to 45 knots) forced the trip to be
cancelled on-site. Seal observations and
photographs were by CRESLI's Dr. A. H. Kopelman later that
morning.
** on 4/05/09, seals were flushed
from the haulout site shortly after our arrival and were kept off the
haulout site by the presence of a vessel constantly travelling back and
forth through the groups of seals in the water. The vessel
operator then wrongly decided to bring the vessel onto the sandbar just
adjacent to the haulout site. His actions could be in violation of
the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the vessels number will be
submitted to the appropriate authorities.
$ 4/26/09 -
extreme warm weather and significant activity by boaters on and around
the haulout site kept seals away. 10 Seals had been sighted the
day before; 2 were seals sighted on 4/27.
CRESLI seal walks
at Cupsogue Beach County Park (at the
western end of Dune Road in Westhampton Beach) will
depart from area near the fence at
the western end of the parking lot. The walks are approximately
1.2
miles round trip and take about 1.5-2 hours. Meeting times are 15 minutes
prior to departure. These walks are suitable for children.
CRESLI seal walks
at Montauk Point State park will
depart from area near the bathrooms in the
main parking lot
at Montauk Point State Park. The walks are approximately 3
miles round trip and take about 3 hours. Meeting times are 15 minutes
prior to departure. These beach walks are suitable for children.
Click here for a map and directions to the seal walk
at Montauk.
For further information about Long Island's seals,
click here.
PLEASE! PLEASE! All of us involved in monitoring the seals
on Long Island would prefer that you view the seals in a supervised
naturalist led walk. If too many people continue to disturb the
haul out zone, the seals may abandon it in the future. REMEMBER,
DO NOT COME WITHIN 70 YARDS OF THE HAUL OUT ZONE WHEN SEALS
ARE HAULED OUT and DO NOT GO DOWN TO THE SHORE.
Please
note that seal walks for groups of 10-50 (school groups,
scouts, etc.) have to be scheduled separately and can be
scheduled on dates other than those listed. Please
send an e-mail with your requests, by clicking on this link
to
