Events & Programs
Browsing event topic: education
- Family Fun
Join us for one hour of playful activity designed to encourage fun, self-discovery,
confidence and a growing understanding of the natural world.Accompanying adults and siblings under two of registered children are welcome at no charge.
- Curious Cubs
Have fun playing and exploring as we celebrate wildlife throughout the seasons, and investigate the mysteries beyond the orchard at our Gilsland Farm sanctuary. We’ll provide a snack and enjoy picnic lunches together from home.
- Family Fun
Join us for one hour of playful activity designed to encourage fun, self-discovery,
confidence and a growing understanding of the natural world.Accompanying adults and siblings under two of registered children are welcome at no charge.
- Nature Time: Spring Session
Nature in spring is a wonderful, mysterious time as life begins to emerge from the cold. Parents with children ages 2 to 4, come to our springtime nature-based program with stories, movement, art projects and an outdoor adventure. Parents take part too. Prepare to venture outside and be nature detectives for a part of each program.
Learn more - Salt Marsh Nature Explorations
In this 1 1/2 hour interactive exploration, students have the opportunity for hands-on learning about the adaptations of plants and animals unique to the salt marsh. Participants will have a chance to catch and release fish, look through algae to find small organisms feeding there, and test the unique characteristics of the marsh mud in comparison to the upland soil.
Learn more - Salt Marsh by Canoe
This 1 1/2 hour program provides a special opportunity for students to explore the salt marsh. During this unique paddle adventure participants become a part of the dynamic Dunstan River habitat, observing its inhabitants in their natural setting. We will see crabs, fish, feeding birds, edible plants and more!
Learn more - Maine Audubon Speaker Series – Film: Scavenger Hunt: An Unlikely Union
During this month’s Speaker Series, we will watch the documentary film Scavenger Hunt: An Unlikely Union. Scavenger Hunt calls for a de-polarization of the issue over lead poisoning in wildlife and documents just how close the condor recovery project would be to achieving a self-sustaining population if the threat of lead poisoning were to be eliminated.After the screening, Dr. Mark Pokras, Associate Professor of Wildlife Medicine and former Director of the Tufts Wildlife Clinic & Center for Conservation Medicine, will be available to answer questions about the film and about lead in the environment.
Learn more - Peatlands of Maine
Picture: Justin Henry via Flicker
Come explore these unique ecosystems through a two-part program that combines an evening presentation with a hands-on field trip to the magnificent Orono Bog. Learn about the role of peatlands in the biosphere and investigate the Orono Bog from top to bottom (including collecting peat samples from 20 feet under the boardwalk).
Learn more - Saturdays in the Discovery Room
Join FPAC Environmental Educator, Cyndi Kuhn, for a morning of nature explorations. We’ll start in the Discovery Room then head outside for an amazing sensory experience! Suitable for the whole family.
- Understanding the Risks of Tar Sands for Maine
Dylan Voorhees, Clean Energy Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, will present the basic background on what tar sands is and why Maine finds itself in the center of controversy regarding tar sands and tar sands pipelines. He will outline the risks posed by tar sands to Maine, including spill risks, route of pipeline in proximity to natural resources and drinking water, toxicity, climate emissions and others. Finally, Voorhees will give basic information on permitting and environmental review (or lack thereof) for use of Maine’s oil pipeline to carry tar sands.
Learn more - Paddle on the Little and Presumpscot Rivers
Join naturalists George Libby and Gary Roberts for a flat water paddle on the Little and Presumpscot Rivers. George and Gary will discuss the natural and human history of these rivers and the surrounding land as you enjoy the scenic beauty.
Learn more - Fields Pond Book Discussion Group: Summer World by Berndt Heinrich
Heinrich focuses on the animal kingdom in the extremes of the warmer months, with all its feeding, nesting, fighting, and mating. He observes the complex interactions of animals and plants with nature, giving depth to the relationships between habitat and warming of the earth.
Leader: Joyce Rumery
- Naturally Curious by Mary Holland
Mary Holland, naturalist, author, environmental educator and nature photographer, invites you to join her in a visual journey through the 12 months of the year, as she highlights the natural events that take place during the different seasons in New England.
Learn more - Summer Solstice Celebration
Join us on this longest day of the year for a celebration of nature in summer. Enjoy a little storytelling, a little natural history, and a twilight walk. All ages are welcome.
- Sparrow Tour
Need help improving your sparrow identification skills? Sparrows are small and not very “flashy” so they can be challenging to recognize. Join us for a tour of Orono Bog, Prospect, and Frankfort visiting the bog, Mendall Marsh and nearby blueberry barrens. In addition to the more common sparrows, we’ll look for Lincoln’s, Vesper’s and Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows.
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- Savannah Sparrow
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- Song Sparrow
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- White-throated Sparrow
Leader: John Wyatt
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- Secrets of the Wild
In this eight day session, campers will discover the mysteries of wildlife living at the sanctuary by rolling over logs, examining tree cavities, and playing educational games in forest habitat.
- Summer Family Fun
Join your child in these playful sessions as we explore, sing and create together accompanied by the sights and sounds of the sanctuary in summer. Perfect for families with children of mixed ages.
- Summer Family Fun
Join your child in these playful sessions as we explore, sing and create together accompanied by the sights and sounds of the sanctuary in summer. Perfect for families with children of mixed ages.
- Summer Squash
Drop your child off for this half day program full of adventure, exploring the forest, meadow, salt marsh, and pond at our sanctuary. Themes include: Teeny Tiny Critters, Paddlers and Hoppers, and Feathered Friends.
Learn more - Summer Squash
Drop your child off for this half day program full of adventure, exploring the forest, meadow, salt marsh, and pond at our sanctuary. Themes include: Teeny Tiny Critters, Paddlers and Hoppers, and Feathered Friends.
Learn more - Maine Audubon Speaker Series – American Nations by Colin Woodard
Our Speaker Series is generously sponsored by Maine Magazine.
American Nations: The Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America
There’s never been one America, Colin Woodard argues in this award-winning book, but rather several Americas, each with its own, centuries-old ideals, values, and religious and cultural heritage. Understanding the real map of the continent and its rival cultures is essential to grasping our history, from the divisions of the American Revolution and Civil War to the “blue county / red county” maps of past and recent elections.
Colin Woodard, an award-winning author and journalist, is currently State & National Affairs Writer at the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram. He is a longtime foreign correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor and The Chronicle of Higher Education and a contributing editor at Down East magazine. A native of Maine, he has reported from more than fifty foreign countries and six continents, and lived for more than four years in Eastern Europe. He is the author of American Nations: A History of The Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America (Viking Press, 2011), The Republic of Pirates: Being The True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down (Harcourt, 2007), the New England bestseller The Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators, and the Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier (Viking Press, 2004), a cultural and environmental history of coastal Maine, and Ocean’s End: Travels Through Endangered Seas (Basic Books, 2000), a narrative non-fiction account of the deterioration of the world’s oceans. He lives in Portland, Maine. www.colinwoodard.com
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- Borestone Mountain Naturalist Weekend
Borestone Mountain by Gary Roberts
Join Maine Audubon Naturalist Mike Windsor and Registered Maine Guide Gary Roberts on a trip to Borestone Mountain Sanctuary, located just 20 miles south of Moosehead Lake.
On this weekend retreat we will stay in the sanctuary’s historic Adirondack style lodges, which are accessible only by boat or on foot, lending an extra sense of remoteness and tranquility to this special place.
- Nature Detectives
Junior detectives learn investigative skills to search for evidence of wildlife around the sanctuary during this five day session. Campers will develop critical thinking skills to understand what animals are moving around the refuge and why, all while playing fun nature detective games and activities.
- Sprouts
Come to Sprouts, our extended day program, designed to coordinate with our multi-age summer camp. Children will discover firsthand the wildlife that lives here. They may look under logs in the forest, scoop tadpoles from the pond or net insects in the meadow. Children from both programs will lunch together, hear a story and play games before the younger children have a quiet rest period.
Learn more - Tiny Tot Tour
Introduce your wee folk to this unique habitat through interactive hands-on activities (an adult needs to accompany each child). They will experience the marsh first hand, looking through algae for small critters, jumping in the mud, looking at insects and more.
- Butterfly Walk
Help count butterflies for the North American Butterfly Count. Counts are held nationwide, and the Fields Pond Butterfly Count supplies important data about declines or increases of butterfly populations. Anyone interested in counting (and identifying) butterflies on that date elsewhere within the count circle should contact Pat Snyder for details at 567-3137 or dorine38@aol.com. The circle is 7.5 mile radius centered on Fields Pond.
- Blooming Discoveries
Gilsland Farm sanctuary provides an excellent training ground for campers to learn nature appreciation skills that deepen their caring and love for nature. Campers will develop skills like nature sketching, plant identification, and bird watching while being inspired by the history of famous naturalists to take action in the future. This week long session includes a field trip and sanctuary-wide games.
- Nature Time for Children: Summer Session
The summertime is made for getting out into nature! Parents with children ages 2 to 4 come to a nature-based program with movement, stories, art projects and an outdoor adventure. Parents participate too. Be prepared to be outside nature detectives for a portion of each program.
- Summer Squash
Drop your child off for this half day program full of adventure, exploring the forest, meadow, salt marsh, and pond at our sanctuary. Themes include: Teeny Tiny Critters, Paddlers and Hoppers, and Feathered Friends.
Learn more - Night Walk
Summer nights at Fields Pond are magical.
Join us for a guided exploration of the nocturnal world that most of us never experience.
- Summer Squash
Drop your child off for this half day program full of adventure, exploring the forest, meadow, salt marsh, and pond at our sanctuary. Themes include: Teeny Tiny Critters, Paddlers and Hoppers, and Feathered Friends.
Learn more - Butterflies for Beginners
Join naturalists Doug Hitchcox and Mike Windsor for an introduction to butterfly identification and biology. We will walk through the Scarborough River Wildlife Sanctuary in search of these winged gems. A pair of binoculars (close focus preferable) will be helpful, but not required.Directions to Scarborough River Wildlife Sanctuary [pdf]. The parking area is just across from Ken’s Seafood on Pine Point Road in Scarborough.
- Water Worlds
Gilsland Farm sanctuary provides an ideal setting for campers to explore life in and around wet and wild areas like salt marshes and ponds. In this five day session, we’ll go searching for bullfrogs, and play aquatic games.
This session includes a field trip to MacWorth Island where campers can get their feet wet exploring marine creatures up close.
- Summer Family Fun
Join your child in these playful sessions as we explore, sing and create together accompanied by the sights and sounds of the sanctuary in summer. Perfect for families with children of mixed ages. Maximum of three children per adult. No charge for children under two with a registered sibling.
- Summer Family Fun
Join your child in these playful sessions as we explore, sing and create together accompanied by the sights and sounds of the sanctuary in summer. Perfect for families with children of mixed ages. Maximum of three children per adult. No charge for children under two with a registered sibling.
- Wonders of Wildlife
In this five day session, campers will explore the pond, forest, meadow and salt marsh using scientific tools to uncover the little known facts about critters living on the sanctuary. We will play stimulating nature games that are both fun and educational.
- Sprouts
Come to Sprouts, our extended day program, designed to coordinate with our multi-age summer camp. Children will discover firsthand the wildlife that lives here. They may look under logs in the forest, scoop tadpoles from the pond or net insects in the meadow.
Learn more - Incredible Explorations
In this ten day session, campers get their hands dirty with in-depth exploration of the natural world. We will put their newfound skills to practise by going on a field trip to MacWorth Island. We will go on another incredible off-site adventure as well, and play sanctuary-wide games.
- Summer Squash
Drop your child off for this half day program full of adventure, exploring the forest, meadow, salt marsh, and pond at our sanctuary. Themes include: Teeny Tiny Critters, Paddlers and Hoppers, and Feathered Friends.
Learn more - Summer Squash
Drop your child off for this half day program full of adventure, exploring the forest, meadow, salt marsh, and pond at our sanctuary. Themes include: Teeny Tiny Critters, Paddlers and Hoppers, and Feathered Friends.
- Night Walk
Summer nights at Fields Pond are magical.
Join us for a guided exploration of the nocturnal world that most of us never experience.
- Tiny Tot Tour
Introduce your wee folk to this unique habitat through interactive hands-on activities (an adult needs to accompany each child). They will experience the marsh first hand, looking through algae for small critters, jumping in the mud, looking at insects and more.
- Awesome Adventures
In this five day session, campers will learn about and explore animal habitat on the sanctuary. We’ll play nature games based on the everyday adventures of animals like red-tailed hawks and groundhogs.
- Speaker Series – What the Robin Knows
Our Speaker Series is generously sponsored by Maine Magazine.
Join Dan Gardoqui, science editor for What the Robin Knows and founder of White Pine Programs in York, Maine as he reads stories & facts from the book and clues us in on how birds reveal nature’s secrets. Dan will speak about his work editing the new book What the Robin Knows and share his enthusiasm and years of studying, interpreting and speaking the language of the birds.
Learn more
Featured
Maine Audubon Speaker Series – Film: Scavenger Hunt: An Unlikely Union
- May 22 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
- Location: Gilsland Farm
