Last week, as a member of Maine Audubon’s education team, I was able to do one of my favorite things: partner with students and teachers in the classroom. Two seventh-grade science teachers at Lyman Moore Middle School in Portland, Hazel Cashman and Margaret Paisley, were doing a unit on owls. …
News & Notes
Spread the Love of Native Plants
As we report and gear up for late fall and early winter, we often remind folks that fall is the best time to start your own native plants from seed (read about the importance of fall and winter seed dormancy and dispersal here). Maine native plants are beneficial and beautiful, and growing your own …
Stream Smart Screen Time!
There are many steps in the creation of a Stream Smart crossing, and this fall Maine Audubon and partners have released two new videos covering two of the most important ones: water control, and streambed and streambank building. Our many training videos are used by municipalities, contractors, and …
Stream Explorers Goes to School
On a beautiful fall day with 70 degree temperatures, Maine Audubon educators took our conservation program, Stream Explorers, to Sanford Middle School. The week before our visit, we went into the classroom and practiced using the nets and identifying macroinvertebrates. By sampling the stream and …
Native plant update: it’s time for dormancy and seed dispersal
September 1: Welcome to fall! October 1: Welcome to fall! November 1:Welcome to fall! November 14 . . . 15 . . . Ok, now. It finally feels like fall in Maine! As the climate changes, our growing season changes with it. Historically, gardeners would bid goodnight to their plants by …
Becoming a bird-safe school
Something’s happening during recess these days at Yarmouth Elementary School. Instead of the shouts and sounds of a soccer game, there’s quiet. Groups of kids are standing, looking, listening. Yes, they’re birding! According to Nicole Colfer, the school’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, …
Appreciating Portland’s Big Trees
On a beautiful, sunny Friday afternoon in late October, staff members from Maine Audubon, Portland Parks, U.S. Forest Service, Maine TREE Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy gathered in Portland to visit some of Maine’s biggest trees right here in “Forest City.” While all of us on the tour …
Workshops, camps, programs: More good news for November
Sharing good news from across the organization! Stream Smart Workshops After multiple COVID cancellations and switching to Zoom for our Introductory Stream Smart workshops, we were finally able to hold two, in-person, two-day Stream Smart Field Trainings this fall! Held in Falmouth (pictured …
Commonly Misidentified Species: Cold Weather Sparrows
It’s not always easy to identify Maine’s most beloved birds. Maine Audubon biologists and naturalists commonly field identification questions along the lines of “is it this, or is it that?” Many species look similar from a distance, but there are some great telltale signs, both visual markers and …