For generations of Maine students, a class field trip to the State House in Augusta also included a visit to the Maine State Museum. Approximately 15,000 students toured the museum annually for structured educational programs. The Museum’s artifacts and exhibits brought the history of our state and its people up close and personal, sharing what is special about Maine and its place in the world. But in 2020 the Museum shut its doors for major mechanical upgrades and building renovations, and for the past six years school field trips have been limited to virtual programming.
On October 24, the Maine State Museum will reopen its doors to the public, unveiling two newly transformed floors featuring 19,000 square feet of new exhibit spaces. One of these new spaces is an area dedicated to Maine birds. Last fall the Museum reached out to Maine Audubon’s Northern Programs team to help collaborate on the Maine Birds exhibit, with specific focus on programming for visiting school groups. Maine Audubon educators worked with the Museum’s staff and volunteer docents to develop programming and educational materials for visiting classrooms.
When classrooms visit the new Maine Birds exhibit they will have a choice between three programs that highlight unique aspects of Maine’s avian natural history. “When the Timing Goes Wrong” is an interactive program where students get to role-play bird behavior to understand the relationship between native host plants as a critical ecological link that connects insects to bird survival. “The Great Migration” is a program that highlights Maine’s importance as critical forest habitat for migratory bird species. During this activity, students get to map out nesting habitat for several bird species, looking at how changing land use priorities can affect that habitat. “JEP-BIRDY” is a simulated game show where the contestants are birds and the students engage in friendly competition to learn about bird anatomy and physiology.
Maine Audubon is pleased to know that current and future generations of Maine students will once again get the opportunity to visit our state museum, and learn about what makes Maine a special place—and how birds are an important part of that!
