ISSUE #14

The Outdoor Insider

MAINE OUTDOOR SCHOOL'S QUARTERLY E-NEWSLETTER

ISSUE #14
APRIL 2020

 

Maine Outdoor School exists because we believe that personal and community resilience 
in rural Maine is essential to the resilience of society as a whole. We believe that resilient,
flourishing communities are rooted in the careful study of our history and natural surroundings
by lifelong learners of all ages, backgrounds, and occupations.

Outdoor classroom project

Winter Family Carnival

Trails Tuesday field trip to Taft Point Preserve

Jonesport Forest Friday

Co-Founders' Note:

We're sure your inbox has been overwhelmed with cancellations, updates, and contingency plans from a huge suite of organizations regarding responses to Covid-19 - ours sure have been! While we will give you a brief update about how Covid-19 is affecting MOS, the bulk of this quarter’s edition of The Outdoor Insider is dedicated, as always, to updating you about our recent work and providing inspiration from nature.

MOS’s Covid-19 update: All our in-person programs from March 16th until further notice have been postponed to ensure the safety of our community. This disruption has put a significant financial damper on MOS, as April and May have historically been, and were going to be, our busiest months of the year. We are working with each of our clients to determine the best way to make up for lost time and develop virtually-accessible programming options. While we are confident that MOS will weather this storm, we would appreciate any and all donations that can help us through these trying times.

Even though we’ve been unable to provide in-person outdoor programming to groups, we have been thinking about creative alternatives. For example, Hazel wrote an article for the Bangor Daily News: “6 educational outdoor family activities to try during the pandemic.” This article aims to inspire additions to teachers’ remote learning packets, families homeschooling, and anyone else (adults included) looking for ideas of what to do outdoors during this time. A couple educational videos are coming up, too, so stay tuned.

We invite your ideas about other creative solutions to remote/virtual outdoor education: Virtual nature tutoring? Virtual guiding through your own backyard? Our inboxes, if not our doors, are open!
 

~Hazel and Joe

 

Tracks:

  • We led an outdoor classroom-building project at Milbridge Elementary School with many partners

    1. We supported Milbridge Public Library in applying to a grant, which they were awarded, to fund lending snowshoes to the community

    2. We led family-friendly outdoor activities at the Winter Family Carnival with Maine Seacoast Mission and other local groups

    3. We launched Trails Tuesdays with Frenchman Bay Conservancy at Mountain View School in Sullivan, which occurred every other week

    4. We continued our weekly Thursday Forays in Milbridge and Forest Fridays in Jonesport thanks to Cobscook TREE

    5. Hazel read The Lorax to Milbridge 4th-graders on Dr. Seuss’ birthday

    6. Hazel gave a talk about hiking to all of Jonesport Elementary School to support in their WinterKids competition (they got the Silver medal!)

    7. Hazel delivered a guest lecture in a Maine Land Conservation and Management class at College of the Atlantic  

    Check out the “MOS in the News” page on our website to see where we’ve shown up in the press!

 

Community Commendations:

If there’s one theme that has risen to the surface during these challenging times, it’s that supporting one another makes the impossible possible and feels good all around. Unity College is a prime example of a supportive partner, so they are our community commendation for this past quarter. When Professor Beth Arnold heard that we had been brainstorming ways to build an outdoor classroom at Milbridge Elementary School, her class with helpful leadership by Mary Seelig, sprang into action. They shared tools, supplies, muscle, and activities with us and the Milbridge 6th grade class. Thanks for your support Unity College! Many hands make quick, light work.

 

Biomimicry:

I have been thinking a lot about chipmunks lately. There’s a chipmunk burrow just outside my window, so I get to observe them frequently. On the warmest mid-March days, when the morning sun hits the wooden planks adjacent to this burrow entrance, a chipmunk will emerge and sit motionless, head towards the sun. Our first truly warm spring days inspire the same behavior in me, as all I want to do is be outside and absorb our first warm rays of sun of the year, so I feel a sort of kinship with this chipmunk neighbor of mine.

Chipmunks also provide some tips for dealing with challenging times, which for a chipmunk, is winter. Their cheek pouches can expand to be three times the size of their heads and can store all kinds of wild foods, which these omnivores can easily carry to an underground cache for later consumption out of sight of potential predators. They do a lot of caching in the fall so they have a full pantry for the winter. While they do experience a deep sleep in the winter, they wake up every now and then to graze in the pantry of their underground burrows. They will even occasionally emerge from their burrows on warm winter days in search of fresher food.

So during these challenging times, we should all strive to be like a chipmunk in the winter: stock up on our basic needs to last us as long as possible, minimize how much we venture out of our homes to go to the store, get plenty of rest, and be sure to get outside and enjoy the sunshine when and where it is safe to do so.

 

Resilience Tip:
Spending just 20 minutes in green spaces outdoors is one of the fastest ways to improve your health and happiness. (Learn more here.)

 

What's Upstream: 

When drafting up this e-newsletter before Covid-19 hit close to home, I was excited to share a plethora of upcoming programs! Our family hikes with Frenchman Bay Conservancy, OWL: Outdoor Women Lead program series with WHRL (Women for Healthy Rural Living--formerly the Women's Health Resource Library), regular school programs, and field trips are all postponed until further notice.

Please stay tuned through our social media and website for updates as our programs are either rescheduled or adapted into virtual features.

To stay in touch with us and receive more frequent updates, follow us on social media (links below).