ISSUE #20

The Outdoor Insider

MAINE OUTDOOR SCHOOL'S QUARTERLY E-NEWSLETTER

ISSUE #20
OCTOBER 2021

 

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.

OWL Outing Club for Women at the summit of Tunk Mountain

Our new sign at our office

A paddling adventure for Whale Camp teens on the Orange River

Discovery of a grasshopper during a Family Nature Club outing

Co-Founders' Note:

This fall marks the sixth fall of offering programming in MOS’s history and for the first time our program schedule is just about fully booked; we have already started booking programs to occur this winter and spring. Compared to a year ago at this time, we are leading more than triple the number of custom, standards-aligned outdoor programming at public schools right now.

Meanwhile, we are building a house. We apparently don’t shy away from taking on big, intimidating projects. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from starting a business in Downeast Maine and building a house, it’s that big projects take time. Some steps feel excruciatingly slow and can fill you with worry, but celebrating the milestones, no matter how small, is key. Another lesson is to know when you need to ask for help and to prioritize collaboration opportunities at every step.

This summer, with so many programs scheduled for the foreseeable future, we recognized MOS needed help with the growing stack of to-do’s that were becoming a bit overwhelming. So we hired Rain Perez (learn about her here) to be our first ever Communications and Marketing Assistant--a major milestone! Her work is allowing us to focus more on MOS programs and long-term strategy--so you have her to thank for putting together this very e-newsletter.

Here’s to big projects and milestones and gratitude for having a team and so many collaborators who have made all these dreams come true!

~Hazel and Joe

Tracks:

  • Led three Family Nature Club outings with Downeast Coastal Conservancy in Steuben, Lubec and Machias.

  • Held two OWL (Outdoor Women Lead) Outing Club for Women outings at Tunk Mountain and Catherine Mountain.

  • Hosted our second OWLette free girls’ summer camp with Women for Healthy Rural Living, featured on both News Center Maine and ABC 7

  • Took a group from Bowdoin College’s Upward Bound program to the intertidal zone of Mowry Beach in Lubec.

  • Collaborated with Mano en Mano and led a hike in Steuben for their Migrant Education Program.

  • Guided hikes and paddling adventures for over 25 visitors to the area

  • Co-Founder and Co-CEO Hazel Stark appeared as a panelist on Maine Calling discussing Foraging.

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

 

Community Commendations:

OWLette volunteer Jackie Boothby making leaf rubbings alongside campers

This quarter’s community commendation goes to our August OWLette volunteer, Jackie Boothby! When Jackie expressed interest in volunteering, we knew that her lifetime of experience as a naturalist would be a huge asset to OWLette and we were fortunate that she was with us every day of the August program. The knowledge and personal experience she shared with our campers was especially helpful when learning to use binoculars, identifying birds, and even asking engaging and thought provoking questions.

Because Jackie is the living embodiment of OWLette’s ideals, she served as the perfect role model and leader for our girls. We look forward to Jackie's involvement in future programs and having more adventures together.

 

Biomimicry:

Growing along the sprawling branches of this shrub that can grow up to fifteen feet tall are small flowers with thin, crinkly petals reminiscent of one-inch strips of yellow tinsel arranged haphazardly around a center point—as if a spider were frozen mid-gallop, legs splayed in every direction in an effort to move fast despite an excess of legs. Its blooming time coinciding with Halloween and its spider-like yellow flowers make “witch hazel” an appropriate name for this unique plant.

Today, the plant is processed and distilled in large quantities for bottling and sale, but a poultice of the leaves and bark or even a wash applied externally to certain skin rashes or infections can have a similar effect with little processing. Witch hazel’s tightening and toning qualities in the form of a wash or salve can even help with varicose veins. The branches of this unique and useful plant have also been used to make bows and dowsing rods, to help find water, or, rumor has it, missing children. Despite this plant’s unusual flowering time and, to some eyes, its creepy appearance, witch hazel sure has a lot to offer the human world.

This edition of Biomimicry is an adaptation of an episode of The Nature of Phenology, a radio show that Hazel and Joe produce weekly for WERU-FM. You can read or listen to entire past episodes here.

 

Resilience Tip:
One of the most effective activities to reinvigorate the brain is to spend time in nature.
(Learn more in this article.)

 

What's Upstream: 

Join us for Summits & Stories on Pigeon Hill with Milbridge Public Library Saturday, October 16th.

We are also looking forward to our weekly school programs at DW Merritt Elementary with grades 2 and 4, 2nd-graders at Jonesport Elementary, two Kindergarten classes at Hancock Grammar School, two 5th grade classes at Mountain View School, plus some field trips and short programs for some other Downeast Maine students.
Thanks to Frenchman Bay Conservancy for their continued partnership supporting outdoor programming at Mountain View School and new programs at Hancock Grammar, which Crabtree Neck Land Trust is also supporting.

If you would like to book winter and spring school programming, it is first come first served scheduling so please reach out soon.


Stay tuned to our Events page to learn of other opportunities. You can also check out our public events calendar. Also be on the lookout for our new sign in front of our new office, coming soon!

All MOS programs are fully customizable and suit learners of any age. Visit our website or contact us to learn more.