ISSUE #18

The Outdoor Insider

MAINE OUTDOOR SCHOOL'S QUARTERLY E-NEWSLETTER

ISSUE #18
APRIL 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.

1st-grader learning how to snowshoe

A future outdoor school teacher?

A northern flicker feather discovered by a student

Knitting kits ready to send to participants of the virtual Downeast Roots Festival Series workshop

Co-Founders' Note:

This past year has been such a whirlwind that we nearly forgot that it’s Maine Outdoor School’s 5th birthday! We incorporated MOS in April 2016, just a few months after Hazel completed her graduate program and only a few weeks before Joe finished his. We delivered our first MOS programming just three months later.

Making it to this 5 year marker is a huge victory, not only due to the COVID-19 pandemic punctuating the past year, but also because under “normal” conditions only about half of small businesses last five years. It has never been an easy journey--we have both had to balance other jobs to make ends meet, for example--but our success illustrates the hunger for outdoor learning and connection to nature that we have been able to provide.

Over 15 Maine schools in Hancock and Washington Counties have experienced our custom, standards-aligned outdoor programming. This has been possible through the passion and budget-balancing expertise of committed principals, generous parent-teacher organizations, and the partnership of more than 5 local non-profit organizations who value the importance of outdoor education in their communities. Locals and visitors alike have enjoyed guided hikes and paddling adventures and learned how to fly fish, snowshoe, and even knit and tie flies. We have taught teachers and land trust staff how to incorporate outdoor education into their work and inspired college students about our entrepreneurial journey.

We are so rewarded by this work and beyond grateful for the support and commitment that you, our community of followers and cheerleaders near and far, have shown us. Without you, we could never have gotten to this exciting 5 year milestone. Thank you!

~Hazel and Joe

Tracks:

  • We provided custom, standards-aligned programming in 3 schools

  • We taught people how to knit as part of the Downeast Roots Festival Series

  • We got people out snowshoeing with the Milbridge Public Library

  • We guided locals and visitors on educational hikes

  • We presented a webinar about phenology and spring signs for Downeast Coastal Conservancy and Downeast Lakes Land Trust

  • We showed up in the news a lot--on a TV station and several newspapers!

 

Community Commendations:

This quarter’s community commendation goes to reporter Alyssa Thurlow at WABI-TV 5 News! Alyssa had reached out to us late last summer wanting to learn about the outdoor classroom we built at Milbridge Elementary School and did a fantastic feature on that project.

This winter, she wanted to do a piece on how outdoor school works during the cold temperatures and snow of winter so she joined us for a program at Mountain View School. What was going to be a short feature turned into a detailed 2-part feature about outdoor classrooms across Maine. Thanks to Alyssa for doing such a great job at highlighting this important growing trend in education!

 

Biomimicry:

Turkey vultures are one of the many essential workers of our ecosystems. They manage waste by never hunting prey—they exclusively scavenge from animals that died from some other cause. Their featherless heads help keep them clean when feeding from a carcass and they excrete liquid uric acid onto their legs which also helps keep the bacteria down. Good hygiene may not come to mind when considering these scavengers, but these rather gruesome hygiene strategies help reduce the spread of disease.

The pandemic isn’t over yet, so we should all endeavor to be like the turkey vulture: maintain good hygiene and be essential to someone by safely connecting with someone (and reducing your waste, as always)!

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:
Teaching kids outside helps them thrive.
(Learn more here.)

 

What's Upstream: 

We will be moving to a new office location in Milbridge this spring, so if you notice our sign disappear from our current spot, don't worry! Stay tuned for details about our new spot. Meanwhile...

Programs in Milbridge, Harrington, and Mountain View Schools will continue this spring. We’ll also work with students from Lubec, Edmunds, Beals, Jonesport, and Trenton. Teachers from the Blue Hill area will learn about aligning nature-based activities to standards thanks to our connection with Blue Hill Heritage Trust and teachers from southern Maine and Aroostook and Washington Counties will learn about outdoor classroom strategies thanks to our connection with Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

Not a student or teacher in any of those places? We have some options for you, too! Visit our Events page for more information about the below offerings.

  • Get involved in Community (AKA citizen) Science with the Milbridge Public Library on 4/25

  • Join the OWL Outing Club for Women on an outing near Milbridge this spring or summer

  • Explore and learn while hiking with your family in our Family Nature Club with Downeast Coastal Conservancy from Steuben to Lubec

  • Sign up a girl for a free summer day camp in Milbridge: OWLette (details coming soon)

  • Book a guided hiking, canoeing, or fly fishing adventure with us (click here)

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