The Outdoor Insider
MAINE OUTDOOR SCHOOL'S QUARTERLY E-NEWSLETTER
The Outdoor Insider Archive
ISSUE #22
APRIL 2022
Most people know that getting outside is healthy and fun, but struggle with meaningfully bringing nature’s benefits into their personal lives, classrooms, or organizations. That’s where we come in.
OWL Outing Group for Women hiking the Boot Head Preserve
Jonesport 2nd graders on a field trip
Otter tracks and beaver chew discovered by Milbridge Pre-K students
Hazel guiding a hike with the Naturalist’s Notebook in Seal Harbor
Co-Founders' Note:
As outdoors-people, the weather influences nearly every moment of our days. This winter was uniquely crazy weatherwise, keeping us on our toes, but despite temperatures ranging from -20 to 60F, pouring rain, raging winds, dumping snow, and slippery ice and mud, our outdoor programming plate was full! Sure, we had to reschedule some things due to snow days and extreme wind chill, but what better way is there to learn about how wildlife deals with the challenging conditions of winter than to deal with those conditions ourselves?
In addition to our continued (and increasing) school programs across Hancock and Washington Counties, we were pleased to expand our partnerships with both Crabtree Neck Land Trust at Hancock Grammar School and Women for Healthy Rural Living with our Outdoor Women Lead (OWL) program and a unique nursing scholarship fundraising event Hazel will be guiding on Mt. Katahdin this summer. The OWL Outing Group for Women has monthly outings in 2022 and we’ve already had 22 women join us, several of whom came to each of our 3 outings so far.
This winter definitely exuded a sense of, “if outdoor learning during the toughest season of the year has been so popular and beneficial, we can’t wait for spring and summer!” Be sure to check out our Events page (which is positively brimming right now) to find out about how you can join us outside. ALSO, we just completed a big website update thanks to Rain Perez, our amazing Communications and Marketing Assistant. It’s slimmed down and easier to navigate. Check it out and let us know what you think!
Thanks to you, our dedicated supporters and cheerleaders, as we continue along this rewarding entrepreneurial journey.
~Hazel and Joe
Tracks:
Birding, animal signs, and winter plant identification OWL outings.
Winter Adaptations program with the Naturalist’s Notebook.
Received applicants for WHRL’s “Love a Nurse” Elaine Hill Memorial Nursing Scholarship fundraiser for ten participants to join Registered Maine Guide and MOS co-founder, Hazel Stark, up Mount Katahdin in August.
Lots of school programs! Began programming again at Milbridge Elementary School and Hancock Grammar School with new programs at Lamoine and Peninsula Schools. Continued programming with Trenton Elementary and Narraguagus 7th & 8th grade. Concluded program series with DW Merritt 2nd & 4th grade, Jonesport 2nd grade, and Mountain View 5th grade.
Led a virtual corporate teambuilding event to get professionals connecting with nature with Visit.org
Just this week: featured in an article in the Ellsworth American.
Check out the “MOS in the News” page to see where we’ve shown up in the press!
Community Commendations:
Hazel talking through winter adaptations of local birds and mammals
This quarter’s community commendation goes to The Naturalist’s Notebook in Seal Harbor!
The Naturalist’s Notebook is a one-of-a-kind exploratorium shop merging science, art, and nature. Covering a vast variety of topics, their space is an interactive wonderland sure to fascinate visitors of all ages. The best part is your adventure does not end there! They sell all the supplies you need to continue your scientific exploration.
MOS had an amazing time collaborating with Jordan Chalfant from The Naturalist’s Notebook on our Winter Adaptations program this February where we combined a short hike with viewing specimens at the store to learn more about our local wildlife and how they deal with winter. We look forward to future collaborations and feel fortunate that they provide resources for aspiring naturalists in our community.
Biomimicry:
You know that first workday after daylight savings time in March when your alarm going off feels like the rudest thing you could ever imagine? And then you are rewarded with sunlight later in the day, but at the expense of losing some dark, leisurely evening time. Bedtime arrives all of a sudden but you’re not tired, though you know you really should force yourself to sleep to get your body in sync with the clock. Fortunately, the human species is not alone in this rude awakening this time of year. Maine’s hibernators are waking up and there’s not even a cup of coffee and hot breakfast within reach.
Regardless of what the alarm clock says indoors, that internal clock on hibernators is buzzing now too. With warmer days, longer daylight hours, and the likelihood of more food becoming available now compared to when they hunkered down in the fall, a set of chemical reactions in their brains is telling them to wake up.
The process of waking up from hibernation isn’t fast, and while you might groggily wander around until you’re able to settle down with a hot cup of caffeine, hibernating mammals emerging from their winter homes, or hibernacula, aren’t even rewarded with an easy-to-find breakfast. This is why it is so important to be aware of the emergence of these hungry, groggy mammals this time of year. If you haven’t already, now’s the time to take down your birdfeeders, secure your trash, and make sure your dog food is stowed away. While it might seem nice in theory to leave food out for wildlife, getting them accustomed to humans as a source of food is much more dangerous for them, and us.
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:
“Giving our children a naturalist’s education can be a powerful way to help develop science and language skills, as well as provide them with a deeper connection to the world around them.”
(Learn more in this article.)
What's Upstream:
Get into fly fishing this spring and join our Fly-tying Workshop at Eastport Arts Center or explore some community science projects on a hike in Steuben with the Milbridge Public Library on Saturday April 9th.
Join our OWL outings across Washington County and start a nature journal, identify spring plants, birds, and a variety of other wildlife.
Register now for our two FREE summer day camps! OWLette Camp for girls in Milbridge June 27th - 30 and Forest Camp (which already has a waitlist) with Downeast Coastal Conservancy in Machias from July 18th - 21st.
Enjoy another Summits & Stories hike up Pigeon Hill with Milbridge Public Library on Saturday June 4th.
More school programs in Trenton, Hancock, Gouldsboro, Milbridge, Harrington, and–new this year–Sedgwick and Lamoine!
Include us in your summer plans! Want an unforgettable memory with visiting family? A unique adventure to celebrate a birthday, graduation, or engagement? Book your guided experience here.