Events and Programs
How to Prune an Old Apple Tree
Do you have a big old apple tree on your property that desperately needs pruning? So do we! Join Nick DelPrete of Twin Oak Forest Farm to learn the basics of pruning apple trees by practicing on our favorite “wild” apple tree to improve its vigor and productivity. This is intended to be an introduction to pruning for beginners.
Apple trees have been planted in Maine since the state was settled by Europeans 400 years ago. Historically valued both for their easily storable fruit, as well cider both fresh and hard, apple trees proliferated across the state. No homestead was complete without at least a small orchard. Many of these remnant orchards still exist, tucked in beside stone walls and nestled in reforested places once farmed by hardy Mainers. The quality of the fruit produced by these abandoned trees can range from pithy and bitter to surprisingly delicious, but pruning helps improve the flavor and production of fruit- whether for you or for wildlife! Our particular apple tree has delicious apples so we’re excited to see what a little skilled pruning, done during its dormant period in late winter, will do for future crops of apples.
Please bring your favorite pair of pruners/loppers and a handsaw, if you do not have one Midcoast Conservancy will provide extras for use during the workshop. Wear warm boots and gloves and come dressed to be outside for two hours in seasonal weather. If the weather is truly horrid, we will postpone the workshop to Sunday, March 22 from 10am-12pm and email registrants of the change on Friday afternoon. Please email isobel@midcoastconservancy.org with any questions.
While this is a free event, space is limited, so we appreciate your registration below which is essential for our planning.
Wetland:Nature’s Kidneys; A Pop-Up TEacher PD
Join Herring Gut Coastal Science Center and Midcoast Conservancy for this pop-up teacher professional development workshop focused on the importance of wetlands.
In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn the different types of wetlands in Maine and how they filter and clean water just like human kidneys.
Each participant will make a wetland model to take back to their school for use with students and learn a few wetland focused games to lead in the classroom.
Participants will earn a stipend, 1.5 contact hours, and a class materials kit.
Space is limited and registration for this event is required.
Outdoor Studio: Nature Mandalas & Painting with Plant Inks with Katama Murray & the Farnsworth Museum
In this outdoor nature workshop* along the Medomak River, we will seek inspiration for art from nature. Join teaching artist Katama Murray and ecologist Kit Pfeiffer at Riverbrook Preserve to connect to the current season, place, and this special ecosystem as we make designs using organic objects. We will enjoy a guided walk before creating nature mandalas and painting with plant dyes. Along the way we will forage for materials, and learn the process of creating handmade natural dyes and ink using plant pigments from plants and food waste!
Students will learn the basics of creating a natural dye bath and liquid inks to write and draw on paper, and may choose to paint if they wish depending on weather and comfort. These meditative processes yield unique, one-of-a-kind results, and provide opportunities to let go while collaborating with nature.
All materials will be provided, and all are welcome!
*This class is weather dependent. We will be outdoors the entire time; please dress appropriately including warm clothing, winter boots, and optional microspikes/hiking poles.
This class is done in collaboration with The Farnsworth Art Museum. The Farnsworth offers a nationally recognized collection of works from many of America’s greatest artists, with 20,000 square feet of gallery space and over 15,000 works in the collection. It has one of the largest public collections of works by sculptor Louise Nevelson, while its Wyeth Center features works of N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth. The National Register-listed Farnsworth Homestead; the Olson House, a National Historic Landmark; and the Gamble Center for Education complete the complex.
Price: $45.00; $40.00 for Farnsworth Museum and Midcoast Conservancy Members. Space is limited and registration for this event is required. Midcoast Conservancy members should register by phone; contact Abi at the Farnsworth Museum at 207-596-6457 ext. 115.
Maine big night 3/27-5/15
On any given night between March 27 and May 15, we could experience a Big Night, and you can join us!
Maine Big Night (MBN) is a nonprofit community science project established to confront the issue of amphibians becoming roadkill en masse. Amphibians, already facing stronger threats than many other groups of wildlife, can see localized declines due to roadkill, and are especially vulnerable during their punctual annual migrations. MBN organizes volunteers to assist these animals across the road while collecting valuable data to protect them for decades to come.
Be a part of the amphibian action by volunteering with certified Big Night monitor, Anneliese Pugh, in counting and assisting amphibians as they cross Egypt Road in Jefferson. Monitoring will happen when the temperature is predicted to be 45°F or higher with rain, especially heavy rain starting a bit before monitoring. This means we will not know very far in advance when each monitoring evening will be, so if you are interested in joining, please sign up below to be alerted 24 hrs in advance of an upcoming Big Night.
All ages are invited to participate as long as all can obey traffic rules and verbal directions. Participants need to visit the Maine Big Night website to sign the waiver, but please note you do not need to be certified as we will be working with a certified leader. Monitors must wear a reflective vest and carry a flashlight.
While this is a free event, we appreciate your sign-up which is essential for our planning.
Vernal Pools: A Presentation on the Magic of Spring
Vernal pools sit silent, hidden in the woods, dry for half the year, disguised as forest floor, until early spring when they fill with melting snow and the rains of March. As spring warms up, these seasonal pools suddenly team with life as frogs and salamanders return to lay their eggs. The woods come alive with sounds of frogs, from deafening peeps and to deep ribitts. By late April dozens of egg masses can be seen attached to logs, or free floating just below the surface. Wood frogs, spring peepers, treefrogs, green frogs, and bullfrogs hide in the mud or peek their camouflage heads above the surface. Spotted and blue-spotted salamanders indicate vernal pools are healthy habitats and newts can be found in the duff around the pools. In the healthiest vernal pools tiny fresh water fairy shrimp hatch from their wintered over eggs to briefly live and reproduce.
With so much to learn about vernal pools we are offering two programs this spring. First, this indoor visual presentation will introduce participants to the animals whose life cycles rely on these pools, how to identify them, and how you can help protect these crucial yet fragile ecosystems. Our second program on April 26 will be entirely outdoors including a hike out to a couple different vernal pools at Hidden Valley where we will hopefully see egg masses and amphibians.
We invite people of all ages to join Maine Master Naturalists Bonnie Potter for one or both of these fascinating vernal pool programs.
For questions, please reach out to Zoe Thomas at zoe@midcoastconservancy.org.
While this is a free event, we appreciate your registration which is essential for our planning.
All are welcome! Participants under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Maine big night 4/1-5/15
On any given night between April 1 and May 15, we could experience a Big Night, and you can join us!
Maine Big Night (MBN) is a nonprofit community science project established to confront the issue of amphibians becoming roadkill en masse. Amphibians, already facing stronger threats than many other groups of wildlife, can see localized declines due to roadkill, and are especially vulnerable during their punctual annual migrations. MBN organizes volunteers to assist these animals across the road while collecting valuable data to protect them for decades to come.
Be a part of the amphibian action by volunteering with certified Big Night monitor, Anneliese Pugh, in counting and assisting amphibians as they cross Egypt Road in Jefferson. Monitoring will happen when the temperature is predicted to be 45°F or higher with rain, especially heavy rain starting a bit before monitoring. This means we will not know very far in advance when each monitoring evening will be, so if you are interested in joining, please sign up below to be alerted 24 hrs in advance of an upcoming Big Night.
All ages are invited to participate as long as all can obey traffic rules and verbal directions. Participants need to visit the Maine Big Night website to sign the waiver, but please note you do not need to be certified as we will be working with a certified leader. Monitors must wear a reflective vest and carry a flashlight.
While this is a free event, we appreciate your sign-up which is essential for our planning.
If you have signed up in a previous month in 2026, you do not need to sign-up again.
Forest Bathing with Maine Sanctuary
Are you curious about Forest Bathing? Come explore Waldoboro Village Park with ANFT Forest Therapy Guide, Michele DiGirolamo.
Forest Therapy or Forest Bathing creates space and opportunity to slow way down and deepen your connection to nature, the present moment, and ultimately yourself. Through open-ended invitations that allow you to interact with the ‘more than human world’ you’re led on a meditative and often magical journey.
This is a rain or shine event. Please dress for your comfort. Waterproof shoes are recommended.
Pricing: $45 | $40 Midcoast Conservancy members
All are welcome! Participants under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Registration is required. Please visit mainesanctuary.com to learn more about Forest Bathing and check back soon for a registration link below.
Understanding Ticks: Tick Prevention for Maine Residents, Families, and Pets
Ticks are one of the most hated Maine critters, disturbing once bucolic picnics, meadow frolics, and walks in the woods with the threat of pin heads buried in our skin, sucking our blood, and leaving humans and their pets with life long diseases. But how much do you really know about the ticks that live in Maine? Join Chuck Lubelczyk, Vector Ecologist with the MaineHealth Institute for Research in Scarborough, ME, to learn all about ticks.
This walk and talk will look at the life cycle of ticks, how they survive throughout the year, and which habitats they are most likely to proliferate. Chuck will cover aspects of tick bite prevention and the risk of tick-borne disease on the midcoast. He will also answer questions about tick control options for homeowners and pet lovers.
Chuck has been a resident of Maine’s midcoast since 2015, with his wife, Laura. When not working on their small homestead, he can be found hanging with his dog, Charlie (a complete coincidence) or hiking in the backwoods of Maine. He has been working on vector-borne disease research and surveillance in New England since 1994, after graduating from the University of New Hampshire. He graduated from the University of New England with a masters in public health in 2018.
For questions, please reach out to Zoe Thomas at zoe@midcoastconservancy.org.
While this is a free event, we appreciate your registration which is essential for our planning.
All are welcome! Participants under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Vernal Pool Exploration
Vernal pools sit silent, hidden in the woods, dry for half the year, disguised as forest floor, until early spring when they fill with melting snow and the rains of March. As spring warms up, these seasonal pools suddenly team with life as frogs and salamanders return to lay their eggs. The woods come alive with sounds of frogs, from deafening peeps and to deep ribitts. By late April dozens of egg masses can be seen attached to logs, or free floating just below the surface. Wood frogs, spring peepers, treefrogs, green frogs, and bullfrogs hide in the mud or peek their camouflage heads above the surface. Spotted and blue-spotted salamanders indicate vernal pools are healthy habitats and newts can be found in the duff around the pools. In the healthiest vernal pools tiny fresh water fairy shrimp hatch from their wintered over eggs to briefly live and reproduce.
With so much to learn about vernal pools we are offering two programs this spring. In this second program we will hike to at least two different major vernal pools at Hidden Valley. Hopefully the group will see and learn to identify salamander and frog egg masses, encounter a few species of frogs, and check under logs and leaves for newts. Learn more about the first program, offered March 29 here.
We invite people of all ages to join Maine Master Naturalists Bonnie Potter for one or both of these fascinating vernal pool programs.
For questions, please reach out to Zoe Thomas at zoe@midcoastconservancy.org.
While this is a free event, we appreciate your registration which is essential for our planning.
All are welcome! Participants under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Maine big night 5/1-5/15
On any given night between May 1 and May 15, we could experience a Big Night, and you can join us!
Maine Big Night (MBN) is a nonprofit community science project established to confront the issue of amphibians becoming roadkill en masse. Amphibians, already facing stronger threats than many other groups of wildlife, can see localized declines due to roadkill, and are especially vulnerable during their punctual annual migrations. MBN organizes volunteers to assist these animals across the road while collecting valuable data to protect them for decades to come.
Be a part of the amphibian action by volunteering with certified Big Night monitor, Anneliese Pugh, in counting and assisting amphibians as they cross Egypt Road in Jefferson. Monitoring will happen when the temperature is predicted to be 45°F or higher with rain, especially heavy rain starting a bit before monitoring. This means we will not know very far in advance when each monitoring evening will be, so if you are interested in joining, please sign up below to be alerted 24 hrs in advance of an upcoming Big Night.
All ages are invited to participate as long as all can obey traffic rules and verbal directions. Participants need to visit the Maine Big Night website to sign the waiver, but please note you do not need to be certified as we will be working with a certified leader. Monitors must wear a reflective vest and carry a flashlight.
While this is a free event, we appreciate your sign-up which is essential for our planning.
If you have signed up in a previous month in 2026, you do not need to sign-up again.
Understanding Conservation Easements: Real Estate Professionals Workshop
Calling all real estate professionals, join us to gain an understanding of conservation easements!
The goal of this workshop is to equip real estate professionals in midcoast Maine with a clear, practical understanding of how conservation easements work and the role of land trusts in this process.
Gain the information needed to accurately advise clients, both sellers considering easements and buyers interested in conserved properties, while supporting long-term land conservation in the region.
***PENDING APPROVAL FROM THE MAINE REAL ESTATE COMISSION*** This is a continuing education course certified by the Maine Real Estate Commission. Participants will receive three hours of credits. Snacks and drinks will be provided.
Space is limited. Please register with Georges River Land Trust.
This is a joint program between Midcoast Conservancy, Georges River Land Trust, and Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust.
Afterschool Mountain Bike Ride
Own a mountain bike and ready to hit the trails this spring? Then join us on this after school mountain bike ride.
Sarah Plummer, local yoga and outdoor adventure instructor from Maine Outdoor Yoga, will lead this group ride along the trails at HVNC. Participants will learn the basics of mountain biking on this fun and challenging beginner to intermediate ride.
Make sure your bike is trail ready, tires inflated, brakes in working condition and able to navigate trail riding. Please bring a helmet, wear sneakers and bring water in a well fitted backpack.
The group will meet at the Welcome Center at 3:00 PM and return before 4:30 PM. Parents are welcome to join the ride if they have their own bike, bike on your own, or enjoy a walk while the kids ride.
This ride will happen rain or shine.
While this is a free event, we appreciate your registration which is essential for our planning.
Wednesday Wander: Crust Fungi at Bog Brook Trail
Many people are familiar with gilled mushrooms, boletes, and coral fungi, but their flat and overlooked relatives—the crust fungi—are just as common in our forests.
Join mycologist Emma Richter of the Maine Mycological Association for a walk at Bog Brook Trail focusing on wood-decaying fungi that grow flat against logs and branches, often going unnoticed. Participants will learn how to recognize crust fungi in the field and how to distinguish some of the major forms that occur in Maine forests while exploring the hemlock and bog habitats of the preserve. Learning to notice this hugely diverse group of charismatic species will broaden your understanding of Maine’s fungal biodiversity and the complex processes happening on the forest floor.
Emma Richter is an amateur mycologist based in Liberty and a member of the Maine Mycological Association. She studies the crust fungi of the northeastern United States and shares her work through photography, writing, and public presentations.
For questions, please reach out to Zoe Thomas at zoe@midcoastconservancy.org.
While this is a free event, we appreciate your registration which is essential for our planning.
All are welcome! Participants under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Afterschool Mountain Bike Ride
Own a mountain bike and ready to hit the trails this spring? Then join us on this after school mountain bike ride.
Sarah Plummer, local yoga and outdoor adventure instructor from Maine Outdoor Yoga, will lead this group ride along the trails at HVNC. Participants will learn the basics of mountain biking on this fun and challenging beginner to intermediate ride.
Make sure your bike is trail ready, tires inflated, brakes in working condition and able to navigate trail riding. Please bring a helmet, wear sneakers and bring water in a well fitted backpack.
The group will meet at the Welcome Center at 3:00 PM and return before 4:30 PM. Parents are welcome to join the ride if they have their own bike, bike on your own, or enjoy a walk while the kids ride.
This ride will happen rain or shine.
While this is a free event, we appreciate your registration which is essential for our planning.
Goose River Talk: First friday at the farnsworth
Midcoast Conservancy staff member, Morganne Price, will be speaking about the Goose River during the First Friday at the Farnsworth Art Museum in conjunction with their Exhibition, "Along the Goose River: Andrew Wyeth’s Secret Subject".
4:00-6:00 PM - Free admission to the Farnsworth Art Museum
5:00 PM - Goose River Talk in the Farnsworth Art Museum Auditorium
During her talk, Morganne will highlight the Goose River Watershed, the work Midcoast Conservancy has done in the area, what you might see when you are there, as well as some of the land use history.
In addition to Morganne’s presentation, there will be information and handouts available about Midcoast Conservancy’s work throughout the region, helpful tips for protecting the watershed, and how you can get involved in watershed protection work.
This event is free to attend and no registration is needed.
To learn more about other activities happening during First Friday, or about the exhibit, please visit the Farnsworth Art Museum website.
Full Moon Hike- Canceled
This program has been canceled. Please consider joining us for future Full Moon Hikes!
Join us for a full moon hike (or snowshoe) at Hidden Valley Nature Center.
Enjoy an evening illuminated by the glow of the full Snow Moon. Discover a new way of being in the woods, when sounds become more pronounced and sight takes a backseat to our other senses. The group will take moments of silence to listen for owls and nocturnal foragers along the trail, chat as we hike and revel in the brightness of earth's closest celestial friend.
Meet at the Welcome Center at Hidden Valley; hikers should wear shoes with good grips and bring a hiking stick if desired, along with a snack, drink, and flashlight or headlamp. Your guide will lead the group on a moderate hike of 2-3 miles along some of the many trails at Hidden Valley. We will be out for 2 hours.
In the case of inclement weather which prevents us from running the hike on you will be notified by noon that the hike has been canceled.
All are welcome, youth under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
This is a free event; registration is required so we can stay in touch with participants and know how many to expect.