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.

Refund Policy.

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.

Refund Policy.

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.

Refund Policy.

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 3:30 PM and return before 5:00 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.

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 3:30 PM and return before 5:00 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.