Programs and Field Trips for Adults:

Fields Pond Yoga
Come to the nature center to stretch, energize and relax. This weekly yoga class is open to all levels. You’ll enjoy the gorgeous views from the windows.
Wednesdays, 10-11 a.m.
Leader: Holly Twining, Maine Audubon naturalist, certified yoga teacher
Cost: $7/member; $10/nonmember per class

Penobscot Valley Chapter Program: Northern Exposure: True Tales of Search and Rescue in the Maine Woods
Deb Palman was hired as the first female game warden in Maine in the late 1970s. For much of her career, she trained and worked with dogs on wilderness search and rescue (SAR) operations. Deb recently retired from the Warden Service, but remains active as a SAR volunteer. She will discuss some of her most memorable search operations in the northern forest, some exhilarating, some tragic. Deb is an officer of Maine Search and Rescue Dogs and the Maine Association for Search and Rescue and teaches seminars on SAR dog training as a private consultant and trainer.
Wednesday, April 18, 7 p.m.
Cost: Free

Wild Poetry: a writing workshop & potluck
Join us to celebrate National Poetry Month! Enjoy a nature walk, writing exercises, and listening to great poetry. Please bring a dish to share.
Saturday, April 27, 4-6 p.m.
Cost: $10/member; $15/nonmember. Children accompanied by an adult are free. Advance registration is required.

Birding by Ear: Learn & Make it Live
Right before the new season of Neighborhood Bird Walks begins, Bob Duchesne will give us a primer on birds’ songs. Once we've learned from the indoor presentation, we'll make it live and take our knowledge outside. Hopefully, then you'll recognize a call or two!
Saturday, May 4, 7:30-9 a.m.
Cost: $7/member; $10/nonmember

Trekking in the Gaspé
In late summer 2012, Carey Kish and Fran Layman embarked on an eight-day, 70-mile trek on the International Appalachian Trail through Gaspésie National Park. Gaspésie is a vast expanse of high summits, alpine tundra, dramatic escarpments, deep valleys, old growth forests and pristine waters located just inland from the St. Lawrence River on the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec. It is also home to a herd of woodland caribou, moose, deer, black bear, and hundreds of bird species. Carey and Fran will show spectacular pics from their adventure.
Co-sponsored by the Maine Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club.
Tuesday, May 7, 7 p.m.
Presenter: Carey Kish and Fran Layman
Cost: Free

Fields Pond Book Discussion Group: Broadsides from the Other Orders by Sue Hubbell
Hubbell, a beekeeper-turned-essayist has a fondness for bugs and insects and after reading her notes on camel crickets, gypsy moths, and water striders, among other creatures, you will as well. Her appreciation extends even to bugs that we may find noxious.
Location: Bangor Public Library
Thursday, May 9, 6:30 p.m.
Leader: Joyce Rumery
Cost: Free

Penobscot Valley Chapter Annual Membership Meeting: Spruce Grouse Habitat in Maine's Working Forest
Stephen Dunham is a master’s degree candidate studying Wildlife Ecology at the University of Maine. He was the recipient of the chapter’s Inez Boyd Environmental Research Award (IBERA) for 2012. Steve’s academic research has focused on analyzing spruce grouse population density and breeding success across several habitats typical of Maine’s industrial forests: mature conifers, pre-commercially thinned stands, and advanced regenerating clear-cuts. He is currently working to develop a habitat model and recommendations for timber management practices that will yield profits for landowners and loggers, while maintaining healthy spruce grouse populations throughout the northern forest. This is also the PVC
Annual Membership Meeting for chapter members to elect new officers and board members.
Wednesday, May 15, 7 p.m.
Cost: Free

Wildflower Walk
Join Kate Garland, Horticulturist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, to learn the basics of plant identification. In this workshop, you'll get a hands-on lesson on plant anatomy and experience using two types of plant identification keys. Wear appropriate footwear and clothing for a walk through beautiful trails where you can try out your new plant identification skills.
Saturday, May 18, 9 - 11:00 a.m.
Cost: $5/member; $10/nonmember. Advance registration is required.

Moonlight Canoeing
Float along the lake shore, as waning day becomes moonlit night. Loons, eagles, and bats may grace your trip. Bring your own canoe/kayak or rent one of ours.
Thursday, May 23, 7 p.m.
Cost: $10/member, $15/nonmember. Canoe rental (with life jacket/paddles) is $5. Advance registration is required.

Peatlands of Maine
Come explore these unique ecosystems through a two-part program that combines an evening presentation with a hands-on field trip to the magnificent Orono Bog. Learn about the role of peatlands in the biosphere and investigate the Orono Bog from top to bottom (including collecting peat samples from 20 feet under the boardwalk). The presentation the evening before the field trip will cover the basic ecology of peatlands (wetlands that are underlain by peat, including bogs and fens), and will illustrate the various kinds of peatlands, their distribution in Maine and elsewhere, and the important ecological roles they play both locally and globally.
Leader: Ron Davis, Professor Emeritus, School of Biology & Ecology, Climate Change Institute, University of Maine
Friday, May 24, 6:30-8 p.m. & Saturday, May 25, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Cost: $10/member, $15/nonmember. Advance registration required. Limited to 12 people.

Penobscot Valley Chapter of Maine Audubon & Fields Pond Audubon Center present Neighborhood Bird Walks, May 2013

Unless otherwise indicated, all walks are from 7:00 – 8:30 AM. Rubber boots or waterproof shoes are recommended due to wet grass and occasional muddy conditions. In consideration of wildlife and fellow birders, no pets please on the bird walks.

Wednesday, May 8: Indian Trail and Penobscot County Conservation Assn., Brewer
Leaders: Gordon Russell, Jane Rosinski
Meet at Penobscot County Conservation Assn., North Main St.

Friday, May 10: Falk Property, Carmel
Leaders: Laura Levenson, Elizabeth Payne
Take I-95 to exit 174; right for 1 mi. on Rt. 69; right on Hinckley Hill Rd.; meet ¾ mi.
on right

Saturday, May 11 (Spring Fest): Fields Pond Audubon Center, Holden
Leaders: Bruce Barker, Jerry Smith
Meet in Fields Pond Audubon Center parking lot.

Spring Fest
Join our celebration of International Migratory Bird Day and the arrival of spring! This year’s activities will include bird walks, a children’s activity area, live music, a bio-blitz and more. All ages, get out in nature and spend some time with us!
Saturday, May 11, 7 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Cost: Free. Donations welcome.

7 – 8:30 a.m. Bird Walk with Bruce Barker and Jerry Smith
8:30 – 11:30 a.m Bird Banding
9 – 11:00 a.m. Birding By Ear Walk with Steve Coleman
10 – 11:00 a.m. Vermi-composting Demonstration with Ted Taylor
10 a.m. – noon Children’s Activity Area w/ Stillwater Montessori
11 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Live Music
11 a.m. - noon Sounds, Sights & Scents, a sensory walk with Cyndi Kuhn
noon – 1:00 p.m. Live Animal Presentation
noon – 2:00 p.m. Free Play Area for Children
1 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Bio-blitz with Matt Dubel

Monday, May 13: Northeast Penjajawoc Preserve, Bangor
Co-sponsored by Bangor Land Trust
Leaders: Bob Milardo, Elizabeth Payne
Meet at BLT kiosk on Kittredge Rd. just before the power lines.

Wednesday, May 15: Mt. Hope Cemetery, Bangor
Leaders: Jim and Kathy Zeman
Meet in the parking area inside the State St. entrance

Thursday, May 16: Essex Woods, Bangor
Leader: Bob Duchesne
Meet in the parking lot at the end of Watchmaker Rd.

Friday, May 17: Bangor City Forest, Bangor
Leader: Paul Corcoran
Meet at City Forest parking area at end of Kittredge Rd.

Saturday, May 18: Walden Parke Preserve, Bangor
Co-sponsored by Bangor Land Trust
Leader: Bill Glanz
From Essex St., turn into Walden Parke Way, then right on Tamarack Trail to meet at its
end.

Monday, May 20: University of Maine campus, Orono
Leader: Sandi Duchesne
Meet in the rear of the University Credit Union parking lot on Rangeley Rd.

Tuesday, May 21: Leonard's Mills, Bradley
Leader: Bob Duchesne
Meet at the junction of Government Rd and Rt. 178

Wednesday, May 22: Kenduskeag Stream Trail, Bangor
Leaders: Hope Brogunier, Gordon Russell, Jane Rosinski
Meet in the 2nd parking lot upstream of the intersection of Valley Ave. and Bruce Rd.

Thursday, May 23: West Penjajawoc Preserve, Bangor
Co-sponsored by Bangor Land Trust
Leaders: Lucy Quimby, Elizabeth Payne
Meet at the dead end of Fox Hollow Lane, off Essex St.

Friday May 24: Technology Park, Orono
Leaders: Jerry Longcore, Jim Bird
Meet in the parking lot behind the Microdyne Building on Godfrey Dr.

Programs for Children and Families

Saturdays in the Discovery Room
Join FPAC Environmental Educator, Cyndi Kuhn, for a morning of nature explorations. We'll start in the Discovery Room then head outside for an amazing sensory experience! Suitable for the whole family.
Saturdays, March 16, April 13 (part of Children's Day), May 25, 11-noon
Cost: $5/member family; $10/nonmember family

Earth Day: Amazing Amphibians!
Join us on Earth Day to celebrate one of our favorite groups of animals! It’s a busy time of year for frogs and salamanders, so come get a close-up view of live amphibians and discover what makes them so special.
Wednesday, April 17, 1-2 p.m.
Cost: $5/member, $7/nonmember

Mantis Yoga
Ages 3-7 join certified yoga teacher and Audubon naturalist, Holly Twining, for an insect-inspired yoga class filled with movement, games, books, and laughter. We will take a nature walk after class to enjoy the outdoors and locate some live insects. Parents can choose to drop children off for the class to explore the nature center and/or the outdoors for themselves.
Saturday, April 20, 2-3:00 p.m.
Cost: $7/member; $10/nonmember. Advance registration is required.

Nature Time for Children: Spring Session
Nature in spring is a wonderful, mysterious time as life begins to emerge from the cold. Parents with children ages 2 to 4, come to our springtime nature-based program with stories, movement, art projects and an outdoor adventure. Parents participate too. Be prepared to be outside nature detectives for a portion of each program.
Mondays, April 22 – June 3, 10-11:00 a.m.
Cost: $50/member, $60/nonmember per child for 7-week session. Advance registration is required.

SPRING FEST
Join our celebration of International Migratory Bird Day and the arrival of spring! This year’s activities will include bird walks, a children’s activity area, live music, a bio-blitz and more. All ages, get out in nature and spend some time with us!
Saturday, May 11, 7 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Cost: Free. Donations welcome.

APRIL VACATION CAMP

Guardians of the Earth

Join us for a week of outdoor exploration, play, and all around fun while learning about our
role in this wonderful world. Open to children ages 6-12. Choose the days you like or come
for the whole week!

April 15-19, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Cost: $40/day member, $50/day nonmember; $200/week member, $250/week
nonmember. Advance registration is required. Financial assistance is available. Application available on website or by calling 989-2591.

Monday, April 15 –Guardians of the Earth
Do you have what it takes to be an Earth guardian? On this day we embark on an adventure quest to uncover nature’s secrets and discover our own special powers to protect nature.

Tuesday, April 16 – Nature’s Recyclers
We’ll explore the many ways that nature turns waste into something useful and experiment with ways to do that ourselves.

Wednesday, April 17– Watershed Watchers
Use your inquiring mind to determine where water goes by following it, and along the way uncover how it connects us to every living thing.

Thursday, April 18 –Mighty Sun
Join us as we mount an expedition to discover all of the ways that nature relies on sun power and experiment with ways to harness the sun’s energy ourselves.

Friday, April 19 – The Great Species Search
We end the week by celebrating Earth Day as we launch a journey to meet as many different living things as we can in one day and then throw a party in their honor.


SUMMER DAY CAMPS
Explore, play, and learn this summer with Fields Pond day camps! Our camps feature
outdoor explorations, games, stories, and arts activities designed to build children's
knowledge of and connection to nature. Open to children ages 6-12, our camps maintain
small camper groups that allow us to build a community of cooperating and caring.

Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: $200 member/week, $250 nonmember. Advance registration is required. Financial
assistance is available. Application available on website or by calling 989-2591.

Each week focuses on a different theme!

July 8 – July 12 Water World

Water will drive our adventures this week, steering us into motion on a global and local
level. Activate your body and mind as we take it outside to explore the properties of our
watershed and assess its value as an important part of our wonderful world. Experience
your journey as a drop of water, a frog in a pond, and a fish in the river. Enjoy visits from
guest scientists dedicating their time to improving water quality for all living things.

July 15 – July 19 EcoExplorers

Time to don your explorer’s cap and take it outside to discover the thrill of adventure
as we explore the different ecosystems here at Fields Pond. Experience the diversity of
life and habitat in a different ecosystem each day. Come explore our wonderful world and
enjoy the thrill of exercising your body and your mind!

July 29 – August 2 The Big and Small of it All

From our enormous trees to our microscopic pond critters, we’ll spend the week zooming in and zooming out, searching for life both big and small. What awaits you on the other side of the magnifying glass? Who will find the biggest living thing? Join us as we take it outside to savor the wonder of how big and how small our wonderful world is.

August 5 – August 9 Natural Expressions

What could be more valuable than an appreciation of art and nature? An appreciation of art
IN nature! Let all of Fields Pond be your muse as we couple explorations and observations
in nature with expressions of creative freedom. Campers will take it outside to draw,
paint, build, write and act their way through an amazing week looking at our wonderful
world through an artist’s lens.

Fields Pond Programs and Courses
216 Fields Pond Road
Holden, Maine 04429 USA
(207) 989-2591