ISSUE #16

The Outdoor Insider

MAINE OUTDOOR SCHOOL'S QUARTERLY E-NEWSLETTER

ISSUE #16
OCTOBER 2020

 

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.

New video from the OWL series

An interview with WABI-TV5 about Milbridge's outdoor classroom

Youth participants of a summer restorative practices program

Lubec teacher training

Co-Founders' Note:

In our July edition of The Outdoor Insider, we were in the midst of an eerily quiet time here at MOS and were feeling worried about what the rest of the summer and early fall would bring. But sending out that e-newsletter almost felt like waving a magic wand! Afterwards, many donations rolled in from so many of you and we suddenly had our greatest uptick in program interest in our four-year history of programming! Thank you! Check out the Tracks section below to learn about our work from July-September.

The most noteworthy aspect of the last few months has been an amazing number of calls from the press--locally and nationally. As schools were considering how to safely reopen this fall, people all over the world were considering with fresh eyes the benefits of outdoor school. But many started to wonder how it would be possible in colder climates, like Maine. So we started getting calls from many major news agencies to learn how it’s possible. We were featured in US News & World Report, the Bangor Daily News, and WABI-TV 5, to name a few. Check out the MOS in the News page to read and watch this great coverage.

The school year is off to a busy (if not a little crazy for everyone) start, but we are so pleased to be able to continue offering outdoor programming--which is proving to be more necessary now than ever. The impact and challenges from Covid-19 are nowhere near over, but the more we support each other, the easier it will be.
 

~Hazel and Joe

Tracks:

  • We created a video about observation games with Frenchman Bay Conservancy

  • We led teacher trainings for Lubec Consolidated School and started regular programming there and at Milbridge Elementary School

  • We presented “Phenology Projects to Meet Standards and Support Well-being” webinar for the 1 Plan: 3 Falls conference and a webinar about outdoor education with Frenchman Bay Conservancy

  • Youth explored their relationships with nature and the community through our restorative practices program with Healthy Acadia and they wrote an article about it.

  • The outdoor classroom we built at Milbridge Elementary School with the support of TREE and Unity College was featured on WABI-TV5 News and we were featured in a US News & World Report article

  • Led 3 “Snowshoe Trails” hikes and started our “Summits & Stories” series with the Milbridge Public Library

Check out the “MOS in the News” page to see where we’ve shown up in the press!

 

A mother and daughter making nature observations during a recent Snowshoe Trails hike

Community Commendations:

This quarter’s Community Commendation goes out to the Milbridge Public Library! They have had to keep their doors closed to the public since March due to Covid-19, but have been doing an amazing job of adapting to be able to continue offering library services to the community. Beyond a convenient curbside pickup service, they have gotten creative with offering some outdoor programming with us that helps people get to know library resources while learning and being active outdoors.

Last spring, the library worked with us to make a plan for acquiring snowshoes to lend to the public. They got funding to support the collaboration and purchased the snowshoes this summer. In late summer, we led three hikes on local trails that will be ideal for snowshoeing on later. It was a great outreach opportunity to let people know of this new resource for snowshoes in Milbridge and got people outside and learning with neighbors about the world around them.

Now, we are wrapping up another program series with the library: Summits & Stories. Hike Tunk Mountain and hear two stories along the way this weekend!

 

Biomimicry:

That first crisp, cool breeze that hits us in late August has us scrambling for that favorite soft, warm layer we haven’t needed since early June. Likewise, deer also change from that light and breezy red jacket of a summer evening to a thick and insulating grayish coat for winter.

A deer’s summer coat is much more rusty in color and the hairs themselves are much thinner and shorter. They are losing that cool summer coat now in favor of a much thicker, two-layered winter coat. This grayer winter coat helps them blend into the winter world. The underfur in a deer coat is highly insulative while the outer layer of stiff and hollow guard hairs reduce the impact of wind and precipitation, just like that waterproof and windproof layer on a ski jacket.

So much of winter comfort—and survival for most species—comes down to having the right layers. And as deer show us, now is the time to make sure you have the right layers ready for when the days turn inevitably colder.

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:
A child's stress levels will fall within minutes of seeing green spaces.
(Learn more here.)

 

What's Upstream: 

Our regular programming at Milbridge Elementary School is underway again this year with grades 1 and 5 thanks to our partnership with TREE-Transforming Rural Experience in Education. We have also started regular outdoor programming at Mountain View School thanks to our partnership with Frenchman Bay Conservancy this month. Other school programs are also in the works now that new school routines this fall are a bit clearer for everyone.

Join us to hike Tunk Mountain, bicycle a section of the Downeast Sunrise Trail, and enjoy the Downeast Roots Festival--more information on our Events page.

We’re available to support with creating permanent outdoor classroom spaces at schools or at local parks and preserves, provide outdoor programming in schoolyards, other outdoor settings, or virtually, provide teacher trainings outdoors or virtually, and more. All MOS programs are fully customizable and suit learners of any age. Visit our website or contact us to learn more.