ISSUE #38

Written By Rain Perez


The Outdoor Insider

MAINE OUTDOOR SCHOOL'S QUARTERLY E-NEWSLETTER

Hancock Grammar School 1st Grade, Programming made possible by Crabtree Neck Land Trust

ISSUE #38
April 2026


"In the quiet parts of the woods, the outdoor school is more than just a place to learn. It is a doorway to a new world. Watching the students see how everything in nature is connected is like watching them truly wake up. ​You can see it in their eyes when they realize that every step they take and every choice they make affects the forest around them. They start to move with a new kind of respect for the earth. ​This isn't just a school project; it changes who they are. They leave the woods not just as students, but as protectors of nature, carrying a love for the wild in their hearts wherever they go."


-Peninsula School Teacher, March 2026

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Tracks:

How did MOS leave its mark this quarter?

Mountain View School 5th Grade Students

Lamoine 6th Grade Students

Miles Lane 4th Grade Students

OWL Outing Club hike at Grand Lake Stream, Photo Credit: Sharon Brunner

  • Continued our custom, standards-aligned public school program series at 16 schools and led 13 field trips to local preserves already in 2026!

  • Guided OWL (Outdoor Women Lead) Outings: learning about winter birds at Birch Point in Steuben, winter adaptations at Grand Lake Stream, and comparing field vs. forest at the Ball Field Preserve in Hancock.

  • Selected Katahdin hikers for Summit for a Cause 2026 with Women for Healthy Rural Living.

  • Held the first homeschooling program of the year with IDEA (Independent Downeast Education Alliance, now a non-profit!) in partnership with Maine Coast Heritage Trust, focusing on bird adaptations and life cycles.

  • Tabled at the Maine Forest and Logging Museum’s Winter in the Woods event and Ellsworth Elementary Middle School’s Family STEM Night. 

  • Opened registration for four free summer day camps thanks to our amazing community partners!

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

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Community Commendations:

This quarter’s Community Commendation goes to the Birdsacre Sanctuary.

Birdsacre offers 6 miles of trails, a Nature Discovery Center, a store, and a historic homestead, all located on their 200-acre sanctuary right off of Ellsworth’s bustling High Street. Their mission of fostering an appreciation of nature through experiential learning is inspired by Cordelia J. Stanwood, naturalist, ornithologist, photographer, and writer.

Birdsacre has welcomed MOS students on field trips and this summer will be hosting us for an afternoon Bird Camp, generously funded by Downeast Audubon. Find out more about that camp here.

Biomimicry:

In the verdant forest after the vernal equinox, you may stumble upon a pool of water with no inlet or outlet. These vernal pools exist only in the spring due to the influx of liquid water the forest receives from snowmelt and spring rains. They form in depressions in the forest floor and are large enough to last for a few months, but small enough that they tend to dry out by mid-summer. As a result, vernal pools have no fish in them. This lack of a key predator population makes them a perfect place for amphibians to breed.

Hearing that unique quacking sound of the wood frog is a good clue that there is a vernal pool nearby and spring has surely arrived. When I hear wood frogs, I know that the melodious chorus of spring peepers is soon to follow. These brown to tan wood frogs have a characteristic dark stripe extending from the nose to behind the eye, almost appearing as an eye mask, so they are easy to identify by sight as well as sound. If you do hear a wood frog chorus, approach the area quietly, because as soon as they notice you, the whole group will get quiet as if you’ve shut off a switch.

As days get longer, the sun gets warmer, and the ground thaws, wood frogs and spotted and blue salamanders emerge from their winter hibernacula and head to a vernal pool to breed—this mass amphibian migration occurs primarily on what are called “Big Nights,” which are warm, rainy spring nights. Once they’ve reached their vernal pool, they lay masses of eggs without risk of fish eating them, though other predators are likely to try—like great blue herons, raccoons, and even dragonfly larvae. 

So the next time you’re outside, you could head into a forest near you to listen for the quacking chorus of wood frogs that indicates a vernal pool is nearby. And if there’s a warm, rainy night in the forecast, you could connect with a local conservation organization to see if there are any Big Night events happening where volunteers are needed to help amphibians cross our busy roadways unharmed.


This edition of Biomimicry is an adaptation of an episode of The Nature of Phenology, a radio show that MOS Co-Founders produced weekly for WERU-FM from 2018-2024. You can read or listen to entire past episodes here.

 

Resilience Tip:
Listening to birdsongs has therapeutic benefits! Paying attention to birds can alleviate stress and anxiety even more than simply being outdoors, so be sure to hone your observation skills and pay attention. Learn more here. 

 

What's Upstream:

  • Register your campers today for OWLette Adventure Camp with Women for Healthy Rural Living in Milbridge, Bird Camp with Downeast Audubon and Birdsacre in Ellsworth, Woods & Wetlands with Bangor Land Trust, and Watershed Camp with Maine Coast Heritage Trust in Whiting!

  •  Hazel was invited to share Earth Day reflections at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor’s service on Sunday, April 19th.

  • Join an upcoming O.W.L. (Outdoor Women Lead) Outing, including: an accessible Birding 101 program at Milbridge Commons (4/11), a Crepuscular Crawl at the Frances B. Wood Preserve in Gouldsboro (5/12), or Canoeing at Long Pond near Cherryfield (6/13). 

  • Bring the family to our Family Outdoor Exploration Day with WHRL and EdGE on April 18th in Cherryfield. 

  • Experience a guided hike firsthand before you recommend it to your summer guests at our annual Hospitality Hike for people working in the Hancock County Hospitality industry. 

  • Learn map and compass skills at our two-day workshop with Women for Healthy Rural Living. 

  • Expect more homeschool programs with IDEA in partnership with Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and fill out our survey for homeschooling families in the Ellsworth area. 

  • Pre-K-4th-grade students at the Brooklin School will have their first MOS experience in June!

  • Plan your vacations with us! MOS will be providing experiences for local glampground guests, including Terramor's, this spring, as well as other places this summer. You can also always schedule a private guided experience with us directly. 

  • Hazel will be leading some professional development opportunities for staff at the Land and Garden Preserve and the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge this spring–stay tuned for summer learning opportunities at the Land and Garden Preserve!

  • Say hello at one of our tabling events! MOS will be at Hirundo Wildlife Refuge's Meet a Scientist Event on April 25th. 

  • Teachers at our Frenchman Bay Conservancy-sponsored schools will be celebrated at an upcoming teacher party, including an outdoor education workshop led by Hazel. Invitations coming soon!

ALL MOS PROGRAMS ARE FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE AND SUIT EXPLORERS OF ANY AGE. 

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR IDEAS OR CONTACT US TO SCHEDULE YOUR UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.

Rain Perez
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ISSUE #37