Alternative Education Day at New Suncook School

FMI: leigh.hayes@gllt.org

Breeding Birds: The Maine Bird Atlas is a citizen science project that depends on volunteers to collect data. Several of our docents are involved in this important conservation project and they’ll help us hone our birding skills, while at the same time explaining the work they’ve been conducting to help update Maine’s Bird Atlas. 

Amazing Wetlands: Join the Lakes Environmental Association and the Greater Lovell Land Trust as we embark on a field trip exploring and comparing different watery places. Wetlands provide a myriad of vital ecosystem functions and unparalleled wildlife habitat but are often considered wasted space or places that need filling in. We will visit a floating bog, forested swamp, vernal pool and other wet places to learn about how they function, how they differ and why they are so special to Maine wildlife and to us. Space is limited. We are going to make a mess mucking about, please come prepared with shoes and clothing that can get wet and dirty, as well as drinking water, snacks and a lunch as we are making a day of it! 

Lakes Environmental Association and the Bridgton Historical Society will bring Bridgton's manufacturing past to life as they step along the Stevens Brook Trail and view the remnants of former mill sites. 

Beavers are really important! Believe it or not, some of our country's current problems can be best understood by learning more about these natural architects. We all know a lot about them by witnessing their activities, so we are going to take a different approach. Instead of a lecture, we want to hear your "beaver stories,” and your questions and concerns. We also have some questions for you to ponder as we jointly investigate the popular mythology and search for what is real. Please join us as we pool our knowledge and enjoy the process….

Join us for a guided hike through woods and beside streams inhabited by beavers. Along the way, we’ll talk about how the beavers have modified the area as we look at dams, lodges, ponds and the final stages when the dam is gone and the natural community changes…

FMI: leigh.hayes@gllt.org

Predators: The Balance of Nature: The Chewonki Traveling Natural History Program will present a program about predators in the context of food webs and natural cycles. We learn some commonly-held myths about predators, and what problems do they face. Discussion of current events will emphasize the importance of predators in maintaining the world’s ecological balance. As a special treat, participants will have the opportunity to study mounted animals and see three live, non-releasable predators.

As part of our wellness series, we’ll explore and reflect on our personal connections to the environment through the elements, seasons, birds and other wildlife. With inspiration from our surroundings, and short pieces in various styles and forms by poets and naturalists, we will draft our writing and share with the group. Adults and teens welcome. This poetry workshop is sponsored by the Greater Lovell Land Trust, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, and Hewnoaks Artist Colony…

PBS and the BBC Wildlife Unit joined forces last fall to film in New England.  Moira Yip helped the BBC team plan their locations, and some of the footage was filmed at her house here in Lovell. The shows were broadcast both in the US and in the UK. She shares her story of how this came about, illustrated with her photos and with some BBC footage

Honoring Lovell's Heritage: With the help of the Lovell Historical Society, the Greater Lovell Land Trust will share the story of the families who farmed along the Heritage Trail at Heald and Bradley Ponds Reserve. A peek into their past will be revealed through stone foundations, walls, an old road, and a mystery structure.  

Come check out the GLLT’s booth at the Lovell Old Home Days and compete in some of our challenges!

Moderated by Bob Katz: We all have a deep connection to our agricultural heritage. But . . . have you ever wondered what a typical day is like in the life of a local farmer? What worries and challenges do farmers face? What sustainable agricultural practices do they employ? How do these factors affect the health and productivity of the land? Joining us for a panel discussion will be representatives from four local farms: The Wards of Fly Away Farm; Roy Andrews, president of the Fryeburg Fair; Steve and Jeanne Eastman of Chester Eastman Homestead; and the Westons of Weston’s Farm and Market.

Join us for a tour of a local farm that follows sustainable agricultural practices. Learn what is involved in growing food, and how important farms’ sustainable methods are to the health of the Earth and our Greater Lovell community. The farmers will be available to describe their site and answer questions.

As part of our wellness series, Pamela Moulton, visual artist and Hewnoaks Resident Manager, will lead an indoor/outdoor sketchbook journaling workshop that will offer a peek into Hewnoaks secret places. We will explore nature and Hewnoak’s hidden corners through observation, intentional curiosity, and focused awareness. We will look at inspiring Artist sketchbooks and experiment with mark making using traditional and scavenged drawing materials, so be prepared to forage and get creative. This workshop is open to all ages and no experience necessary. This walk is limited to 15 participants.

As part of our wellness series, we’ll listen to the inspiring poems written by participants of the Hewnoaks Poetry Workshop. Even if you couldn’t attend the workshop, you are welcome to join us and listen, or share a poem of your own. Light refreshments will be served.

Recent censuses show the smallest Monarch butterfly populations in Mexico and the west coast hibernacula in recorded history. Why is this happening? Is there anything we can do?  Are drastic declines in the Monarch populations a sign of something more insidious? Come listen to Don Bennett and discover why this is such an important message for all of us. 

Monarch butterflies need milkweed plants to survive - their caterpillars only eat milkweed and Monarch moms lay their eggs on the milkweed plant. We’ll take a walk along a dirt road that abuts a farm field and river, where milkweed grows in abundance and search for Monarchs and other butterflies.

As part of our wellness series, certified yoga teacher Deborah Nelson, Ph.D., will lead us through a gentle to moderate yoga experience under the trees. Ever wonder what it would be like to take your yoga practice outside? Or what it would be like to do a tree pose under a tree? Here's your chance. As this is a gentle class, no yoga experience is necessary and modifications to poses will be offered. All ages are welcomed and all that is required is a willingness to have your body, mind and spirit be in union with nature (the word yoga means union, after all). We will walk, perform some poses, practice reflection, and listen to a poem or two to connect our yoga practice to the outdoors.

The GLLT’s Interns and Lovell Recreation’s Summer Campers are our future. We’ll listen to the story of their summer adventures and appreciation of the natural world. The evening will conclude with an ice cream social to celebrate the accomplishments of these dynamic young people…

The American Chestnut was once an important tree in the northern forest, though it has largely disappeared following the introduction of a fungus blight in the early 1900s. A few chestnut holdouts, however, remain in part due to natural variation and human efforts to bring them back. And the tallest one in North America happens to be located in Lovell. District Forester Shane Duigan of the Maine Forest Service will share the story of how it was discovered. We'll then hike to view some other chestnut trees at the Heald and Bradley Ponds Reserve.

The Sound of the Wild Snail Eating, Author Elisabeth Tova Bailey will read from and discuss her natural history/memoir with us via Skype. “An exquisite meditation on the restorative connection between nature and humans . . . As richly layered as the soil she lays down in the snail’s terrarium: loamy, potent, and regenerative.” —The Huffington Post This event is co-sponsored by the Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library and the GLLT.

Did you know that the Northern Goshawk is such a fierce hunter who stalks prey on foot and in the air? And yet, its scientific name, Accipiter gentilis, means the gentle hawk. Interestingly, the name derives from Accipiter (accipere: to grasp) meaning hawk, and gentilis meaning noble or gentle. Together, they refer to the Middle Ages when only nobility were permitted to own goshawks for falconry. Join us to see and hear about the many wonders of the remarkable and canny bird.

Join the GLLT as we celebrate our accomplishments, and discuss our plans for the future.

Birds of Namibia by Bonny Boatman: Due to the diversity of habitat in the Namibia region of southern Africa, 644 species of birds reside there. We will get to know several of these species and the fascinating behaviors that help them to survive the challenges of their particular habitat. You will leave this presentation amazed and feeling that...just for an hour..."We are not in Lovell anymore, Dorothy." Join us to learn about a bird that stomps to death its prey and another one that imprisons his mate.

Location: Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Route 5, Lovell

Due to the diversity of habitat in the Namibia region of southern Africa, 644 species of birds reside there. We get to know the fascinating behaviors that allow at least seven of them to adapt to their particular natural community. You will leave this presentation amazed and feeling that...just for an hour..."We are not in Lovell anymore, Dorothy." Join us to learn about a bird that stomps to death its prey and another one that imprisons his mate.

As part of our wellness series, Sun Style Tai Chi instructor Pam Katz, R.N., will introduce the opening move with its eight parts that are low impact and put little stress on muscles and joints as we circle around Perky's Path at the Heald and Bradley Ponds Reserve. Be sure to wear loose-fitting clothing for easy movement. Pam has been teaching Tai Chi in Florida for the past twenty years and Lovell for the last two.

For this evening program, Naturalist Sarah Blodgett will help us explore the lives of these small, furry, flying mammals as we watch a nursery colony of mother bats emerge to feed at twilight. Insect repellant and flashlights or headlamps with a red filter suggested;  binoculars may be useful before full dark. 

We’ll meet the most common families of mushrooms (fungi) in our area and find out more about their natural history and ecological functions as we walk along the trail. This walk is limited to 20 participants.

*Due to the popularity of this walk, we are offering an afternoon session beginning at 1:00 pm.

As part of our wellness series, the Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library will offer an indoor/outdoor haiku workshop with poet Kristen Lindquist. Ms. Lindquist will talk about the history of the form, which evolved as a nature poem, and how it's written today in the US. Participants will then venture outdoors for a ginko, which is a haiku walk during which we will write and share haiku. 

Impressions of Painters: Located on the Conway/Chatham border, Upper Saco Valley Land Trust's Leita Monroe Lucas Preserve was once the homesite of American Impressionist painters Thomas Wilmer Dewing & Maria Oakey Dewing. Learn more about this couple, their works, and the land they inhabited. 

Evidence and Records of Land Use Over Two Centuries: Roberts Farm From Settlement to Present Day:  Join Western Foothills Land Trust for coffee in the warming hut at Roberts Farm as we pour over census records, maps, and photos of historic farm. We’ll finish with a pleasant walk on the trails tracing the remnants of orchards and defining stone walls.

As part of our wellness series, Jeanne Christie, a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, will lead a Forest Therapy walk. Forest Therapy Guiding is a practice that is gaining recognition within the U.S. and abroad.  There is an increasing body of research identifying a variety of benefits from spending time in nature, especially when all senses are fully engaged. These range from blood pressure and stress levels to increased cognition and creativity. This walk is limited to 16 participants.

In celebration of Great Maine Outdoor Week(end) we’ll circle Shell Pond. Periodically we’ll pause to test the temperature and pH level of the brook, springs, pond, and outlet stream as we discuss the differences we observe and how they may affect aquatic life. We'll also take in the mountain views and enjoy lunch along the way. BYOL. 

As part of our wellness series, we invite you to join us for a stop-and-go walk where we'll pause frequently to sketch, photograph, ponder and/or write about our observations. The beauty that surrounds us will be our inspiration. Bring a sketch pad, journal, camera, etc. 

A Walk back In Time: The Peabody-Fitch farm in historic South Bridgton once had the distinction of being the highest cultivated land in Cumberland County. A diverse forest now fills the old pastures and meadows but many fascinating clues of these hearty pioneers remain. Now efforts are under way by LELT to conserve the 252 acre “Peabody-Fitch Woods” which surrounds the Bridgton Historical Society’s Narramissic Farm, the wonderful museum set on the eve of the Civil War. Join us for this unique tour of one of Bridgton’s most important cultural resources.

A sea of autumn awesomeness will await us at the summit of The Mountain at Five Kezar Ponds Reserve. We’ll climb up The Mountain trail and enjoy the views from Tom’s Path as well as the summit. Our journey will then take us down the connector trail to Ron’s Loop. Be sure to pack a lunch, plenty of water and camera for this hike. 

Sunday Beside Sucker Brook: Let's get a head start on Thanksgiving, and journey the trail at John A. Segur East where we'll take in the afternoon views of Sucker Brook, its plants in their winter forms, beaver lodges, and mountain views. 

Christmas By the Homesteads: As part of the Maine Christmas Tree Scavenger Hunt, we'll travel the Homestead Trail and try to spot the tree a local 4-H group in conjunction with the GLLT Homeschool Nature Explorers have decorated. We'll bring along some pinecones, peanut butter, birdseed and other natural goodies to enhance the decorations. Hot chocolate and cookies will be served. 

Fourth Annual First Day Hike: Join the GLLT to ring in 2020. We'll warm up with a climb to the summit of Whiting Hill and toast Lovell with hot chocolate and a sweet treat while enjoying the views from Kezar Lake to the White Mountains. Snowshoes or micro-spikes a must.