Blue Hill Heritage Trust events are free and open to the public thanks to the generous support from community members. Thank You!
For more information on becoming a supporter: CLICK HERE!
Registration is not required for events unless specifically stated. For more information please contact our office. (207)374-5118 info@bluehillheritagetrust.org
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2020 Event Details
BHHT is doing online events during the summer of 2020 to keep up with social distancing requirements. See what we have been offering and what is coming up next below!
July:
7/2 Thursday 4-5pm Friends from the Field Webinar: Stone Walls of Maine: Stone walls are windows through which we can learn about human history and natural history. Maine Master Naturalist Cheryl Laz will help us understand why there are so many stones and stone walls in Maine, as well as what the walls and surrounding terrain can tell us about the human settlement and land use. We will also examine the role of stone walls in the natural landscape as habitat for animals and plants.
7/9 Thursday 4-5pm – Friends from the Field Webinar: Old Maps, GPS and GIS Ways to Visualize, Navigate and Document – Join Deer Isle resident, Dr. Norbert (Bert) E. Yankielun, P.E. former researcher for the U.S Army Cold Regions Laboratory who specialized in sub-surface instrumentation research for a webinar presentation. This is a non-technical, and hopefully enlightening and entertaining presentation that examines the us of readily available, open-source, digital historical maps and imagery of Deer Isle to better visualize the terrain, environment, and cultural transformations that have historically occurred in our community from 1776 to present. After this presentation, you’ll never look at your local surroundings in the same
way!
7/16 Thursday 4-5pm – Friends from the Field Webinar: Integrating Science into Art – Join Barbara Putnam for a Friends from the Field Webinar and learn why this artist/teacher chose to integrate science into her art and how she challenges her students to do the same. Barbara will share her presentation from an International Conference in Spain, including the work of students at St. Mark’s School. She will touch base on what problems Marine mammals face in the Mediterranean and problems faced by the scientists who study them.
7/23 Thursday 4-5pm – Friends from the Field Webinar:: Secrets of Snake Sex – Snakes are enigmatic vertebrates whose secret lives have fascinated biologists for centuries. The common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, is a Rosetta stone of sorts that has allowed researchers to decipher the ins and outs of all-things-snake-sex. In this talk, Dr. M. Rockwell Parker, will focus on the world-famous breeding aggregations of garter snakes that we study in Manitoba, Canada. He will also describe how their research at James Madison University is illuminating the rules by which sexual odors (pheromones) are turned up, down, on, and off in these fascinating and terribly underappreciated snakes.
(recording not available)
7/30 Thursday 4-5pm – Friends from the Field Webinar: Why Use Native Plants in the Garden? – Native Gardens of Blue Hill cofounders, Cathy Rees and Avy Claire, will discuss their motivations for creating a garden of plants native to Maine. The talk will outline the challenges and potential of the site and how to find the right plant for the right place. It will provide strategies that listeners can use to incorporate natives into their home gardens.
August:
August 5th: Breaking Down the Monolith: Tips for Building an Inclusive Diverse Bookshelf – The library and Blue Hill Heritage Trust will co-sponsor an online presentation by educator and consultant Corrie Locke-Hardy, co-founder of “The Tiny Activist,” about diversity in children’s literature, on Wednesday, August 5 at 2:00 pm, via Zoom. Corrie Locke-Hardy to read some picture books at the start of the event, and then talk about the importance of having a diverse bookshelf. Adults and kids of all ages are welcome to listen to the stories, after which Corrie will discuss publishing industry statistics and how we can choose quality texts. Afterward, there will be time for Q&A with participants and Corrie provide some resources for further investigation.
Corrie Locke-Hardy (she/they; Massachusett/Nipmuc land) is a former classroom teacher and an alum of Umass Boston and Simmons University, where she got a Master’s in Gender and Cultural Studies. Corrie is the content creator for a website she and her spouse Lee started in 2018 called The Tiny Activist, which reviews children’s books and has an emphasis on social justice education and BIPOC narratives. They also host a podcast called Picture Bookstagang which takes a deep dive into the world of literacy, books, and publishing.
August 6th: A Naturalist Makes the Best of Covid Times Via Facebook –
August 27th: Nightlife: How Animals Adapt their Senses for Success in the Dark –
More Coming Soon for August!
April:
4/30 Thursday 4-5pm – Friends from the Field Webinar: The Firefly and Mantis World Tour – Carol isa graduate of the 2019/20 class of the Maine Master Naturalist Program in Ellsworth. She committed to a sits-spot for a full year observing all that went on in this circumscribed area through all four seasons. She chose to sit on a rock—a fabulous large glacial erratic in the middle of a beaver flowage. Join us to hear her story of this experience and to see her amazing nature journal. Click here to register for this webinar. If you have questions please email landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org
May:
5/7 Thursday 4-5pm – Friends from the Field Webinar: Seeing Smelt: Monitoring Sea-run Fish in Downeast Maine – Sarah Madronal works for Downeast Salmon Federation and has been working with others in her field over the past year to create a state-wide citizen science Smelt Spawning Survey on GMRI’s Ecosystem Investigation Network. Join us for a webinar presentation to learn more about this project and how you can help! Click here to register for this webinar. If you have questions please email landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org
5/14 Thursday 4-5pm – Friends from the Field Webinar: Brooks to Bays and Back: Anadromous Fish around the Peninsula – Chris Devore from Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery and colleagues will share educational information about anadromous fish including brookies, eels/elvers, alewife, and atlantic salmon. The presentation will be geared to fish on the Blue Hill Peninsula and will provide video clips from some of BHHT’s trails and streams. Click here to register for this webinar. If you have questions please email landere@bluehillheritagetrust.org
5/21 Thursday 4-5pm – Friends from the Field Webinar: Family Outdoor Learning with Hazel Stark, Maine Outdoor School – Hazel Stark from Maine Outdoor School will share outdoor learning ideas for families with kids in 5th grade and up. Topics will include: seasonally-relevant things to look for in nature, journaling prompts t incorporate language arts and recording of scientific data, and ideas for extending backyard nature observations into other subjects, including math and art.
5/28 Thursday 4-5pm Friends from the Field Webinar: Sustainable Foraging with Brighid Doherty, founder of The Solidago School of Herbalism – The intrigue around harvesting wild medicinal plants is ever growing. It is important to know how to harvest wild plants in ways that support their populations. We are currently putting many medicinal and edible wild plants at risk of endangerment from over harvesting and poor wildcrafting techniques. Learn how to tend wild populations of medicinal plants, so future generations may also benefit from their gifts. Learn what plants are safe to harvest from the wild and what plants are endangered. This is information anyone who works with wild plants needs to know.
June:
6/4 Thursday 4-5pm Friends from the Field Webinar: Maine’s Native Turtles with Paul Powers, Maine Master Naturalist and Wildlife Photographer- Bringing Maine’s native freshwater turtles out their shells and into the spotlight! In this presentation Maine Master Naturalist, Paul Powers explores Maine’s often forgotten but absolutely marvelous native turtles. He will look at their life cycles, seasonal activities, discover some fun facts, go into their state status and walk through ways we can live in harmony with Maine’s freshwater turtles.
6/11 Thursday 4-5pm Friends from the Field Webinar: Seaweed: Biology, Natural History, Edibility, and Art! with Hannah Webber, Marine Ecology Program Director for Schoodic Institute and BHHT board member. She will take us on a virtual tour of seaweed at both BHHT and Island Heritage Trust properties and teach us about identification, natural history, biology, edibility and even how to make art with this amazing local life form!
6/18 Thursday 4-5pm Friends from the Field Webinar: Fire Management Techniques for Ecological Balance: Pine barrens and grasslands are unusual habitats in Maine and critical spaces for a number of rare species. One of the strategies land stewards employ to maintain ecological balance for these habitat types is prescribed fire. Join Nancy Sferra, Director of Land Management for The Nature Conservancy in Maine, to learn about the role that fire plays in maintaining these natural communities, the benefits to plants and animals, and how monitoring is used to inform the success of management on these rare sites.
6/25 Thursday 4-5pm Friends from the Field Webinar: Ladyslippers: Pollination Ecology and Conservation: Join botanist and former professor, Peter Curtis, for an exploration of the fascinating lives of these iconic native wildflowers, from dust seeds and fungal symbionts to their habit of deceiving bumblebees. We will include a tutorial on hand pollination as a way to increase Lady’s-Slipper fruit set and seed production.
ALL EVENTS CANCELLED THROUGH APRIL 15th. STAY TUNED FOR MORE.
Please continue to use our trails and get outside for exercise, fresh air, and nature connection!
January
1/20 Monday (MLK day) 10-12pm – Winter Hike #1 Family Friendly at Bluff Head, Sedgwick: Join BHHT volunteers Merrie Eley & Barbara Kourajian for their 5th Annual Winter Hikes Series! These fun group hikes are a great way to explore the woods in the winter and learn about animal tracking! Please dress accordingly, and bring snow shoes, ice creepers, or sturdy boots and poles depending on the conditions. Hot beverages and snacks will be provided, so please let us know if you can attend so we have enough for everyone and so we can notify you of any changes in case some challenging weather sneaks up on us (registration not required, it just helps). These hikes will take place on BHHT properties and everyone is welcome. Hope to see you out in the woods this winter!
February
2/13 Thursday 10-12pm –Winter Hike #2 Focus on Animal Tracks at Snow Natural Area, Brooksville: Join BHHT volunteers Merrie Eley & Barbara Kourajian for their 5th Annual Winter Hikes Series! These fun group hikes are a great way to explore the woods in the winter and learn about animal tracking! Please dress accordingly, and bring snow shoes, ice creepers, or sturdy boots and poles depending on the conditions. Hot beverages and snacks will be provided, so please let us know if you can attend so we have enough for everyone and so we can notify you of any changes in case some challenging weather sneaks up on us (registration not required, it just helps). These hikes will take place on BHHT properties and everyone is welcome. Hope to see you out in the woods this winter!
March
3/5/ Thursday 12-1pm – Talk: Where to Hike, Ski, and Snowshoe Outdoors this Winter!:Blue Hill Heritage Trust volunteers, Merrie Eley and Barbara Kourajian, will share ideas for winter hikes, snowshoeing, xc skiing and skating on BHHT properties and other locations in the area. They will also hand out info on a winter outing packing list and trail first aid kits. There will be BHHT Trail Guide Books available for sale. This event is taking place at the Blue Hill Co-op Thursday, March 5, noon – 1:00pm.
3/9 Monday 10-12pm – Hike: Blue Hill Mountain Becton to Hayes Trails!:Join BHHT volunteers Merrie Eley and Barbara Kourajian for a fun farewell to winter with a group hike up the Becton Trail to the Hayes Trail on Blue Hill Mtn. This moderate hike, with some strenuous sections, will require stabilizers or microspikes (and hiking poles may be helpful). The hike is 2 miles up and 1 mile down with a maple themed snack at the summit. It is the Maple Sugar Moon, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, so get ready for some maple snacks along the way. Hot beverages provided as well. Please let us know if you can attend so we have enough for everyone, and so we can notify you of any changes in case some challenging weather sneaks up on us. Call BHHT 374-5118 to pre-register. Meeting place: Hayes Field parking lot at base of mountain on Mountain Rd (where the hike ends) From there we will carpool to the Becton Trailhead on Turkey Farm Rd (where the hike begins)
3/28 Saturday 10-12pm – Exploring Wabanaki/Maine History Workshop at Emlen Hall, The Bay School: This program is an interactive story-telling experience. We will learn about events in the 450-year colonizing history of Wabanaki people (the Indigenous people of Maine) and Europeans and their descendants. It is a participatory program appropriate for adults and high school students. Our goal is to increase our understanding of colonization right here in Maine. Maine-Wabanaki REACH presents the program. REACH is a cross-cultural organization of people working in Wabanaki and Maine communities to support truth, healing, and Wabanaki self-determination. This event is sponsored by Blue Hill Heritage Trust, Blue Hill Library, and Blue Hill Books. For more information contact Hannah Cyrus at BHPL 374-5515.
April
Saturday April; 4th 7-8pm: My Life Long Relationship with Sweetgrass -Join Blue Hill Heritage Trust for the first talk in our annual Spring Speaker Series! Our 2020 theme is “connection to place.” We are excited to host, Carol Dana, from the Penobscot Nation in Old Town to tell stories about her lifelong relationship with sweetgrass. She works at the Cultural and Historic Preservation Department for the Penobscot Nation and is their Penobscot Language Master. This event will take place at The Gatherings in Surry Saturday, April 4th, 7-8pm. Light refreshments included.
Wednesday April 22nd, 7-8pm: In Guardians’ Foot Steps: A 100-Year History of the Blue Hill Fire Company – Join Blue Hill Heritage Trust for our second talk this spring, with Denny Robertson, former Fire Chief and local historian for a fun and informative lecture and storytelling on the history and adventures of the Blue Hill Fire Company from the neighbors bucket brigades in 1885 to the Blue HIll Maine Street Fire of 1968. This event will take place at The Blue Hill Public Library, Howard Room, Wednesday, April 22nd, 7-8pm. Light refreshments included.
Thursday April 23rd, 6-8pm: Pints for a Purpose Fogtown Brewing Company – (more coming soon!)
Thursday April 30th, 7-8pm: Appalachian Trail Magic: Beauty, Wonder, Kindness, and Friendship on America’s Most Beloved Footpath – Blue Hill Heritage Trust is excited to host our third Spring Lecture Speaker, Carey Kish, at the Brooklin Inn, April 30th 7-8pm. The Appalachian Trail has captured the imagination of hikers for more than 80 years, and for those intrepid souls who make the grueling 2,189-mile trek from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Maine’s majestic Katahdin, it is unquestionably the adventure of a lifetime. Two-time Appalachian Trail thru-hiker and veteran of 6,000 miles of long-distance hiking in the last five years will describe the beautiful mountain landscapes of the ancient Appalachians, the camaraderie of fellow hikers, friendly trail towns and precious trail angels, scary wildlife encounters, and the highs and lows of putting one foot in front of the other for six long months. Light refreshments included.
Monthly Programs in 2020
Wild Sun Catchers: Plants of the Peninsula Monthly Workshops for Kids
A FREE after school nature workshop celebrating the wild plants of the Blue Hill Peninsula for ages 5-12. Join Blue Hill Heritage Trust at the Blue Hill Public Library on the first Tuesday of every month 3:30-4:30pm to get better acquainted with the beautiful plant life around us all year long – hollow stemmed sumac, edible pine, waxy bay berries. Come use your five senses to explore their magic! There will be crafting, eating, learning, and other hands-on activities. There will also be tea to enjoy made from one of our plant friends, along with a chance to learn how to make tea from scratch. Workshops will take place both indoors and outdoors so please come prepared for the weather.
January: 1/7/2020 Plant of the Month: SUMAC
February: 2/4/2020 Plant of the Month: YELLOW BIRCH and ALDER
March: 3/10/2020 Plant of the Month: WINTERGREEN
(More coming soon!)
Wild Sun Catchers: Story Hour at Blue Hill Public Library. Join us for a nature-themed story and nature craft!
January 1/14/2020 – Story: Thanks to the Animals by Allen Sockabasin Craft: native seed bird feeders
February: 2/11/2020 – Story: Not a Stick by Antionette Portis Craft: stick and yarn magic wands
March: 3/24/2020 – Story: Almost Time by Gary Schmidt Craft: maple wood cookie necklaces and tree identification
April: coming soon!
May: coming soon!
********************
Past 2019 Events:
June
6/15 Saturday 1-3PM – Quills End Farm Tour: in collaboration with the Blue Hill Co-op, we are pleased to present our first farm tour at Quill’s End Farm in Penobscot. Join the Retberg family for a tour of their wonderful farm. The farm tour is free, family-friendly, and open to the public. Along with the tour, there will be hands-on guided activity opportunities such as homemade butter and ice cream! Bring your kids for a special tour of the baby animals on the farm including chicks, kids, and calves.
6/28 Friday 7PM-9PM- The Cougar Returns to the East with Sue Morse: The fourth annual collaborative speaker event, jointly hosted by ten local organizations, will feature Sue Morse at the Bay School’s Emlen Hall on June 28 at 7 pm. Sue Morse, the founder and science director of Keeping Track, is highly regarded as an expert in natural history and one of North America’s top wildlife trackers. This presentation is open to the public with a suggested donation at the door of $10 per person or $5 for students and seniors. Directly following the talk audience members will have an opportunity to chat with Sue face-to-face.
POSTPONED Due to rain. Please let us know if you were interested in this event so we can keep you informed about the new date. 6/29 Saturday 10AM-11:30AM Open Air Arts Initiative: Mapping Our Landscape: Join Blue Hill Heritage Trust, Cynthia Winings Gallery, and the Seed Barn for a Young Artists Workshop at Talalay Nature Sanctuary. We will hike and explore, looking for paths that wildlife uses to think about mapping from a different perspective as well as landmarks important to humans. We will sit in the sun or in shade under a tree and spread out art supplies to make maps of where we went and what we observed.
July
7/13 Saturday 10AM-11AM – Open Air Arts Initiative: Youth Poetry Workshop: Local educators and poetry experts Kat Hudson & Tarsha Astbury will join Blue Hill Heritage Trust and the Open Air Arts Initiative again to lead a hike and workshop along the streamside trail at Patten Stream Nature Preserve in Surry. Participants will compose their own poems and create watercolor paintings en plein air to be displayed along the trail.
7/16 Tuesday 2PM-4PM – Horsepower Farm Tour: in collaboration with the Blue Hill Co-op, we are pleased to present our second farm tour of the season at Horsepower Farm in Penobscot. Join the Birdsall family for a tour of their wonderful farm. The farm tour is free, family-friendly, and open to the public.
7/20 Saturday Maine’s Flying Mammal: Bats! 1-3PM Come see one of Maine’s flying mammals – the big brown bat! Anne Rivers from Acadia Wildlife will join Blue Hill Heritage Trust to introduce one of her nocturnal friends, share natural history facts, as well as her experiences rehabilitating bats since 1994. The Holbrook Sanctuary will help participants build bat boxes to take home with them and give tips on how to establish them in their back yards. Join us at the BHHT office: 157 Hinckley Ridge Road, Blue Hill, 1PM-3PM. Space is limited so please call to register or for more information: 374-5118
7/23 Tuesday Annual Meeting: 5:30PM meeting free and open to all. Lobster feed 7PM.** (there will be a kid’s menu too!) This year the party will be at the Castine Yacht Club (on Water Street). **Call BHHT office to order tickets for dinner 374-5118.
August
8/4 Sunday 7:30AM – 9AM Astronomical Low Tide Event: Join Blue Hill Heritage Trust with board member and local naturalist, Sarah O’Malley, to explore the tide pools at Carter Nature Preserve in Surry. Come see anemones, encrusting coralline algae, a diversity of red algae and kelps, sponges and all manner of creatures that live in the intertidal zone. All ages welcome and encouraged to attend! Please wear appropriate footwear for potentially slippery shore rocks and wet seaweeds.
8/10 Saturday 10:00AM-11:30AM Open Air Arts Initiative: Mapping Our Landscape: Join Blue Hill Heritage Trust, Cynthia Winings Gallery, and the Seed Barn for a Young Artists Workshop at Talalay Nature Sanctuary. We will hike and explore, looking for paths that wildlife use to think about mapping from a different perspective as well as landmarks important to humans. We will sit in the sun or in shade under a tree and spread out art supplies to make maps of where we went and what we observed. Maybe there will be some natural plant dyes to try out as well! Each person will have the opportunity to make their own map and can get creative with interpretation and medium. Supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring your own favorites along too!
8/11 Sunday 10:00am-12:00PM Community Garden Party for Kids and Families: Blue Hill Heritage Trust and Healthy Peninsula are excited to provide a children’s garden party at the new Blue Hill Heritage Trust Community Garden, located behind the office on 157 Hinckley Ridge Road in Blue Hill. There will be harvesting of fresh veggies to make a salad and a simple dressing, mural painting for our new compost bins, and storytelling in the shade of the maple trees. Mint water will be provided for refreshment! Bring your children of any age and stay for a morning of family fun or drop your children off.
8/11 Sunday 3PM-4:30PM King Hill Farm Tour: Join the Blue Hill Co-op and the Blue Hill Heritage Trust in tour of King Hill Farm. King Hill Farm is a diversified, organic family farm located in Penobscot, Maine. In addition to growing a wide variety of produce, they raise beef, pork, chicken, and hens for eggs. This program is free & open to the public. Please wear sturdy shoes for the tour.
8/14 Wednesday 5-8:30PM Auction Boat Yard Grill: Join BHHT for BBQ and auction of various live and silent items to raise money for an accessible trail at Caterpillar Hill. Tickets on sale July 1st* at Blue Hill Heritage Trust and a list of auction items can be viewed on the Trust’s website.
8/17 Saturday Wild and Scenic Film Festival, Knowlton Park Ellsworth: Join us for the first Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Downeast Maine! This FREE Wild & Scenic Film Festival is the largest film festival of its kind. It will leave you feeling inspired and motivated to make a difference in your community and the world. There will be hot dogs, burgers, fries, ice cream, popcorn, and drinks, and information from participating hosts at 7pm; we’ll start showing the films just after sunset around 8pm. We’ll be at The Grand on Main Street in Ellsworth if there is a forecast of rain.
8/18 Sunday 1-2:30PM Open Air Arts Initiative: Helen Farrar – Take a Walk with a Line! Join Blue Hill Heritage Trust, Cynthia Winings Gallery, and the Seed Barn for a Young Artists Workshop with artist Helen Farrar, at Cynthia Winings Gallery! Pens pencils and ink are great tools for making marks on paper. Come SEE the sculpture garden of the Cynthia Winings Gallery, DRAW on-site, and EXPLORE all of the different ways we can use LINE! Let’s Take a Walk with the Line! This Workshop is for ages 7 and Up! This workshop will wrap up with an art show and a ‘tea party’ in the garden!
September
9/7 Saturday 11AM 5/10K Race at Surry Forest: **Due to weather we have cancelled this race.
9/13 Saturday 5PM-8PM Hiking Challenge Celebration: The BHHT Hiking Challenge is still on until Sept 13th!! Put on your boots and get out on the trails, and then join us at Strong Brewing Company for beer, lemonade, and food from El El Frijoles & Wing Dingahs Sept 13th 5-7PM! We are very excited to be joined by our friends at the The Blue Hill YMCA, a branch of The Downeast Family YMCA, who will be leading group hikes on all of these trails. So if you don’t like to hike alone, get in touch with the Blue Hill YMCA and get their group hiking schedule (you do not need to be a member of the Y to participate!) All of the eight secret images for the hiking challenge are hiding in the woods for you to find and record and bring to the grand celebration at Strong Brewing Company on Friday, Sept 13th 2019! Complete the challenge and join us on the 13th and be entered into a drawing for some great prizes! (All kiddos who compete the challenge get a prize!)
9/14 Saturday 1PM-3PM Weaving Workshop at the Seed Barn: Join Blue Hill Heritage Trust, Cynthia Winings Gallery, and the Seed Barn for a Young Artists Workshop. We will be broadening perceptions of HOME to include outdoor spaces beyond our walls which helps cultivate an understanding of the interrelationships between humans and wildlife. In this outdoor workshop, participants will be invited to create an on-site sculpture woven through the meadow landscape that will provide winter habitat for seed dispersers. In the process, we will learn how to work with natural materials in our own gardens to augment habitat for wildlife through winter months.
9/20 Friday 10AM-12PM – (Member’s Only Event) BHHT Mushroom ID Workshop: David Porter will once again lead the very popular Mushroom ID Workshop Hundred Acres Wood in Brooklin. Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot for this great event! Register by calling our office at 374-5118.
9/21 Saturday – Beach Cleanup: The Shaw Institute and BHHT invite you to join us for a Beach Cleanup Day at Carter Nature Preserve on the Cross Road in Surry. Be a part of the Ocean Conservancy’s Global Trash Free Seas Day, and Maine’s Coastal Cleanup Day by helping to clean this beautiful property which is under conservation with BHHT. We will provide materials and assign paired volunteers specific areas and duties including data collection. Family friendly, and please bring water bottles, wear durable work gloves, sunscreen and sturdy shoes!
9/22 Sunday 1:30-3:00PM – Fairy House Festival: Come celebrate the magic of fairies with Blue Hill Heritage Trust; bring your wings and fairy dust if you have them! Merrie Eley will begin our festival with a story about how to build fairy houses, then we will venture outside to build some for the fairies living in the woods behind Blue Hill Heritage Trust’s office! Space is limited, please call to pre-register at 374-5118.
9/25 Wednesday 4:00-6:30PM – FREE Citizen Science Training for Phenology Trail: Join Schoodic Institute and Blue Hill Heritage Trust for a FREE citizen science training. Great for teachers, youth, parents, and individuals interested in helping collect data for national climate change research. We will meet at Carter Nature Preserve in Surry and then head to The Gatherings, also in Surry, to finish the training. Phenology, or nature’s calendar, is the study of plant and animal life cycle events. It includes tracking the timing of flowering and fruiting plants, emergence of insects, and bird migrations. Millions of songbirds migrate south every fall along the northeast coastline. As they travel the long distances needed to reach their southern destinations, they need stopover sites where they can refuel on fruits and insects. We need to know – Is climate change creating a mismatch between fall migrating birds and their food source-fruits and insects? Schoodic Institute has partnered up with the National Phenology Network, and has 9 miles of trails dedicated to this research. BHHT now has three phenology trails of their own! WE NEED YOUR HELP collecting data! Call BHHT office 374-5118 for further information and to register. Space is limited.
October
10/19 Saturday – Peninsula Harvest Festival: Co-hosted by Mainescape Garden Shop, Blue Hill Heritage Trust and Blue Hill Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, come celebrate by welcoming Fall and all that the Peninsula has to offer! This is the kick-off event to the Winter Farmer’s Market, with local food vendors, live music, crafts, and activities for all ages! Free admission!
November
11/1 Friday – Satisfy Your Curiosity: Common Mosses and Liverworts!: Miniature plants abound, but we often overlook them. They play key roles in the ecosystem, and have exquisite beauty.On Friday Nov 1, 3pm Blue Hill Heritage Trust will host a short nature walk followed by an indoor workshop led by Alison C. Dibble, Ph.D. We will explore moss habitats in the forest right here behind our BHHT office and talk about how to look at mosses and liverworts. Wear warm clothing and bring a hand lens if you have one! Children, with their parent or guardian, are welcome. Space is limited so please register in advance, call 374-5118 or email info@bluehillheritagetrust.org. If extreme weather, please call ahead, but in light rain the nature walk will be held. We will use a recently published book by Ralph Pope, “Mosses, Liverworts and Hornworts” (available in book stores or online). Dr. Alison Dibble is an ecologist of Brooklin, Maine with more than 35 peer review publications in conservation biology-related fields. She has admired mosses and liverworts for more than 33 years and pursues the study of these plants with enthusiasm. She has taught numerous beginner-level courses and workshops on mosses and liverworts and takes pleasure in helping newcomers get started in a big adventure.
11/2 Saturday – Wabanaki/Maine History Workshop: Co-Hosted by the Blue Hill Heritage Trust, Blue Hill Public Library, Blue Hill Books, and The Reversing Falls Sanctuary, Maine Wabanaki-REACH, invites you to an interactive story-telling experience. We will learn about events in the colonizing history of Wabanaki people (the Indigenous people of Maine) and Europeans and their descendants. This is a participatory program appropriate for adults and teens. Our goal is to increase our understanding of colonization.To register visit our website: http://www.mainewabanakireach.org/exploring_wabanaki_maine_history_blue_hill Registrations help us with planning. Please include your contact info for us to keep you apprised of updates or changes. This event is free and open to the public. To learn how you can bring a REACH program to your community or organization contact us at http://www.mainewabanakireach.org/contact_us
11/17/Sunday – Naturalist/Trail Visioning Quest!: Come explore the new 3 Bridges Trail at Peter’s Brook with Maine Master Naturalist, Merrie Eley and Trail Builder and Designer, Pete Colman. Discover what natural treasures are thriving along the trail and learn how this trail was envisioned and built. Best suited to older children and adults.
December
12/5 Thursday 4-5:30pm – Annual Tree Lighting Celebration: The Blue Hill Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and Blue Hill Heritage Trust are teaming up once again to host the Annual Tree Lighting. Join us at Blue Hill Town Hall, on Thursday, December 5th. Festivities will kick off at 3:30pm with an array of family fun activities around town and at 4:30pm upstairs in the Town Hall. Santa arrives at 6pm! This year we are excited to have:
-Wreath Making with Blue Hill Heritage Trust
-Ornament making with BHCS Boosters
-Carol singing with the Blue Hill Congregational Church choir
-The Girl Scout Troop 251 – Blue Hill, ME will be having a fun craft!
12/6 Friday 3pm-4:30pm – Winter Holiday Storytelling and Craft in Castine: Join Compass Rose Books and Blue Hill Heritage Trust for a winter holiday storytelling and craft at Compass Rose Books in Castine, Dec 6th 3pm. 4-10 year olds and their families are encouraged to join us, but anyone is welcome! We will be sharing the story of The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren, and then offering a craft session to make your very own tomten doll to take home with you! There will be hot cider and homemade festive treats for you to enjoy. Space is limited. To pre-register please call BHHT office 374-5118.
12/11 Wednesday 3pm-4:30pm – Winter Holiday Storytelling and Craft in Brooksville: Join the Brooksville Free Public Library and Blue Hill Heritage Trust for a winter holiday storytelling and craft at the Brooksville Library Dec 11th, 3pm. We will be sharing the story, Thanks to the Animals by Allen Sockabasin and Illustrated by Rebekah Raye. A craft session will follow in which participants will have the opportunity to make an all natural native seed bird feeders to share with our feathered friends this winter. There will be hot cider and Bucks Harbor Market is donating cookies! Space is limited. To pre-register please call BHHT office 374-5118.
12/12 Thursday 3:30pm-5pm Winter Holiday Storytelling and Craft in Brooklin: Join The Brooklin Inn and Blue Hill Heritage Trust for a winter holiday storytelling and craft at the Brooklin Inn Dec 12th, 3:30pm. All ages are welcome! We will be sharing the story, Before Morning by Joyce Sidman and then offering a snowflake craft session to get creative and make a special decoration for the holiday season. There will be hot cider and festive snacks for you to enjoy. Space is limited. To pre-register please call BHHT office 374-5118.
12/18 Tuesday 3:30-5pm – Wreath Making for Kids: Come celebrate the holiday season with the Blue Hill Heritage Trust and BHPL while making your own balsam wreath on Tuesday, December 3 at 3:30 pm! Kids will have the chance to learn how to make a wreath using various native evergreen and berry species. This program is co-sponsored by the Blue Hill Public Library and Blue Hill Heritage Trust. Kids under 8 years of age must be accompanied by a caregiver at least 12 years of age. This program is free but advance registration is required, which can be done by calling 374-5515.
NEW! Full Moon Hikes July-September with BHHT
7/16 Tuesday 7PM – Full Buck Moon, Blue Hill Mountain,
8/15 Thursday 8PM- Full Sturgeon Moon, John B. Mountain, Brooksville
9/14 Saturday 7PM – Full Harvest Moon, Blue Hill Mountain
Bring a flashlight, blanket, some snacks, and a quiet voice to see and hear the creatures of the night on our way up! Call BHHT with questions: 374-5118
BHHT will host Listening Sessions across the peninsula: 6:30pm in the following towns on:
- Blue Hill- Public Library June 25th and July 31st
- Brooklin- School Library June 17th and July 29th
- Brooksville- Town Hall June 24th and August 26th
- Castine- Emerson Hall June 11th and August 7th
- Penobscot- Town Hall June 19th and August 21st
- Sedgwick- School Library June 27th and August 5th
- Surry- Fire Department June 20th and August 8th
Come see us at Blue Hill Farmer’s Market July 6th- August 17th!