We offer a variety of BHHT and BHHT-Partnership Field Trips for Local Schools and Homeschooling Groups on the Blue Hill Peninsula and can connect you with experts and professionals in the community to lead field trips on topics such as mushrooms, birding, seaweed, nature journaling, and much more. Teachers are encouraged to let us know what their needs are for topics/standards/curricular connections for customized field trips.
Contact our Education Coordinator for information. merrin@bluehillheritagetrust.
Some of Our Field Trip Topics Below!
Life Under a Log
Explore invertebrates, fungi, lichen (and of course salamanders!) under/in a log. Learn about different stages of decay and how important rotting logs are for the forest ecosystem. This field trip can happen right at your school or on a BHHT Trail such as Kingdom Woods Conservation Area or Surry Forest! Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula.
Alewife Migration (often led by Bailey Bowden from the Alewife Committee in Penobscot and Mike Thalhauser from Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries).
Visit Pierces Pond, Walkers Pond, or Wights Pond, to experience the amazing annual migration of these anadromous fish from sea to pond. Older students will get to use nets to help the fish reach the pond, participating in an age-old act of stewardship. Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula.
Local Geology
Come walk Carter Nature Preserve beach with us to explore the local geology, learn about the ground beneath your feet as well as the incredible ancient history that created rock formations. A Geology Scavenger Hunt created by the Maine Geologic Survey will be part of this adventure as well! Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula.
Forest Inventories
Learn about how professionals, such as our Forester Sandy, study forests and why it is important to know about resources in the forest. Students will get to measure and collect data on tree growth in an inventory plot and submit their findings to Maine Forest Inventory and Growth (FIG) project. We have plots set up at Surry Forest. This outing option requires tw0-four field trips over the course of the year. Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula.
Ice Fishing
Come to the frozen pond and learn the art of catching a fish in the winter time! Students will get to explore hands-on this traditional practice and have a fun day on the ice. Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula.
Tide Pooling
Join us at Carter Nature Preserve for a tide pooling extravaganza! Learn about the ecology of tide pools and what a unique mini ecosystem they are. Students will get to interact with tide pool creatures, explore the intertidal zone, and record some of their observations in a nature-journal. Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula.
Botanical Illustration
Talk a quiet woodland walk and observe plants up close. Learn the art of botanical illustration which includes a scientific look at the plant as well as how to make them look beautiful on the page! The South Street Trail is a wonderful spot to paint jack-in the Pulpits but every trail has opportunity for this activity. Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula. (*Subject to availability)
Using Five Senses on the Trail
Hike a trail and listen for birds, taste wintergreen and pine needle tea, learn a woodland song and an animal call. Touch soft lichen and look under logs for salamanders and pill bugs! Dance like a fern and feel the cold water. Look at tiny things under a magnifier. Learn about the history of the trail as well and why conservation is important! Meadowbrook Millstream Conservation Area, Hatch Cove, John B Mountain, and Weinland Nature Study Area are great trails for this field trip.
Guided Hikes on BHHT Trails (with topic of choice)
Join a BHHT Staff to hike a BHHT Trail such as Blue Hill Mountain, Bluff Head Preserve, or Cooper Farm at Caterpillar Hill for a guided hike on a chosen topic. Students will learn about the history of the trail, discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula.
Bird House Building (with Charlie Cannon from Holbrook Island Sanctuary and a Downeast Audubon Staff member)
Want to build your own bird house and learn about the Blue Bird Trail on the Blue Hill peninsula? Join us for a hands-on carpentry experience as well as a bird stewardship lesson! Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula and beyond.
Vernal Pools
Vernal Pools are amazing temporary ecosystems that are teeming with life in the spring. Students will get to identify vernal pool creatures and learn about their homes and habits. Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula. Hundred Acre Woods, Kingdom Woods Conservation Area, and the BHHT Office have a large and lovely vernal pools.
School Yard Plants: Wild Edibles, Games, Crafts, and Recipes
Join us for a workshop to learn more about the plants that grow in your school yard: many of which are enthusiastic and under-appreciated weeds! We will explore their ecology, folklore, and wildlife connections as well as dive into ways to interact with them including recipes, games, and crafts. Students will discuss why keeping yards chemical free is so important! (* Subject to availability)
Pollinators and Native Plants
Join us at Hatch Cove, the field at Blue Hill Mountain, the Salt Pond Access (or your own school yard) for a pollinator scavenger hunt! Look for bees, butterflies, beetles, and more and learn about how these insects have coevolved with Maine’s Native Plants and how important this relationship is to a healthy earth ecosystem and our food system! Make seed-balls to take home with you to help spread native plants (and pollinator food) around the peninsula. Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula.
Campfire Cooking in Your Outdoor Classroom
Bring fire and food and song to your outdoor classroom! Students will learn about fire safety through risk/benefit assessments and games, will learn the art and science of building a fire, and will cook a snack over the open flame. Songs and stories also included to round it off into a real campfire experience! (This is a longer field trip 2-4 hours) Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula to preserve resources like fire wood.
Winter Animal Adaptations
Join us to learn about the amazing adaptations animals have to survive the winter! Hike a trail and look for tracks, play a game of camouflage, scout for winter food sources, listen to a story and learn about the subnivian zone where so much happens under the snowpack. Any BHHT trail is great for this adventure. Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula.
All About Beavers
Beavers are the engineers of the natural world! Come to Surry Forest or Meadowbrook, BHHT’s largest conserved forests for a closer look at their dams, the beaver deceiver (we have in place to preserve the forest and also provide habit for the beavers and all the wildlife they provide habit for!) and learn more about the life of the beaver and the important role they play in wetland ecosystems. Students will discuss why conservation matters and what they can do to help steward the land on the Blue Hill peninsula.
Teacher Workshops Available too!
Book a workshop for your teacher group or school in-service to further your learning about outdoor/environmental/place-based education! Email merrin@bluehillheritagetrust.org to consult about topics.
Volunteer Work Days for students can be arranged at different times of year.
Email stewardship@bluehillheritagetrust.org for more info.
GSA Students help remove invasive species such as bittersweet from the Murphy Trail in Blue Hill.