Porcupine Meander

Join us for a walk at Bass Falls Preserve to search for early signs of spring and talk about Porcupines. We’ll follow the trail through private fields, into the woods, and down to the Sheepscot River where sits an abandoned fisherman's cabin taken over by porcupines. With luck we’ll find some quills to examine and skat to avoid. These common woodland rodents waddle their way through life, hanging out in trees, nibbling hemlock and relying on their quills to defend themselves against predators.

Depending on what early March looks like, be prepared for snow, mud or ice. Check out Bass Falls Preserve so you know where you are headed and what to expect. Please come prepared for all conditions with warm clothes, water, snacks, and proper footwear. We will be on the trail 1.5 - 2 hours.  

Registration

Refund Policy.

Join us for a full moon hike (or snowshoe, if there is snow on the ground) at Hidden Valley Nature Center.

Enjoy an evening illuminated by the glow of the full Sap Moon. Discover a new way of being in the woods, when sounds become more pronounced and sight takes a backseat to our other senses. The group will take moments of silence to listen for owls and nocturnal foragers along the trail, chat as we hike and revel in the brightness of earth's closest celestial friend. 

Meet at the Welcome Center at HVNC; hikers should wear warm clothes and boots. If there is snow on the ground microspikes or small snowshoes are recommended. Need a pair? Reach out and we can gear you up. Please bring water and a flashlight or headlamp. Your guide will lead the group on a moderate hike of 2-3 miles along some of the many trails at HVNC. We will be out for 2 hours. 

Weather date: February 13

Registration is required and space is limited so sign up today!
Review our refund policy here.

Registration

Survival to Thrival - Animals in Winter: A Guided Ski or Snowshoe talk

Join us on skis or snowshoes for this guided trailside talk about animals in winter. Some migrate south to avoid the cold, others curl up for a mostly restful slumber, a few freeze solid only to thaw when the weather warms, and the brave ones we continue to see keep moving and eating right through the coldest months. We’ll meander the trails at Hidden Valley Nature Center talking about beavers, deer, coyotes, wood frogs, birds, squirrels and many other animals.

We have plenty of snowshoes and skis for those without their own equipment. Wear warm clothes, bring water, and plan to be outside for two hours.

Registration

Refund Policy.

We never know what to expect of the weather in February--from a deep freeze and heavy snows to an early thaw and springlike breezes, the month can bring almost anything. In this nature writing workshop, we'll take inspiration from whatever the sky gives us. Through a combination of word play, visualization, and making metaphors, we'll generate poems that invoke, personify, and celebrate the weather in its many different guises. We'll alternate between group exercises, individual writing, and walking the trails to get our blood flowing. Please dress appropriately for staying warm outside, and consider bringing an insulated pad to sit on. 

This creative nature writing workshop will be led by writer and Maine Master Naturalist Andrea Lani. Andera is the author of Uphill Both Ways: Hiking toward Happiness on the Colorado Trail. As a Maine Master Naturalist, she teaches nature writing and nature journaling workshops around Maine.

Registration

Refund Policy.

Join us for a full moon hike (or snowshoe, if there is snow on the ground) at Hidden Valley Nature Center.

Enjoy an evening illuminated by the glow of the full Snow Moon. Discover a new way of being in the woods, when sounds become more pronounced and sight takes a backseat to our other senses. The group will take moments of silence to listen for owls and nocturnal foragers along the trail, chat as we hike and revel in the brightness of earth's closest celestial friend. 

Meet at the Welcome Center at HVNC; hikers should wear warm clothes and boots. If there is snow on the ground microspikes or small snowshoes are recommended. Need a pair? Reach out and we can gear you up. Please bring water and a flashlight or headlamp. Your guide will lead the group on a moderate hike of 2-3 miles along some of the many trails at HVNC. We will be out for 2 hours. 

Weather date: February 13

Registration is required and space is limited so sign up today!
Review our refund policy here.

Registration

Animal Tracks and Signs

We know the woods around our homes and along our favorite trails are filled with wildlife, but exactly which animals are living there? In this workshop, Maine Master Naturalist Jill Osgood will help unravel the mysteries of identifying which animals are active but unseen along ponds and in the forests around us. 

Participants will learn to identify animal tracks by the shape of the footprint, length of the stride, walking style, and the habitat in which they are found. We’ll examine plaster casts of animal tracks and use tracking id cards (which participants can take home) to see which feet belong to which animal. As well as looking at the prints made by different animals, the group will learn how different animals walk. Knowing which mammals bound, diagonally walk, hop or waddle, will allow even unclear tracks to be identified.

After an introduction to tracking in the Barn, the group will venture out on a hike in search of animal tracks and signs including scat, chews, trails and holes. Join us as we search the landscape for signs of animals that are likely living in your woods as well. 

Please dress to be outside in the cold and potentially snow. Bring water, a snack, extra layers for warmth, and be prepared for a 1-2 mile hike. 

Registration

Refund Policy.

Join us for a full moon hike (or snowshoe, if there is snow on the ground) at Hidden Valley Nature Center.

Enjoy an evening illuminated by the glow of the full Wolf Moon. Discover a new way of being in the woods, when sounds become more pronounced and sight takes a backseat to our other senses. The group will take moments of silence to listen for owls and nocturnal foragers along the trail, chat as we hike and revel in the brightness of earth's closest celestial friend. 

Meet at the Welcome Center at HVNC; hikers should wear warm clothes and boots. If there is snow on the ground microspikes or small snowshoes are recommended. Need a pair? Reach out and we can gear you up. Please bring water and a flashlight or headlamp. Your guide will lead the group on a moderate hike of 2-3 miles along some of the many trails at HVNC. We will be out for 2 hours. 

Weather date: January 15

Registration is required and space is limited so sign up today!
Review our refund policy here.

Registration

Join us for ecology exploration at Hidden Valley Nature Center!

We know the woods around our homes and along our favorite trails are filled with wildlife, but exactly which animals are living there? In this workshop, Maine Master Naturalist Jill Osgood will help unravel the mysteries of identifying which animals are active but unseen along ponds and in the forests around us. 

Participants will learn to identify animal tracks by the shape of the footprint, length of the stride, walking style, and the habitat in which they are found. We’ll examine plaster casts of animal tracks and use tracking ID cards (which participants can take home) to see which feet belong to which animal. As well as looking at the prints made by different animals, the group will learn how different animals walk. Knowing which mammals bound, diagonally walk, hop, or waddle, will allow even unclear tracks to be identified.

After an introduction to tracking in the Barn, the group will venture out on a hike in search of animal tracks and signs including scat, chews, trails, and holes. Join us as we search the landscape for signs of animals that are likely living in your woods as well. 

Please dress to be outside in the cold and potentially snow. Bring water, a snack, extra layers for warmth, and be prepared for a 1-2 mile hike.  

Each Saturday will offer a different topic to be explored in depth, led by a naturalist but guided by the interests of the group.

Registration

Refund Policy.

Come one, come all to celebrate the Winter Solstice at Hidden Valley Nature Center! Over the last few months the nights have been getting longer and longer. We settle into the darkness earlier each evening and awaken when the sky is still black. On December 21st the winter solstice marks the longest night of the year and the official start of winter, after which the days will gradually get longer. 

Winter Solstice has been celebrated around the world for thousands of years with fires, singing, lantern light and shared food. This year join us around a community fire at HVNC. We’ll warm our bodies with wassail and sugar baked apples. Raise our voices in song and enjoy a solstice story. Build peanut butter pine cones to decorate a solstice tree and create spiral art with bird seed for the wild critters to enjoy. Join a loved one or friend to walk the trails reflecting on the exit of Autumn and the entrance of the colder months of winter then return to the fire’s warmth as we burn the annual yule log.

Everyone is welcome! Dress warm in colorful wools and fleeces, adorn yourselves in festive scarves and hats to brighten the shortest day of the year. Bring your mother and father, your children and grandchildren. Take the hand of your best friend or neighbor and lead them to this winter solstice celebration. Whatever the weather we will welcome in the winter together!     

A note to educators

There is immense value in getting students outside, even for short amounts of time, to explore the natural world. Research is continuing to show that taking kids outdoors benefits social-emotional learning and leads to greater focus when students return to the classroom. For many teachers, this may seem daunting for a plethora of reasons from short class blocks, behavioral concerns, ticks, access to trails, and the perceived difficulty of meeting learning goals in an unconventional setting. Teachers may also be new to learning about the ecology of their setting. This Naturalist Workshop Series is designed to help address the concerns and challenges of taking students outside and grow your comfort level facilitating class learning goals within and beyond the playground. 

Each program will provide an opportunity to observe an educator teaching to a group of students. We will provide supplemental materials for teachers to bring back to school, content you can use with students, and time at the end to ask questions and brainstorm ways you can transfer the lesson to your school's unique setting.

We hope you will step outside with us and bring what you experience back to your schools!     

Registration

Refund Policy.

Join us for a full moon hike (or snowshoe, if there is snow on the ground) at Hidden Valley Nature Center.

Enjoy an evening illuminated by the glow of the full Cold Moon. Discover a new way of being in the woods, when sounds become more pronounced and sight takes a backseat to our other senses. The group will take moments of silence to listen for owls and nocturnal foragers along the trail, chat as we hike and revel in the brightness of earth's closest celestial friend. 

Meet at the Welcome Center at HVNC; hikers should wear shoes with good grips and bring a hiking stick if desired, along with a snack, drink and flashlight or headlamp. Your guide will lead the group on a moderate hike of 2-3 miles along some of the many trails at HVNC. We will be out for 2 hours.

Registration is required and space is limited so sign up today!
Review our refund policy here.

Registration

Join a Maine Master Naturalist for ecology exploration at Hidden Valley Nature Center!

As we explore the woods of Maine, knowing the names and identifying features of the ecology around us allows for a deeper understanding of the landscape. This can be easy in summer when flowers are in bloom and trees have all their leaves, but becomes a challenge once the blooms are gone and the branches hang bare. But here in Maine our trees are leafless half the year. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to identify most trees all year long? While winter makes tree identification more difficult it also makes noticing the unique and beautiful lichens that adorn these trees more noticeable. From flat patches of crustose and leafy circular foliose, to the lovely hanging fruticose varieties, lichens appear everywhere once you learn to spot them. 

Join Maine master naturalist Heather Hardy to focus on learning to identify the most common trees and lichen types at Hidden Valley Nature Center. This program will involve an easy walk along the trails at HVNC with frequent stops to talk, observe and learn. Participants should wear comfortable hiking shoes and bring water. Feel free to bring along a tree or lichen identification book. 

Participants of all ages welcome so lace up your boots or grab the kids for a morning of engaging outdoor learning. 

A note to educators

There is immense value in getting students outside, even for short amounts of time, to explore the natural world. Research is continuing to show that taking kids outdoors benefits social-emotional learning and leads to greater focus when students return to the classroom. For many teachers, this may seem daunting for a plethora of reasons from short class blocks, behavioral concerns, ticks, access to trails, and the perceived difficulty of meeting learning goals in an unconventional setting. Teachers may also be new to learning about the ecology of their setting. This Naturalist Workshop Series is designed to help address the concerns and challenges of taking students outside and grow your comfort level facilitating class learning goals within and beyond the playground. 

Each program will provide an opportunity to observe an educator teaching to a group of students. We will provide supplemental materials for teachers to bring back to school, content you can use with students, and time at the end to ask questions and brainstorm ways you can transfer the lesson to your school's unique setting.

We hope you will step outside with us and bring what you experience back to your schools!     

Registration

Refund Policy.

Cultivating Curiosity

The most important tool in the naturalist's knapsack is not binoculars, a hand lens, or a field guide--it's curiosity! In this workshop, as we explore HVNC, we'll practice opening ourselves to curiosity, asking questions of the landscape, and feeling comfortable with not knowing the answers. Through a series of writing exercises, we'll capture the experience of noticing, wondering, and discovering, and we'll come away with short poems or prose generated through following where our curiosity leads us. 

Andrea Lani is the author of Uphill Both Ways: Hiking toward Happiness on the Colorado Trail. As a Maine Master Naturalist, she teaches nature writing and nature journaling workshops around Maine.

A note to educators

There is immense value in getting students outside, even for short amounts of time, to explore the natural world. Research is continuing to show that taking kids outdoors benefits social-emotional learning and leads to greater focus when students return to the classroom. For many teachers, this may seem daunting for a plethora of reasons from short class blocks, behavioral concerns, ticks, access to trails, and the perceived difficulty of meeting learning goals in an unconventional setting. Teachers may also be new to learning about the ecology of their setting. This Naturalist Workshop Series is designed to help address the concerns and challenges of taking students outside and grow your comfort level facilitating class learning goals within and beyond the playground. 

Each program will provide an opportunity to observe an educator teaching to a group of students. We will provide supplemental materials for teachers to bring back to school, content you can use with students, and time at the end to ask questions and brainstorm ways you can transfer the lesson to your school's unique setting.

We hope you will step outside with us and bring what you experience back to your schools!     

Registration

Refund Policy.

Join us for a full moon hike (or snowshoe, if there is snow on the ground) at Hidden Valley Nature Center.

Enjoy an evening illuminated by the glow of the full Beaver Moon. Discover a new way of being in the woods, when sounds become more pronounced and sight takes a backseat to our other senses. The group will take moments of silence to listen for owls and nocturnal foragers along the trail, chat as we hike and revel in the brightness of earth’s closest celestial friend. 

Meet at the Welcome Center at HVNC; hikers should wear shoes with good grips and bring a hiking stick if desired, along with a snack, drink and flashlight or headlamp. Your guide will lead the group on a moderate hike of 2-3 miles along some of the many trails at HVNC. We will be out for 2 hours.

Registration is required and space is limited so sign up today!
Review our refund policy here.

Registration

Cost: $130 ($150 for non-members)
Age limit: 16+
Registration required, limit of 8 students

Rain Date: November 3.

This one day course is designed for folks who have some previous experience with a saw and are looking to practice skills that are beyond the Level 1 Course offering.  Much of the material from the beginner’s course will be reviewed, such as Personal Protective Equipment and safe handling, which will serve as a great and important refresher.  More attention will be paid to saw maintenance, and the primary focus will be put on cutting techniques for bucking and directional tree felling.  The goal of this course is for participants to leave prepared to do a significant amount of work with their saw.  This course will be great for folks who intend to manage their woodlot and process firewood.

Completion of Level 1 training or a considerable amount of previous experience with a chainsaw is strongly recommended. Anyone with questions about their suitability for the course can contact the instructor, Tim Libby, at tim@midcoastconservancy.org.

We are pleased to partner with the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) on our Chainsaw Safety Courses. MOFGA members may also take advantage of discounted pricing.

Registration

Refund Policy.

** This event has been canceled**

"Things That Go Bump in the Night"

When the sun goes down and we're getting ready for bed, many of our seldom seen animal neighbors are just getting up.  Why are so many animals nocturnal?  Does being active at night have advantages over being active during the day?  Does it bring disadvantages?  If so, how have nocturnal animals evolved to mitigate the disadvantages?  Join Luanne and Dan Weekes of Pollination Station as they discuss these and other questions to build a new appreciation of Maine's nocturnal wildlife.  This family friendly powerpoint presentation will look at common nocturnal species including bats, owls, skunks, and a relative newcomer to Maine, the Virginia opossum, and will include a meet and greet with Willow, an Eastern Screech Owl, and plenty of time for Q&A.

A note to educators

There is immense value in getting students outside, even for short amounts of time, to explore the natural world. Research is continuing to show that taking kids outdoors benefits social-emotional learning and leads to greater focus when students return to the classroom. For many teachers, this may seem daunting for a plethora of reasons from short class blocks, behavioral concerns, ticks, access to trails, and the perceived difficulty of meeting learning goals in an unconventional setting. Teachers may also be new to learning about the ecology of their setting. This Naturalist Workshop Series is designed to help address the concerns and challenges of taking students outside and grow your comfort level facilitating class learning goals within and beyond the playground. 

Each program will provide an opportunity to observe an educator teaching to a group of students. We will provide supplemental materials for teachers to bring back to school, content you can use with students, and time at the end to ask questions and brainstorm ways you can transfer the lesson to your school's unique setting.

We hope you will step outside with us and bring what you experience back to your schools!     

Join us for a full moon hike (or snowshoe, if there is snow on the ground) at Hidden Valley Nature Center.

Enjoy an evening illuminated by the glow of the Super Hunter's Moon. A night when the full moon will be closer to the earth than on any other day of the year and visible from dusk until dawn. Discover a new way of being in the woods, when sounds become more pronounced and sight takes a backseat to our other senses. The group will take moments of silence to listen for owls and nocturnal foragers along the trail, chat as we hike and revel in the brightness of earth’s closest celestial friend. 

Meet at the Welcome Center at HVNC; hikers should wear shoes with good grips and bring a hiking stick if desired, along with a snack, drink and flashlight or headlamp. Your guide will lead the group on a moderate hike of 2-3 miles along some of the many trails at HVNC. We will be out for 2 hours.

Registration is required and space is limited so sign up today!
Review our refund policy here.

Registration

Join us for the 13th Annual Race Through The Woods trail race on Sunday, October 6, at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson, Maine.

Racing starts at 9:00AM. Racers will have two course options to choose from: a 13 mile course or a shorter 5 mile distance. (Both share the course with same start time).  The course brings you over steep hills, through the woods, past beautiful ponds and has about 1,000 feet elevation change.

Race fees are $40 for the 13, and $30 for the 5 miler.

Long sleeve technical shirts will be available for purchase with registration, with a limited number available for purchase the day of. Prizes will be given to first place finishers (men and women) and in age categories. Prizes will include a free night stay at one of our Hidden Valley huts and PIE!

We will be pouring beer from Sheepscot Valley Brewing!

Registration IS REQUIRED through our friends at Race Entry and closes one week before race.

REGISTER HERE!

This race is currently capped at 125 entrants, with a waitlist. There will be NO day of registration. 

No refunds, no bib transfers. If you are unable to race, your registration fee will be considered a donation to Midcoast Conservancy.