Check back for updates here or on the Sanctuary Facebook Page for specific week postings or contact the Sanctuary at somesmeynell@gmail.com to receive email updates with the latest details. Registration is required to make sure we stay within our optimum field trip size and capacity of our indoor spaces. Email Director Billy Helprin at somesmeynell@gmail to register.
Fern Walk with Roberta Sharp, Saturday June 10th, 2023, 9:00-11:00, at SMWS
Please join Maine master naturalist and Sanctuary Board Member, Roberta Sharp, for a fern identification walk on the Somes-Meynell Sanctuary trails. We will look at basic fern structures and learn clues to easily identify about a dozen ferns. Meet at the Sanctuary HQ parking lot, 57 Pretty Marsh Rd in Somesville. The morning walk will be from 9:00-11:00. This walk will have a maximum of 12 attendees so that everyone can easily discuss and observe ferns together along the way.
Plant Treasures of Mount Desert Island—Rarities of All Kinds, with Jill Weber, Thursday July 6th, 7:00-8:15 pm, Somesville Church Parish House
Mount Desert Island has a rich and varied flora in habitats that range from ocean and freshwater shores to mountain summits above tree-line. Almost 900 uncultivated plant species have been recorded on MDI; among them are several rare species. Join botanist Jill Weber to explore these plants, the reasons for their rarity, their current status, and what we might expect in light of climate change.
Jill Weber has been a consulting botanist in Maine since 1990. She has conducted rare plant and ecological inventories for government agencies, conservation groups and private clients and is the co-author of The Plants of Acadia National Park and The Sedges of Maine. In addition to consulting, Jill teaches part-time at the College of the Atlantic and serves as the curator of the college’s herbarium.
Insects and Plants: BFF, with Carol Muth and Karen Zimmermann, Tuesday July 11th, 2023, 10:00-11:30, at SMWS HQ
The life cycles of many insects and plants are dependent on each other. Blueberries need bees to form fruit, monarchs need milkweed to reproduce. Every insect and plant relationship has a story. We will look at several of these interactions and get a closer view of some insects using field microscopes. Then we will wander the paths and pond edges at Somes Meynell and look for insect signs on plants. Led by Maine Master Naturalists Carol Muth and Karen Zimmermann.
Both graduates of 2017 Maine Master Naturalist Program and avid amateurs, Carol spends her day crawling in ditches following arthropods while Karen can be found dipping in ponds and streams to see anything that squirms, squiggles, or swims.
Nature Walk with a Focus on Trees, Saturday July 22, 2023, from 1:00 – 2:30 pm with Nick Noyes. Rain date will be on July 29 at the same time. Meeting location will be the Acadia Repertory Theater parking lot in Somesville across from the fire station. Registration is required and the walk will be limited to 10-12, children are encouraged to attend with a parent.
This nature walk with Maine Master Naturalist Nick Noyes will focus on trees, their habitats, and information used to recognize leaf structures, bark, twigs and fruit. We will use a Summer Tree Identification Guide as we walk Sanctuary trails along Somes Pond and we will identify and compare the unique features of trees that we find. We will discuss habitats we pass through, examine forest succession, the effect of glaciers on the landscape, and how global warming may be changing Maine’s iconic coastal forests.
Biomimicry: Learning from Nature, Talk with Acadia National Park Writer in Residence Adelheid Fischer, Friday July 28 2023, 7:00-8:15pm, Somesville Church Parish House
We have a special talk coming up that we are co-hosting with Acadia National Park. Adelheid Fischer is the current Writer in Residence for the Park and she will be giving a talk: Biomimicry: Learning from Nature at 7:00pm on Friday, July 28th, at the Somesville Meeting House Church parish house. Seating and parking are limited so registration is required – please email somesmeynell@gmail.com.
Adelheid Fischer, is a nonfiction writer and educator at Arizona State University, and divides her time between the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona and South Mountain in the City of Phoenix. She has pioneered curricula and special projects in biomimicry that introduce students to the use of biology as a means of sustainable innovation in architecture, design, business and engineering.
This Acadia National Park Artist-in-Residence outreach event is hosted in collaboration with Somes Meynell Wildlife Sanctuary.
More at https://www.nps.gov/…/000/acadia-air_fischer-adelheid.htm
* Parking is limited so carpool if coming with friends [additional parking can be found at the MDI Historical Society Museum at the corner of Oak Hill Rd and Main Street and in front of the Somesville Library by the Mill Pond. From the museum and library you can walk up the sidewalk on the west side of Main Street – it is a little more than 200 yards to the church.
Monarchs and Milkweed with Cyrene Slegona, Saturday, August 19 2023, 9:30-12:30, rain date August 20, Somesville.
Learn about the life cycle of Monarch butterflies, including their astonishing migration from Maine to their overwintering sites in Mexico, and the generations that make their way back to Maine. What can we do to help Monarchs survive and thrive? This interactive presentation will address these questions and more. There also will be a short walk to look for them in a nearby stand of milkweed. Bring a magnifying hand lens if you have one!
Event leader is Cyrene Slegona, a Maine Master Naturalist, member of the Maine Entomological Society, and has studied Monarch butterflies in Maine and Mexico. Location: in Somesville, specific site given upon registration. To register, send an email to somesmeynell@gmail.com. Children under 14 are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is limited to 14. Rain Date: August 20.
Maine Wonders, Talk with educator Zoe Weil, Thursday, August 24th 2023, 7:00-8:15pm, Somesville Church Parish House
Join us for a presentation by Zoe Weil, President of the Institute for Humane Education. Maine Wonders will take you on a journey into the natural world, where you’ll discover the weird and wild; meet Maine’s loons, seals, and jellyfish; explore amphibian love; and, while learning about metamorphosis and transformation, be transformed yourself into someone who wonders about Maine’s natural wonders as you never have before. Seating and parking are limited so registration is required – please email somesmeynell@gmail.com.
When she’s not writing and giving talks about educating the #SolutionaryGeneration, Zoe is usually exploring nature, photographing and videotaping Maine wonders. She has given six TEDx talks including her acclaimed TEDx, “The World Becomes What You Teach.” She is the author of seven books, including The World Becomes What We Teach: Educating a Generation of Solutionaries and Nautilus silver medal winner Most Good, Least Harm. Zoe was named one of Maine Magazine‘s 50 independent leaders transforming their communities and the state, and is the recipient of the Unity College “Women in Environmental Leadership” award.
* Parking is limited so carpool if coming with friends [additional parking can be found at the MDI Historical Society Museum at the corner of Oak Hill Rd and Main Street and in front of the Somesville Library by the Mill Pond. From the museum and library you can walk up the sidewalk on the west side of Main Street – it is a little more than 200 yards to the church.
Exploring Lichens on MDI with Grace Bartlett, Ellen Gellerstedt, and Janet Myers, Saturday, September 16 2023, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at SMWS.
Have you ever wondered about the splotches on trees and rocks? They seem to be everywhere, but what are they? During this walk you will be introduced to the fascinating world of lichens. You will see the different growth forms, learn how they live and grow and even learn how they help human beings. Using a magnifying glass or hand lens (bring your own if you can) you will look closely at these incredible organisms. There will be time to ask questions and reflect on what you found to be most interesting about lichens. The walk will be led by Maine Master Naturalists Grace Bartlett, Ellen Gellerstedt, and Janet Myers. Specific meeting location: TBD, Mount Desert. To register, send an email to somesmeynell@gmail.com. Children under 14 are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is limited to 12. Rain Date: September 30.