Fri, 9/30 - Wild Plants of Maine taste test, 5 pm, Shift Sustainable Home Goods, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Interested in wild edibles? Join Tom Seymour, author of Wild Plants of Maine, for a free talk at Shift in Brunswick (formerly F.W. Horch). Taste testing will be a part of the evening, too! For more information, call 729-4050.
Fri, 9/30 - Multimedia Presentation of Alaska Wilderness, 7:30 pm, First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 100 Main Street, Kennebunk (next to the Kennebunk Public Library). Emmy-award winning filmmaker Richard Kahn has spent the last twelve summers paddling through wilderness on rivers in the Brooks Mountain Range and North Slope of Northwestern Alaska. On Friday, Richard will share a multimedia presentation of his travels in the wild, undeveloped, unprotected, and threatened wilderness of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The presentation will be accompanied by music from composer John Luther Adams, and the record company, Cold Blue.
Fri, 9/30 & Sat, 10/1 - Volunteer for New England Cottontail Rabbits, 9 am - 12 pm, parking lot for Crescent Beach in Kittery, Maine, on Sea Point Road. The Wildlife Volunteer Corps has teamed up with Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge to restore habitat for endangered New England cottontails for years. Come help make sure these rare bunnies survive. RSVP online at action.defenders.org.
Sat, 10/1 - 2011 National Solar Tour. Homes and businesses throughout the nation will welcome visitors to tour their sites and see how they use solar energy. Many sites in Maine will participate on this national tour date -- see list under September's sustainable living tip.
Sat, 10/1 - Apple Day, 10 am - 2 pm, Gilsland Farm, Falmouth. Join Maine Audubon for a day celebrating fall and Maine wildlife. Enjoy cider pressing, children's activities, live music by folk musicians The Sea Slugs, delicious and healthy food, face painting, a wildlife exhibit table, and a nature scavenger hunt. At 10:30 am, children's local author and illustrator Cathryn Falwell (author of Pond Babies, Splash, and Mystery Vine) will present a reading and activities from her new book Gobble, Gobble; and at 11:30am, Ed Morgan a.k.a. The Music Man from the Children's Garden will perform original and classic singlaongs for children ages 1-99. For more information, visit habitat.maineaudubon.org
Sat, 10/1 - Paddle on the Sheepscot Bog, 10 am - 12:30 pm, Palermo. Join the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association and the Sheepscot Wellspring Land Alliance for a paddle on the Sheepscot Bog. The bog, accessible from the southeast corner of Sheepscot Pond, is actually a mosaic of many diverse wetland types encompassing 1,300 acres; its exemplary peatland ecosystem is unique in the watershed. The group will paddle into the bog’s remote and quiet interior, which includes a large kettle pond, by way of Deadwater Slough. This event is free to the public. Participants should bring their own kayak or canoe. For specific directions to the put-in site, contact SVCA at 586-5616, or email svca@sheepscot.org.
Tue, 10/4 - Maine Wind Industry Initiative Business Networking and Reception, 5:30 pm, Maine Maritime Museum, Bath. A wine and cheese reception sponsored by Tetra Tech, followed by a wind industry update by Angus King and business to business networking. Learn from Paul Williamson about recent activities to market Maine capabilities that are bringing opportunities and investment to Maine. Also view the new Maine Maritime Museum exhibit Aloft!: Topsails to Turbines; August 19-November 27; an exhibit exploring the wind driven economy of Maine, past to future. Please RSVP to pw@mainewindindustry.com
Fri, 10/7 - The Fruits and Fruit Trees of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson and the Origins of American Horticulture, 4 pm, Woodlawn Museum, Route 172 (Surry Road), Ellsworth. Peter Hatch, director of grounds and gardens at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, will be present for a book signing at 4 pm, and a talk at 5 pm, followed by a question and answer session. Hatch’s presentation is part of Downeast Heirloom Apple Week. From October 1-9, the Downeast Food Heritage Collaborative, a partnership between the College of the Atlantic, Woodlawn and Healthy Acadia, supported by a grant from the Hancock County Fund at the Maine Community Foundation, will feature a series of activities aimed at educating people about Maine’s rich apple history including talks by national experts, school programs, a daylong apple festival on October 8, and an apple pie contest during the Woodlawn Farmers' Market on October 9. For more information on Downeast Heirloom Apple Week, visit woodlawnmuseum.org or call 667-8671.
Fri, Sat and Sun, 10/7, 8 and 9 and/or 10/14, 15 and 16 - PV Workshop Series, 17 Rockwell Rd, SE, Jonesport. Each weekend begins on Friday evening with a free lecture, from 7 to 9 pm, and includes hands-on workshops Saturday & Sunday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Program: PV and How to Start a PV "Cottage Industry", Friday, 7 pm, a free lecture by Dr. Richard Komp. PV Assembly Workshop: participants will experience the complete PV assembly and encapsulation process. Saturday Oct. 15: Special Solar Air Heater Workshop. Rebuild two solar air heater collectors in a solar home; learn solar heater design principles. Fees: one weekend for $150; both weekend sessions $275; one day $80. For more information, call 207.546-1639, 516.669-2442, or 207.497-2204 by September 30.
Fri, 10/14 - Chemicals, Obesity and Diabetes: How Science Leads Us To Action, 8:30 am - 5 pm, Colby College, Waterville. The Environmental Health Strategy Center, in partnership with the Goldfarb Center at Colby College, will bring together national and state scientific and public health scholars, practitioners, and advocates, as well as national and state policy-makers, faculty and students to explore two questions about chemical "obesogens": 1) What is the current state of the science that links chemical exposures to obesity, diabetes and other diseases? 2) What public health policy actions are appropriate based on the current evidence? For more information, visit www.PreventHarm.org. Registration fee: $50 (includes lunch).
Mon, 10/17 - 2011 Fall Beginner Beekeeping School, 5 consecutive Monday evenings, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, UMaine Regional Learning Center, 75 Clearwater Drive, Falmouth. Over 500 new beekeepers have been trained in this course offered by UMaine Cooperative Extension since 1992. For more information, please see the schedule and the registration form online at
If you are interested in participating in the course, please return the form with a check for $80.00 (made payable to CCEA). The fee is for an individual or couple and covers the cost of the textbook, a bee disease publication, beekeepers reference notebook and other materials. Please return the registration form before October 12, 2011. The course is limited to 46 registrants. Enrollment is done on a first-come, first-serve basis. This course always fills up fast. Registrations may also be taken over the phone by calling 1-800-287-1471 and using a credit card.
Sun, 10/23 - The Great Maine Apple Day, noon to 4 pm rain or shine, Common Ground Education Center, 294 Crosby Brook Rd, Unity. Celebrate the history, flavor and tradition of Maine apples. Educational workshops and talks: apple art, cooking with old time apple recipes, Maine's rich apple history, wine and cider making, organic tree care, see & taste rare & heirloom apples, bring your own varieties to show and taste, identifying your mystery variety -- our Dream Team of Maine apple identifiers will help you identify your apples. Apples, apple products, home-made goodies, cheeses and other local products. Apple pie contest: bring your apple pie to share! Tasting will be at 3:30 pm. Sponsored by MOFGA, Fedco, and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Admission $4, $2 for members of MOFGA & Maine Pomological Society. For more information, visit www.mofga.org
Tue, 10/25 - Birds Lecture, 6:30 pm, Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham. Find out about the birds we can expect to see this winter as Stantec biologists tell us about the migration of some of our favorite avian friends. Where do they go when they are not here, and what brings them back year after year. Learn about some truly amazing journeys and discover a new appreciation for the songbirds we take for granted in our own backyards. For more information, contact the Cathance River Education Alliance at 798-1913 or crea@creamaine.org
Sun, 10/30 - The Art of Local Food, 4:30 to 6:30 pm, The Summit at Point Lookout, Northport. Come savor the best that Maine has to offer: wonderful local foods and drinks, Maine-inspired artwork, live music, and a breathtaking view of Penobscot Bay at NRCM's 3rd annual Art of Local Food event. Dozens of local restaurants, farms, bakeries, and other culinary professionals will be creating the finest appetizers, nibbles, and desserts. This year, NRCM will also hold an Art of Local Food Art Sale. 50 Maine artists have contributed artworks inspired by the beauty of Maine for sale the night of the event. A cash bar will feature an assorted of Maine beers, wines, and liquors. Enjoy live music provided by Tom Luther on piano and Justin Walton on guitar. Tickets are $40 per person, all of which supports NRCM’s work to protect Maine’s environment ($20 of each ticket purchase is tax-deductible). For more information, contact
Joyce Gracie at (207) 430-0128 or jgracie@nrcm.org.
