Hog Island Youth and Teen Sessions

NEW! Coastal Maine Marine Science Exploration

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Learn how to read the bay as well as the land as you explore mid-coast Maine's Muscongus Bay. Witness osprey and eagles soaring above, occasionally diving from the sky to pluck a fish out of the water with their talons while nearby lobstermen haul their daily catch. Learn to read charts, understand methods of navigation, and interpret tides, winds, and weather. Spend an evening or two by a fire built on the rocky coast as you watch for falling stars or listen to the night’s chorus of sound. Go for a night hike to learn astronomy and later peer into the water's depths to watch millions of phytoplankton light up beneath our docks.

By week’s end you will have gained a better understanding of the field of marine science and developed special skills that may inspire your future. Also, you may have discovered more about who you are and your role in the greater scope of the natural world and its conservation.

The program will be based from the "Crow's Nest", a dormitory where all participants and the counselors will be housed.

Elements of the Program

The following components of the program will give you an idea of the kind of activities and trips you may be engaged in during your stay on Hog Island. This is not intended to be a guaranteed schedule for the week, as Maine Coast weather can be unpredictable. Our schedule must remain flexible. The program is designed to be a well-rounded experience in marine science exploration.

Rocky Intertidal Explorations: learn to identify all of the species (fish, invertebrates and algae) living on the rocky intertidal. Take part in quadrat studies to understand why certain species live in certain areas.
Mud Flat Explorations: Take mud core samples and learn what species live inside this soft substrate.
Oceanography Cruise: Oceanography cruises will be conducted at four stations around the island aboard Maine Audubon’s boat. Stations on the vessel will be set-up to collect data on fish, plankton, water quality and mud cores. Everyone will be able to participate in all of the activities as you change stations on the boat. After collecting data all samples will be brought back to the lab for analysis.
Seining: Be prepared to get wet!! We will collect fish and invertebrates with seine nets around the island. We will pull the seine through mud, eelgrass, rock and sand to see which species live in these different habitats.
Visit to Seabird Nesting Islands: All aboard Hog Island's touring boat to venture out into Muscongus Bay to see Atlantic puffins, herons, eiders and maybe a few seals and porpoise.

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