Fields Pond Audubon Center

Maine Audubon acquired 192 acres by bequest from the estate of the late Katherine Curran in 1994.

The Curran family kept cows, harvested ice from the pond in winter, and cut wood from the forest. Their gift of land included 1600 feet of lakeshore, a stream and ravine, several wetlands, fields, forest, and a 22-acre island in Fields Pond.

In the Winter of 1998, Maine Audubon opened the L. Robert Rolde Nature Center, which was designed by "environmentally friendly" architects.

Public Programs and Courses

April | May | June

Special Programs

Girl Scouts | Home School | Outreach (PDF)

Volunteer Opportunities

The Center provides a variety of guided and self-guided walks and canoe tours, exhibits, a Nature trail, and canoe rentals. All guided programs are led by trained naturalists. Walking and canoe tours and specially designed programs are available for groups at a discounted price.
   

Unless otherwise specified, programs are held at the Audubon Center. For outdoor events, we hope for good weather, usually go in light precipitation, and cancel in severe weather. If you need to cancel a program reservation, please call at least three days ahead of the scheduled event to assure a refund.

Photography Exhibition

Ecologist and photographer, Ron Davis will exhibit his photographs April through June. “An Ecologist’s Travels” includes photographs taken at several of the world’s continents, and concentrates on a wide range of ecological subjects. Since retiring in 2003 as an ecology professor at the University of Maine, Ron has increasingly dedicated himself to improving his photographic skills, and has recently established EcoPhoto International through which he offers these skills without profit for the benefit of environmental organizations. Ron started his hobby in the 1940’s when, as a teenager he built his own darkroom and photographic enlarger. His photos have been used by various book authors, and are included in several of his own scientific papers. Primarily documentary photography, he rarely misses the opportunity to add an aesthetic touch.

April Programs

Peepers, Owls & Woodcocks

Wednesday, April 30, 8-9:00pm

Leader: Judy Markowsky

Cost: $4

Come to the grounds of the nature center and hear Spring Peepers, see the woodcocks dance and hopefully see and hear Barred Owls calling. We guarantee nothing but a fun packed hour searching for our favorite early springtime critters. Children are more than welcome to attend.

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May Programs

Early Morning Birdwalks
7:00am-8:30am. Various days during the month of May. Please see the complete schedule of days here. (PDF)

Programs For Children

Family Walks in Nature

Saturdays from 1-2:30pm, May 3, June 14

Leader: Holly Twining

Cost: Parents free. Children $4. No registration necessary.

Bring the family to explore nature on the grounds of Fields Pond. Parents and children will enjoy the exercise and fresh air, as well as learning the science and poetry of nature. A creative indoor project will be offered after the walk.

Children's Drawing Class

Ages 4-10

Saturdays May 3, and June 7, 9:30-10:30am,

Teacher: Carolyn Wallace-Zani of Main Street Studio

Cost: $10 members, $12 non-members (1 Adult/1 Child)

This class will introduce children to nature drawing by recognizing basic shapes as the building blocks to creating artistic forms found in nature. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to participate. Bring your favorite art supplies and enjoy our group of budding artists in discovering the natural world around us.

Spring Fest: International Migratory Bird Day Celebration

Saturday, May 10, 7:00am-6:30pm

Free all-day event for all ages.  See the complete list of events and times here. (PDF)

Spring Fest: A Celebration of International Migratory Bird Day For All Ages

Saturday, May 10, 7:00am-7:00pm

Cost: Free

Join our celebration of International Migratory Bird Day. We’ll offer bird walks, a pollinators presentation, a native plants walk, an organic & native plants sale, a photography workshop, etc. For the younger crowd, they can enjoy a children’s activity area, children’s walks, and children’s nature discoveries. Lunch will be available for a small fee. Get out in nature and spend some time with us!

Programs For Adults

Penobscot Valley Chapter Program: Butterflies and Dragonflies

Friday, May 2, 7:30pm

Presenter: Richard Hildreth

Cost: Free

There are over 115 species of butterflies native to Maine and over 150 species of dragonflies and damselflies documented in the state. Richard Hildreth has been president of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club and is a key contributor to Maine’s Butterfly, Dragonfly, and Damselfly Surveys. This meeting is also the chapter’s annual meeting, with a slate of officers and board members to be voted on prior to the presentation.

Art Lessons for Adults: Drawing from Nature

Saturdays May 3, and June 7, 11:00am-noon for adults with natural object selected by teacher, 1:30-2:30pm with natural object selected by student.

Teacher: Carolyn Wallace-Zani of Main Street Studio

Cost: $10/lesson for members, $12/non-member

Learn drawing techniques to capture the essence of the local fauna and flora species with pencil on paper. Bring a regular school pencil, sketch pad, eraser and your enthusiasm for drawing and nature.

Book Discussion Group: Silence of the Songbirds: How We Are Losing the World's Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them by Bridget Stutchbury

Thursday, May 8, 7pm

Leader: Joyce Rumery

Cost: Free.

Location: Dirigo Pines in Orono, call 866-3400 for directions.

Stutchbury, an avid bird researcher and biology professor at York University in Toronto, paints a complex picture of the current condition of songbirds and their habitats. As songbirds diminish in number, fragile environments may be "shaken to the core." Stutchbury highlights positive action that people can take. Her affection for the birds is contagious.

Spring Fest: International Migratory Bird Day Celebration

Saturday, May 10, 7:00am-6:30pm

Free all-day event for all ages.  See the complete list of events and times here. (PDF)

Organic Native Plant Sale

Saturday, May 10, 10:00am-1:00pm (part of Spring Fest)

Presenters: Julie and Peter Beckford of Rebel Hill Farm

Come to a terrific plant sale of Organic Native and Medicinal plants from Rebel Hill Farm in Clifton. The certified organic growers will sell hardy, field grown perennials. Julie and Peter will be on hand to answer any gardening questions you may have.

Penobscot Valley Chapter Field Trip: Birding By Bike
Sunday, May 18th, 7:00am - 10:00am
Leaders: Ron Cote, Sandi Duchesne

Cost: Free. Call Ron 866-2710 or Sandi 827-3782 to register and for directions on where to meet. Be sure to call ahead for final details.

Enjoy a leisurely bike ride along lightly traveled roads in the Bangor area and stop at some “ hot pockets “ to look for songbirds, woodpeckers, birds of prey, waterfowl, etc. The exact route will be determined by the leaders based on weather and road conditions, but will be in the Bangor vicinity. Bring your bike, binoculars, helmet, snacks and water.

Land Trust Gathering

Thursday, May 22, 7pm

Presenters: Bangor Land Trust, Holden Land Trust, Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust, Orono Land Trust

Cost: $5 members, $6 non-members

Concerned about urban or suburban sprawl? Open space in your community you’d like to see protected? If so, welcome to the land trust movement! The number of land trusts has exploded in recent years to more than 1600. The protected acreage more than doubled between 2001 and 2006 to 11.9 million acres. Hear representatives of four conservation trusts discuss their challenges and the strategies they employ to meet those challenges.

Penobscot Valley Chapter Field Trip: Birding Sears Island
Saturday, May 24, 7:30am – Noon
Leaders: Jim and Kathy Zeman

Cost: Free. Pre-registration not required but recommended by calling 469-0534.
Meet at the end of the causeway, located at the end of Sears Island Rd.

Come and search Sears Island and its surrounding waters for early spring arrivals. Over 160 bird species have been recorded on and around this 960 acre Island. A moderate hike will be included.

Thoughts on Our Ethical Obligations to Animals

Thursday, May 29, 7pm

Presenter: Greg Fahy, Associate Professor at the University of Maine at Augusta

Cost: $5 members, $6 non-members

Many of us recognize that human beings have ethical obligations to animals. We think we should refrain from causing unnecessary suffering or causing extinctions, for example. But our ethical intuitions in this area are often unclear or inconsistent. Fahy will examine a variety of ethical theories that entail obligations to animals and sort out some of the implications of these theories.

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June Programs

Programs For Children

Drawing Nature at the Orono Bog

Adults & Children

Sunday, June 1, 9-11:00am

Leaders: Travis Baker, Holly Twining

Cost: $8 members, $10 non-members. Advance registration required. 989-2591 or htwining@maineaudubon.org

Travis Baker will instruct participants on capturing the essence of the plants of the bog via sketchpad and pencil taking time to focus on the fascinating details. Holly Twining will remark on the abundant facets of the nature alive and well at the bog. Bring your favorite art supplies and a creative spirit.

Children's Drawing Class

Ages 4-10

Saturday June 7, 9:30-10:30am,

Teacher: Carolyn Wallace-Zani of Main Street Studio

Cost: $10 members, $12 non-members (1 Adult/1 Child)

This class will introduce children to nature drawing by recognizing basic shapes as the building blocks to creating artistic forms found in nature. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to participate. Bring your favorite art supplies and enjoy our group of budding artists in discovering the natural world around us.

Nature Writing at the Orono Bog

Adults & Children

Saturday, June 7, 9-11

Leader: Holly Twining

Cost: $8 members, $10 non-members. Advance registration required. 989-2591 or htwining@maineaudubon.org

Holly Twining, Audubon Naturalist, will lead a writing workshop at the Orono Bog. The workshop will focus on using all five senses and most of all, your imagination. Participants will be given writing exercises and time to draft a quick story, poem, or essay on their own. The group will be given the option to share their work.

Family Walks in Nature

Saturdays June 14 from 1-2:30pm

Leader: Holly Twining

Cost: Parents free. Children $4. No registration necessary.

Bring the family to explore nature on the grounds of Fields Pond. Parents and children will enjoy the exercise and fresh air, as well as learning the science and poetry of nature. A creative indoor project will be offered after the walk.

Birding for Parents and Their Children

Wednesday, June 25, 5-6:30pm

Leader: Ron Joseph, Wildlife Biologist

Cost: $5 parents, Free for children. Please register in advance at 989-2591 or email htwining@maineaudubon.org. Bring binoculars. We have a few extra pairs for children.

Parents, bring your children to enjoy birding in the lovely environs that surround the nature center. Ron Joseph, birding expert/enthusiast, will be your guide. Ron will have his ipod handy to call in some special birds to view. Towards the end of the program we’ll head inside to look at slides & sounds of some of the birds we’ve seen outside.

Wild Movement

For Adults and Children (anyone who loves to move!)

Saturday, June 28, 10:00am-noon

Leader: Holly Twining

Cost: $10 adults, $5 children. Please register in advance at 989-2591 or email htwining@maineaudubon.org

Young and old(er) come and join Holly, who has a dance and choreography background, as she leads you through fun nature-based movement exercises. No judgement, just let yourself go. For part of the class, if the weather is right, we’ll take our creative moves outside in the fields of Fields Pond.

Nature Time for Children: Summer Session

For Children Ages 2 to 4 with parent

Every other Thursday 11-noon, June 26 – September 18

Leaders: Holly Twining, Tina Roberts

Cost: Parents free. $24 for series for children of members and $28 for children of non-members. Pre-registration required for series. 989-2591 or htwining@maineaudubon.org

Join us for a nature-based program with stories, creative play, hands-on activities, or a nature/art project. Parents participate in the program. Be prepared to be outside for a portion of each program.

Programs For Adults

Art Lessons for Adults: Drawing from Nature

Saturdays May 3, and June 7, 11:00am-noon for adults with natural object selected by teacher, 1:30-2:30pm with natural object selected by student.

Teacher: Carolyn Wallace-Zani of Main Street Studio

Cost: $10/lesson for members, $12/non-member

Learn drawing techniques to capture the essence of the local fauna and flora species with pencil on paper. Bring a regular school pencil, sketch pad, eraser and your enthusiasm for drawing and nature.

The Peculiar Forest of Fray Jorge National Park, Chile
Wednesday, June 11, 7pm

Presenter: Richard Jagels, professor of forest biology at UMAINE

Cost: $5 members, $6 non-members

Northern Chile has very low rainfall and harbors the driest desert on Earth, the Atacama. Yet fragments of forests can be found along the coast that contain tree species that normally grow in the wet, Southern region of Chile or in rain forests of the Andes. Jagels visited this region during our summer, Chile’s winter, of 2007. He will show photos of these rare forest remnants that may disappear with global warming.

Book Discussion Group: A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf by John Muir

Thursday, June 12, 7pm

Leader: Joyce Rumery

Cost: Free.

Location: Dirigo Pines in Orono, call 866-3400 for directions.

When Muir’s sight miraculously returned after an industrial accident, he devoted his time to the great passion of his life, studying plants. He set out alone to walk to the Gulf of Mexico, sketching tropical plants along the way. He kept a journal of this thousand-mile walk and the result is a wonderful portrait of a young man in search of himself and a particularly vivid portrait of the post-war American South.

Sparrow Tour
Sunday, June 15, 7:00am-noon
Leader: John Wyatt

Cost: $5 members, $6 non-members. Call 989-2591 for registration and directions to the meeting point in Winterport.

Need help improving your sparrow identification skills? Sparrows are small and not very "flashy" so they can be challenging to recognize. Join us for a tour of Prospect and Frankfort visiting the Mendall Marsh and nearby blueberry barrens. In addition to the more common sparrows, we'll look for Vesper's and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows.

Moonlight Canoeing

Tuesday, June 17, 7pm

Leaders: Judy Markowsky, Holly Twining

Cost: $5/person with your own canoe or kayak; $10 per rental canoe with life jacket and paddles. Sign up and pay in advance.

Float along the lake shore, as waning day becomes moonlit night. Loons, Eagles, bats and frogs may grace your trip. Meet at Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden by 7pm sharp. Heavy rain or thunder would cancel the trip, and your payment would be refunded.

Mystery Fish of the Orono Bog

Friday, June 20, 7-8:00pm and Saturday June 21, 8am

Leader: Judy Markowsky

Cost: $12 members, $15 non-members.

There are tiny, sometimes beautiful, fascinating fish in the lagg (the wet area that surrounds the bog). How do they get there? A few years ago, Judy Markowsky found a new fish, before then unknown to be in Maine. She and other biologists published an article about it. This class will have an orientation with informative handouts, and will set live-traps Friday evening. Saturday we’ll see what we caught!

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Special Programs

Calling all Girl Scouts

Looking for help fulfilling Girl Scout Badge requirements? The Girl Scouts of Maine will be offering programs the first Sunday afternoon of each month at Fields Pond Audubon Center. For Brownies the following “Try-Its” programs will be offered: Animals, Eco-Explorer, Outdoor Adventurer, and Water Everywhere. At the Juniors level, programs offered will be: Frosty Fun, Earth Connections, Wildlife, and Your Outdoor Surroundings. Contact the Girl Scouts of Maine office (989-7474) for information and registration. Programs will be held Feb. 2 and March 2, from 1:30pm to 4:00pm. These monthly programs will continue thru June.

Home School Programs

Download or print the Winter 2008 home school flyer here. (PDF)

“Global Warming – Maine Implications”, suitable for ages 8-14, Wednesday, March 5 from 9:00am to 3:00pm. During the session we will determine what global warming is and consider how it may affect nature and life in Maine.

Advance registration and payment will guarantee your child a place in the class. Contact Fields Pond Audubon Center (989-2591) for information and registration. Non-member costs: $30, Member Costs: $25

Volunteer Opportunities

Choose something you'd enjoy doing, then please call Judy Markowsky at 207-989-2591 or e-mail jmarkowsky@maineaudubon.org  

Volunteers are needed to:

To volunteer for any of these tasks, please call Judy Markowsky at 207-989-2591 or e-mail jmarkowsky@maineaudubon.org  Your help counts in our community!

Nature Explorations

   Walking and canoe tours and specially designed programs are available for groups at a discounted price.  Open to groups of all ages including school classes, community groups, families, and Scout troops, all guided programs are led by trained naturalists and introduce participants to the environment around them. Teachers receive a packet including pre- and post-trip activities, natural history information, and resources.  Please contact us for more information.

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