The Penobscot County Conservation Association has earned a reputation — in some circles, at least — as a group of outdoors enthusiasts who are always looking to provide opportunities for youngsters.
Some club members, however, have come to feel that the venerable club, which has a handsome clubhouse in Brewer, isn’t as well-known as it could be. And consequently, neither is its mission.
“I think the club[house] was built in the early ’60s, the club has been around since the early ’30s,” longtime PCCA member Woody Higgins said Thursday. “I think a lot of people in the greater Bangor area don’t even know that we exist. So part of [the goal of an upcoming project] is to get exposure for the club itself and also to get kids involved in the outdoors.”
That upcoming program promises to be a hit with the younger crowd … and it’ll likely be of particular interest to parents looking to pry their youngsters away from computers, video games and the like.
It’s being billed as Outdoor Family Fun Day, and it’ll be held on June 20 at the PCCA clubhouse on Route 9 — North Main Street — in Brewer.
What’s an Outdoor Family Fun Day?
I’m glad you asked.
Picture a hands-on sportsman’s show for kids (and their parents). Picture fly casting and fly tying and target shooting and archery instruction from accomplished bowhunters. Picture canoe rides on the Penobscot River in 28-foot-long war canoes. Picture demonstrations by search and rescue dogs … and geocaching … and mak-ing wood block prints.
Picture learning about what kind of critters are crawling around in the nearby pond. Picture a safari in a box.
Now picture food. Plenty of food. Two meals worth (lunch from noon until 1 p.m., a chicken barbecue dinner from 4-6 p.m.).
And picture the price tag: The activities are free (though the food will be sold at a nominal cost).
The day’s events begin at 10 a.m.
Higgins said club members have been talking about holding a family fun day for years, and finally decided to move forward with the idea this year.
[We’re] trying to get youngsters more involved in the outdoors, kind of giving them [access] to a group of clubs and organizations that are outdoor-oriented,” Higgins said.
The PCCA gives out thousands of dollars in college scholarships and summer camp “camperships” each year, and sponsors the popular Eastern Maine Sportsman’s Show that is held in March at the University of Maine.
Higgins said club members are aware that today’s youngsters may not be as apt to discover outdoor recreational opportunities as those in generations past.
“You read about it in the paper and you see it on the news, kids are glued to the TV or the computer,” Higgins said. “We work with both of the conservation camps [at Greenland Point and Bryant Pond] and kids go to the conservation camps and almost don’t want to be left. And then when their parents come to get them at the end of the week, they don’t want to go home.”
That’s an image that has made an impression on PCCA members: Show children their options, and they may surprise you.
“I think once they’re exposed to outdoor activities, hopefully that will carry on through their life,” Higgins said.
County birding festival set
Bird-watchers from across the region will flock (sorry … couldn’t resist the pun) to Presque Isle on June 13 for the inaugural Aroostook State Park Birding Festival.
Scott Thompson, manager of Maine’s oldest state park, said the festival was part of an overall plan to give potential visitors more reasons to head to the park.
“We want to try to offer different types of programs and open up the park to people of the community of northern Maine,” Thompson said on Friday. “One of the ideas that we had was to try to do some natural-resource type programs. Birding is one of the [most popular] recreational activities that people do, and we have a great resource here in The County with a diverse habitat.”
Organizers of the festival have a full slate of activities that will run from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. (insert your own “early bird” pun here). According to a press release, the park holds more than 100 species of birds.
Guided bird walks with Bill Sheehan and Linda Alverson will be held on the hour from 5 a.m. until 11 a.m.; University of Maine at Presque Isle assistant professor Jason Johnston will do bird-banding demonstrations from 6 a.m. until noon; Wildlife rehabilitation expert Arthur Howell will display live birds of prey from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.; Judith Roe will hold optics demonstrations from 8 a.m. until noon; and Master Maine guide Dave Kelso will perform bird-calling demonstrations throughout the day.
Thompson said he hopes the event will stimulate the local economy, and that a successful first effort will lead to more ambitious festivals in the future.
He said adding vendors and artisans would be a natural step for future birding festivals, and hopes that the event becomes popular enough that birders from across the northeast come to recognize the festival and Aroostook County.
“The big draw here is we have an older-growth area that is ideal for woodpeckers,” Thompson said. “It’s kind of a neat location. We also sit next to some great areas to view birds. People can pick up the new Maine Birding Trail brochure that will give the location of some other areas in Aroostook County.”
The public is welcome, and park admission is $1 for children 5-11, $2 for those 12-64, and free for kids under 5 and adults over 65.
A parabolic microphone will be on hand, and spotting scopes will be set up to view distant birds. A few sets of binoculars will also be available, but organizers advise participants to bring their own optics if they have them. Also essential: Foul-weather gear and bug spray. Coffee, hot chocolate and water will be available.
Many of the events are weather-dependent, but Thompson said he’s not worried about that.
“I’ve ordered good weather, so we should have a great day,” he said with a laugh.
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