July 13: “Explore Sears Island: One Morning in Maine” program with Belfast Senior College
Belfast Senior College is offering a summer program on Sears Island on July 13 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.! Learn about the history of Sears Island and discover its many resources. Participants will have a choice of hikes/walks and an orientation to the whole island.
Wear comfortable walking shoes, dress for the weather, bring sunscreen and insect repellent, and bring your own water bottle. Some trails have uneven surfaces.
There is a program fee of $20, and registration is required as spaces are limited. Rain date is July 16.
For complete details and a link to the registration page, visit https://belfastseniorcollege.org/event-6701297.
Instructor Rolf Olsen is president of the Friends of Sears Island Board and a long-time supporter of maintaining and conserving Sears Island in its natural state. Janet Williams, Secretary of the FOSI Board, will be co-leading the program.
July 14: Summer Nature Journaling Workshop on Sears Island with Andrea Lani
Join Maine Master Naturalist Andrea Lani in an exploration of Sears Island through nature journaling on Tuesday, July 14 from 9:30 a.m. to noon (rain date July 15). We’ll begin the morning by learning a few drawing and observation basics, then we’ll investigate the tall oaks, stone walls, meadows, and shoreline along the Homestead Trail. As we go, we’ll pause to appreciate, sketch, and write about whatever captures our attention. Lani will invite participants to try out a range of art, writing and observation exercises, which you will be able to bring home and apply to your own nature journaling practice.
Registration is required for this free event, as space is limited. Please sign up at https://tinyurl.com/sears-island-nature-journaling.
No art, writing, or natural history experience is necessary. Please bring a blank notebook/journal or paper and a clipboard as well as your preferred drawing and writing implements. Lani will provide some additional supplies, such as colored pencils and art pens. Wear sturdy shoes and clothing suited to the weather, and bring a hat, sunblock, bug spray, snacks, water or whatever else you need to feel comfortable for a few hours outdoors. A portable camp stool or sit pad for sitting or kneeling on the ground would be handy too.
Lani writes about the intersection of family and the natural world from her home in Maine. She’s the author of “Uphill Both Ways: Hiking toward Happiness on the Colorado Trail” and her essays have recently appeared in “Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability” and the anthologies “Echos in the Fog” and “More than Hope”. She’s also a regular contributor to Green & Healthy Maine magazine. Lani is a graduate of College of the Atlantic and the Stonecoast MFA Program, she’s a Maine Master Naturalist, and she teaches nature writing and nature journaling workshops around Maine.