Family Activities & Nature Based Learning
Story Trail!
From May through the late fall we feature a storybook on our trails at Middle River Park! Bring your family and follow along to read nature based children books. This story walk is on the Blue Trail at Middle River Park in Machias. Let us know if you visit by tagging your photos with #dccstorytrail!
School/Group Programing
In partnership with local schools, educators, and homeschool groups DCC looks to engage students in nature based programming that connects youth to the outdoors with place-based learning and hands-on stewardship experiences. All programs are designed to teach basic concepts of ecology and conservation.
The priority is Field Trips where students and educators meet DCC staff local preserves for guided hikes, paddles and nature lessons. We can also develop service-learning opportunities.
Capacity permitting, DCC may offer to partner with schools to lead outdoor programming on school grounds. The goal would be to structure this as a program series, with a few sessions on the school grounds and a culminating field trip to a DCC preserve.
If you are interested in having Downeast Coastal Conservancy lead programming for your school or group please reach out to our staff at info@downeastcoastalconservancy.org.
Nature Based Learning Opportunities
Our environmental education goal is to engage youth and families right here in our local communities. With focus on an appreciation for our unique region and leading individuals to make decisions and take actions that will improve the Downeast ecosystems and conservation efforts in the future.
Our program offerings in the past have include DCC hosted day camps on our preserves, school-based programming including field trips and classroom presentations, and community events throughout the year, many of which are family-friendly. The programs and events we operate change yearly. Keep an eye out for new opportunities and possible returns of past favorites.
Additional Resources
- Discover Geocaching – Geocaching is a treasure hunting game where you use a GPS to find containers hidden by other participants. We have hidden a few caches at our local preserves! Visit Geocaching.com to find the geocaches nearest to you. Download their App today and let us know when you find cache’s on DCC trails.
- Become a citizen scientist – Use iNaturalist, a citizen scientist app, to identify and document flora and fauna as you observe it in nature. The app requires no plant or animal identification knowledge and works with any smart phone! By documenting what you find along your hike, you can help us inventory the incredibly varied species residing on our properties. Learn more about using iNaturalist here.
- Identify animal tracks – Downeast Maine has plenty of animals roaming around right nearby. Whether you are out on a DCC trail or somewhere else there is a good chance you will see animal tracks. To learn what critter left the print you are seeing download the Maine Department of Inland and Fisheries pocket guide to Maine animal tracks.