The Wrack

The Autumn StoryWalk is now up on the Saw-whet trail!

A new story walk is installed on the Saw-whet Owl Trail for the winter season!

A new story walk is installed on the Saw-whet Owl Trail for the autumn season!

Find a sit-spot and sit, just sit. Relax. Notice. Observe. Connecting with nature even for just a few minutes a day can work wonders.

A workshop about how to teach taught me about art. Block printing gave this naturalist a new way to see nature. 

Can the Wells Reserve offer an antidote to the poison of war?

Shhh... don't tell anyone about my grand idea...

The following was published in the Biddeford-Saco Journal Tribune Sunday edition of 2/7/16 and Making It At Home Thursday edition, 2/11/2016.

On February 12, 1809, two boys were born, one in England, one in Kentucky. Though separated by an ocean they were, by the end of their lives, united in genius, vision, and courage.

It's been well over a week since our few inches of snow fell and we've been through a a number of melt/freeze cycles over that time. Skis and snowshoes won't be much fun; wear sturdy boots and take your time on the uneven and sometimes icy surface.

Weather is not looking great. Your best bet this weekend is probably Saturday afternoon. Be careful early Saturday, as the roads might be slick. The skies brighten for the start of the work week.

We have no public programs this weekend, and the Visitor Center is closed until April, but next Wednesday at lunch time Sue Bickford will talk about Soundscape Ecology in Mather Auditorium.

On one of my first days here at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm, I was given a very simple task by my supervisor: familiarize yourself with the exhibit areas.  As the sunlight illuminated the office floor and the cool breeze rushed through my window, as if beckoning me to go outside for a walk, staying indoors was the exact opposite of the interesting afternoon I had in mind.  Reading displays and interpretive signs for hours seemed incredibly boring.

Thankfully, I was wrong.

Thirteen Head Start preschools from across York County visited the Reserve on numerous occasions this past year to experience the great outdoors and make exciting wildlife discoveries. They came in the fall, winter, and spring seasons to hear a nature-based story, meet a variety of animal puppets, create a related craft to take home, and walk the trails while engaged in scavenger hunts and sensory adventures.