Calendar of Events for 2011

All walks meet at the beginning of the boardwalk in the Bangor City Forest (Tripp Road off Stillwater Avenue, north of the Bangor Mall) unless otherwise noted. See Maps for directions. Walks are free. Reserve beforehand. Group size is limited to 12 unless otherwise noted. Walks may be cancelled due to insufficient registration. You will be notified if cancelled. To register for a walk contact: 207-866-2578 or email: Jim.Bird@umit.maine.edu (please write "boardwalk" on the subject line).

When there are light showers or steady light rain, the walk takes place as scheduled. if there is steady heavy rain, the walk is cancelled. The bog is actually quite marvelous in gentle rain.

Guided tours of the boardwalk may be arranged for senior citizen groups, school classes, clubs, and other groups by contacting John Maddaus John_Maddaus@umit.maine.edu. The boardwalk is suitable for wheel chairs. To assure that we will be able to provide your group with a qualified guide, please make your arrangements at least a week in advance.

Saturday, May 14. 7:00 - 8:30 am. SHORT DISTANCE MIGRANT BIRDS OF ORONO BOG. Free. Leaders: Jerry Longcore, USFWS wildlife biologist, retired and Jim Bird, Boardwalk Director. Short-distance migrant birds are those which winter in the Southeast of the U.S. such as the Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, and Hermit Thrush. A few of those which migrate from the Caribbean or from South America may have arrived also—Perhaps the Black-Throated Green Warbler or the Nashville Warbler. Meet at the Tripp Drive parking lot.

Saturday, May 21. 7:00 - 9:00 am. Birds of the City Forest and the Boardwalk . Free. Leader: Paul Markson, local bird walk leader. Paul will lead this Saturday morning bird walk through parts of the Bangor City forest, including the Boardwalk. Meet at the Tripp Drive parking lot.

Saturday, May 28. 7:00 - 8:30 am. SHORT DISTANCE MIGRANT BIRDS OF ORONO BOG. Free. Leader: Bill Glanz, Associate Professor of Zoology, University of Maine. Short-distance migrant birds are those which winter in the Southeast of the U.S. such as the Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, and Hermit Thrush. A few of those which migrate from the Caribbean or from South America may have arrived also—Perhaps the Black-Throated Green Warbler or the Nashville Warbler. Meet at the Tripp Drive parking lot.

Saturday, June 4 . 9-10:30 am. WILDFLOWERS OF THE BOG: IDENTIFICATION AND ECOLOGY. Free. Leader: Ron Davis, Boardwalk founder and peatland expert. While we marvel at the profusion and beauty of the wildflowers, and learn to identify them, we'll consider the ecological factors that control their occurrence and growth. From the edge to the center of the raised bog, the boardwalk gradually ascends a gentle slope. Along this slope, the environment change dramatically, and these changes are reflected by an equally dramatic change in the vegetation and kinds of wildflowers that we'll see. Prepare for the walk by checking the Nature Calendar on the Boardwalk website.

Saturday, June 18, 9-10:30am. HYDROLOGY IN BOGS AND FENS—WHERE DOES THE WATER GO? Free. led by Professor Andy Reeve of University of Maine Department Earth Sciences. Water is continuously percolating beneath the boardwalk. This slow and steady movement of water influences the development of peatlands (bogs and fens) and affects the living ecosystem. We will discuss how groundwater movement is evaluated, the reasons for peat accumulation, and recent hydrology research at Orono Bog.

Saturday, June 25, 9-10:30am. PEAT BOGS FOR KIDS. Free. led by the Bog Summer Educational Intern. This walk is for 5 to 10 year olds. We will see, touch, smell, and talk about lots of neat things, from skunk cabbage to pitcher plants to cotton grass. We’ll use a turkey baster to suck the water out of a pitcher plant to see what lives inside the pitcher. We’ll poke a long rod down into the peat to find out what is at the bottom. There’ll be more surprises. This learning experience is fun! One (only) parent must accompany his or her children.

Saturday, July 2, 10-11:30am. INSECT WALK. Free. led by the Jennifer Lund, Research Technician, School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine. Have you ever wondered what insects are found in the bog? Join us for a walk along the Boardwalk to learn about the diverse and interesting insect communities that live there.

Saturday, July 16, 9-10:30am. HOW SOME PLANTS SURVIVE WHERE MOST PLANTS WOULD PERISH. Free. led by Professor Christa Schwintzer of University of Maine School of Biological Sciences. Wetlands like Orono Bog are impossible places for most plant species of the Bangor area to grow in. Only a relatively few, specially adapted plant species can thrive in these environments with water-saturated soil lacking in oxygen or in extremely infertile peat soil. What special features and abilities do these hardy plants possess that allow them to thrive in these environments where most other plant species would perish? The fascinating plants that grow along the side of the boardwalk will abundantly illustrate this fascinating story of adaptation and survival.

Saturday, July 23, 9-10:30am. A MORNING FLOWER WALK. Free. led by Stephanie Burnett with the University of Maine Department of Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences. Diverse and unique plants are found in the bog. Come for a walk on the boardwalk and learn about some of the botanical treasures that grow in peat bogs including sundew, pitcher plants, and more.

Saturday, July 30, 9-10:30am. Dragonflies of the Bog. Free. led by Bronco Quick, Dragonfly researcher. A brief ecology of the Maine Odonata (dragonflies). Weather permitting, we will see and perhaps catch for closer examination, some representatives of this fascinating Order. I wlll have some specimens and books to show and perhaps some live larvae and adults.

(Not yet scheduled). WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT TREE?. Free. led by Bill Livingston, School of Forest Resources, University of Maine. Trees must deal with stresses from insects, fungi, plants, people, and climate. You will learn how to identify common problems, examine what adverse affect the pests have on the tree, and discuss how the stresses impact forest health.

(Not yet scheduled) THE BEAUTY IS IN THE DETAILS: MEDITATING ON THE NATURAL WORLD WITH CAMERAS. Free. Leader: Bill Kuykendall, New Media Program, University of Maine. Join our leader for a Friday evening workshop at the University of Maine, Totman Lounge (Union). Topics covered will include landscape and closeup photography with an emphasis on plants; lighting, both natural and artifical; cameras and lenses; digital enhancement; and tripods and other useful accessories. Practice what you have learned on an early moring walk at the Boadwalk the next morning with our leader.

August 6, 9-10:30am. PEAT BOGS FOR KIDS: CARNIVOROUS PLANTS AND BOOGEYMEN—WHY ARE THEY IN THE BOG? Free. Leader: Bog Intern This walk is for 5 to 10 year olds. We’ll use a turkey baster to suck the water out of a pitcher plant to see what lives inside the pitcher. We’ll look at the organic soil to figure out why there may be legends about people “lost in the bog.” One (only) parent must accompany his or her children.

Saturday, September 17, 9-10:30am. Fungi of the Bog. Free. led by Seanna Annis, Associate Professor of Mycology, School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine. A walk describing the fungi interacting with Orono bog plants and animals. Fungi have an important role in the ecology of any ecosystem, and a bog is an area rich with fungi. Representative samples of fungi will be pointed out and their roles in the bog's ecosystem described.

Saturday, September 24, 10am-Noon. POETRY WORKSHOP TO CREATE A SYMPHONIC POEM CELEBRATING THE ORONO BOG BOARDWALK. Free. Leader:Sandra Lynn Hutchison is a longtime professor of English Literature and Creative Writing and the poetry editor of the Maine literary journal Puckerbrush Review. She also serves as the Maine Studies Research Associate at the University of Maine. In this poetry reading and workshop, Hutchison will walk the stations of the Boardwalk with participants, reading at each station sections from her long poem "Bog Walk," which appears in her recent book, The Art of Nesting (GR Books: Oxford, England, 2008). Participants will respond by creating their own poems as they move through the stations. Before setting out on the Boardwalk, Hutchinson will offer a brief introduction to some of the poetic forms with which participants may wish to experiment in the course of their walk with a focus on short forms such as the haiku. At the end of the walk, the poems written by the participants will be woven together with sections of Hutchison's "Bog Walk" to create a symphonic poem whose parts will be read by the poet and by any members of the workshop who wish to participate. The event is intended to be a celebration of poetry, an opportunity for meditation on the natural beauty of the Caribou Bog, and a tribute to all those who have made this unique landscape available to us by creating and maintaining the Orono Bog Boardwalk.

Sunday, October 23, 9-10:30am. BOARDWALK LICHEN WALK. Free. led by Jim and Pat Hinds, author of The Macrolichens of New England (NY Botanical Garden Press, 2007). We will introduce you to the major types of lichens and show you some of the commonest species. After the walk, we hope that you will notice and appreciate lichens more, and enjoy them wherever you go no matter what the season.

(Not yet scheduled) NIGHT SKY WALK. 8:30-11pm. Free. Leader to be announced. Meet at the parking lot at the Tripp Drive entrance to the Bangor City Forest.