First week of January... It's time to think about the SUMMER!

We're "enjoying" a full-blown winter storm here in the Heart of the Rockies today. Howling wind, single-digit temps, horizontal snow.

So of course it's a great day to think about a sunny island off the coast of Maine, where I'll be an instructor for a couple of programs in June and July!

Registration is underway for all the programs at Hog Island Audubon Camp: Ornithology programs for adults, bird and marine studies for teens, family camps... and my personal favorites – Educators' Week and Arts & Birding. Scholarships and early registration discounts may still be available, so be sure to check out those links as well.

Program descriptions below, but feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I hope to see some of you on the island this summer!

2016 Arts & Birding guest instructor and National Geographic illustrator
Jonathan Alderfer helps participants understand bird and feather anatomy.

Arts & Birding 
June 11-16
Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and rhythms of life on an island on Maine’s stunningly beautiful rocky coast! You’ll find plenty of creative inspiration in the company of artists who share an enthusiasm for birds and nature and you’ll be able to learn from some of the country’s best photographers and artists. This program includes fun birding adventures, as well as more in-depth study in your choice specialty of photography or sketching/painting.

We’ll explore the island’s spruce forest, tide pools, and striking vistas, and take a boat trip to Eastern Egg Rock to see Atlantic puffins. The week includes opportunities to learn new skills through your choice of workshops on photography or sketching, journaling and painting. We will also offer longer blocks of time for you to immerse yourself in your art. This program is ideal for beginners as well as avid birders, artists and photographers. No experience or talent needed! Just a desire to experience and enjoy birds in fresh, new ways.

Hog Island tidepool

Island view as the tide recedes

Sharing Nature: An Educator's Week
July 16-21

Learn practical approaches and add inspiration to your environmental education curriculum during this action-packed program. Our experienced and enthusiastic instructors share their favorite approaches, methods, and activities for engaging both children and adults with nature.

Workshops using techniques in art, music, theater, journaling, and other disciplines will be presented, as well as a host of classic Audubon Camp field trips, including a boat trip to the restored Atlantic Puffin and Tern colony on Eastern Egg Rock, intertidal explorations, and hiking through Hog Island's unspoiled spruce-fir forest. These experiences provide a wonderful opportunity to be learning outside in a beautiful setting, while also considering how you can take back some of these insights and methods to your students back home. We'll be exploring citizen science, creating some inquiry-based lessons on birds and other topics, and demonstrating both low and high-tech methods of teaching.