Agriculture & Outdoors

Image uploaded by Ellsworth Adult and Community Education

Maine Coastal Wildlife

with Ruth Hill, Senior Naturalist

Feb

27

February 27th to March 13th, 2023

$35 More Info

Bring your questions, sightings, experiences and curiosity to this informal class focusing on wildlife that lives in or along our coastal waters. Veteran Naturalist Ruth Hill will talk about her experiences with coastal wildlife, nearshore and offshore, and provide resources to inform discussions. When you register for this workshop, you'll receive a link to a survey so you can share your interests and the sessions can be driven by participant interest. This is a live online class using ZOOM.

Makeup date, if needed, 03/20/23.

Photograph taken off Grand Manan Banks by Ruth Hill.

Ruth Hill is a senior naturalist for Bar Harbor Whale Watch, leading coastal trips "where you can see land (island count)". She has taught coastal ecology, and written many articles on natural history of Maine publications. She has a BA from College of the Atlantic.

Fruit Tree Cultivation Part 1

with C.J. Walke

Mar

1

March 1st, 2023

$15 More Info

In this three part series, we will focus on organic methods to help gardeners and homesteaders establish and maintain healthy fruit trees for home fruit production.

In Part 1, we will discuss variety selection and soil preparation for planting young fruit trees, as well as how to grow a young tree in its early years before flowering and fruit production. This is a live online workshop using ZOOM.

C. J. Walke has been working for the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association since 2006 and for the past decade, he has focused on providing technical services to farmers and teaching practical skills related to organic tree fruit cultivation.

Boating: America’s Boating Course

with D. Scott Miller

Mar

4

March 4th, 2023

$25 More Info

This basic boating class reduces your risk of accidents and injuries, saves you money on boat insurance, and qualifies you for a state boat license or operator certificate in most states (including Maine). It is the most comprehensive, single source, in-person boating course available to give you the skills you need to enjoy your time on the water and boat with confidence. Please go to our website, call or email for more information. The course covers:

safety equipment;
trip planning;
navigation rules and aids;
state and federal regulations;
anchoring, dealing with adverse conditions and emergencies;
communications;
trailering; and
knots and lines.

The course also introduces navigation and the use of charts-important information on determining where you are and how to go where you wish to go safely. The information is useful for users of all sorts of watercraft (power, sail, paddle) and for both ocean and freshwater boating.

There is a print or e-manual for the course ($26) that you will want to read through before the class. Often people take this course with a family member or friend, and the manuals are easily shared so it's not included in the cost of the course. This is an in-person class. When you receive the electronic receipt for this course, please complete the two question survey regarding distribution of the manual.

Makeup class, if needed, 03/11/23.

This course is offered by the Penobscot Bay Sail & Power Squadron. America's Boating Club®, For Boaters, By Boaters® We’ve been making boating safer and more enjoyable for over 100 years.

Scott has been making adventurous use of the sea since his teens. He’s owned several “cruising andracer/cruiser” sailboats over the last twenty years, and is an active member of the East Coast offshore singlehanded racing circuit. He races single and shorthanded to and from Bermuda almost every year, and has sailed across the Atlantic, singlehanded, 2 ½ times (he can tell the story of the half-time in class). He currently races (and cruises) in Resolute, a 46’ sloop. Scott is a strong proponent of practical seamanship for all, and holds the Royal Yachting Association’s RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certification, several US Sailing Certifications, and teaches virtually the full range of America’s Boating Club courses.

Waiting list available

Fly Fishing: An Introduction

with Kevin Tracewski

Apr

1

April 1st, 2023

$85 More Info

This course is designed to get you solidly grounded in the fundamentals needed to enjoy fly fishing. Topics covered include tackle selection and assembly, knots, fly casting, fish foods, artificial flies, fly fishing strategies, entomology, and wading safety.

After completing this course, you should have all the understanding and skills necessary to catch fish with a fly rod on your own.

This course will be taught in Orono by Kevin Tracewski, a registered Maine guide and author of the best selling book, A Fisherman’s Guide to Maine. This is an in-person class.

Makeup class, if needed, Sunday 04/23/23.

Composting

with C.J. Walke

Feb

15

February 15th, 2023

$15 More Info

In this workshop, we will discuss backyard composting as a method to manage kitchen food scraps and debris from your gardens and lawns, as well as how to recycle those nutrients into usable compost that can go back into your soil. We will cover the biology of the composting process and different techniques for successful backyard composting. This is a live on-line workshop.

Makeup class, if needed, 02/22/23.

C. J. Walke has been working for the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association since 2006 and for the past decade, he has focused on providing technical services to farmers and teaching practical skills related to organic tree fruit cultivation.

Beekeeping-Is it for Me? (Apr)

with Peter Cowin

Apr

10

April 10th, 2023

$20 More Info

Beekeeping is a wonderful and fascinating hobby and for Peter, a profession, or should that be obsession? This 90-minute interactive class explores what it is like to keep bees, what equipment is needed, where to go for help and advice, what is the cost and what are the rewards. This is a live online class using ZOOM.

For those who decide to take up the hobby, Peter will be running several follow-up, in-depth classes. Have your list of questions ready!

Peter Cowin a/k/a, the Bee Whisperer, started keeping bees in the 70s at the age of 11, and now tends to more than 130 colonies. He is past President of Penobscot County Beekeepers Association and mentor to many local beekeepers. Peter runs a beekeeping supply store in Hampden Maine. He sells packaged bees, produces queens and makes hundreds of nucleus colonies to sell each year. His bees produce thousands of pounds of honey per year sold under the Bee Whisperer name. Peter has been teaching beekeeping at his honey farm and in Adult Ed for more than 8 years.