Training offered on ‘Signs of the Seasons’ in Maine
University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant will offer four free “Signs of the Seasons” training sessions for volunteer citizen scientists around the state.
- March 16, 4–6:30 p.m., Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, 20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth
- March 24, 4–6:30 p.m., Audubon Fields Pond Station, 216 Fields Pond Road, Holden
- April 8, 4–6:30 p.m., SeDoMoCha Middle School, 63 Harrison Ave., Dover-Foxcroft
- April 27, 12:30–3 p.m., Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, 342 Laudholm Farm Road, Wells
Participants will be trained to observe signs of spring — budding leaves, blooming flowers, peeping frogs, singing birds — that are indicators of a larger cycle of seasonal changes that affect plants, animals and people in Maine. The study of these seasonal changes, called phenology, contributes to understanding the local effects of climate change. Data collected by volunteers contribute to an online database hosted by the National Phenology Network.
Trainings are free and open to the public; registration is required. Register online. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Esperanza Stancioff, 207.832.0343; esp@maine.edu.