Students at King Middle School have begun the second phase of their NRCM Grant Project, which involves germinating seeds that will eventually provide crucial habitat and sustenance to local bird species. Check out their progress! Our first step in learning how to sustain wildlife with native plants has been to learn about seed plants. As Read More
Students Engaging in the Nature of Maine
Many middle school classrooms and programs across the state were awarded “Engaging Maine Middle School Students in the Nature of Maine” grants from the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Hear from the students and teachers about their creative and exciting projects designed to explore, understand, and protect Maine's environment.
Signs of Spring: Windham Middle School Students Observe the Birds
Preston: Over the past week my group and I only saw four birds. We saw a female American Goldfinch, a male Purple Finch, a male American Goldfinch, and a female Hairy Woodpecker. To figure out what the birds are we used a poster that listed some birds and then went from there. It was also Read More
What “Ales” You? A Story of a Lost Species by St. George School’s Sadie Davis
As part of St. George School’s Alewife Restoration Project, the students have been extracting oral narratives relating to alewives and local streams. Check out a report from Sadie Davis, who reflects on a conversation with her grandfather about his experiences with alewives. I have been told when my great grandfather was young he would eat Read More
Bath Middle School Student-Scientists Study Green Crab Populations
This semester, students at Bath Middle School have been working with the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust to study some green crab populations. In the fall, some surprising data was collected which noted that male and female crabs seem to group together to populate different areas, rather than being evenly distributed. Students have begun further study Read More
Clearing the Way: Palermo School Students Build Community Nature Trail
Students at Palermo Consolidated School are in the midst of designing, marking, and flagging a recreational trail behind their school. This trail will be used as a community resource to increase physical activity such as hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. It will also provide a place for outdoor lessons. Check out their progress below in Read More
St. George School Aims to Restore Alewives
In the town of St. George, Maine, students have been working alongside their town’s Conservation Commission on a project to re-introduce alewives into their town marsh. The process requires collecting streamflow and water quality data as well as projects capturing oral narratives of community members who are invested in species restoration. Thus these students are Read More
Colorful and Bright: King Middle School Students Begin “It’s for the Birds” Project
Students at King Middle School have been using their NRCM Grant on a project called “It’s for the Birds.” In order to better understand their local ecosystems and the problem of shrinking bird habitats, they have been observing local bird species as well as creating a set of species cards for the Audubon Society. Check Read More
Freeport Middle Schoolers Take Action for Maine’s Environment
On Tuesday, March 1st, I had the huge privilege of accompanying a group of Freeport Middle School students to NRCM’s Citizen Action Day. These students are part of Freeport Middle School’s Interact Club, one of the eight groups that received an NRCM “Engaging Maine Middle School Students in Protecting the Nature of Maine” grant.
Palermo Nature Trail Plans to Become Reality
Last fall, the Natural Resources Council of Maine launched a trial seed grant program to help support projects that educate and engage Maine middle school students in learning about Maine’s environment and the value of protecting it. We awarded the grants last month to eight schools. As Grants Director at NRCM, I have the great Read More
