Hunter Safety Course, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. starting Tuesday and ending Oct. 21 at Skowhegan Area High School. Sponsored by RSU 54 Adult Ed. Students 10-12 years old are to be accompanied by a parent or guardian during the full program. Authorized instructors are donating their time to the cause of greater outdoor safety. Class size is limited to 25 students. Contact Patte Bowman, 474-7553, to register.

Additional Photos

Join Georges River Land Trust for a nature walk along the St. George River in the Appleton Preserve from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday. The 124-acre preserve, on Route 105 in Appleton a quarter mile south of the intersection with Route 131, features a diversity of wildlife habitat, from the river to forested uplands. The property is conserved because of public bond funds through the Land for Maine’s Future program. For more information, go online to www.grlt.org or call 594-5166. Nature walk participants are asked to park in the lot maintained by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife at the St. George River bridge on Route 105. Courtesy Georges River Land Trust

Handgun Safety Course, 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Maine-ly Outdoors Ministry of Daystar Chapel at 574 Lakewood Road, Madison. This course satisfies the state’s requirement to apply for a concealed weapons permit. Food and beverages will be available for a reasonable cost at the class as a fundraiser. Call Dell at 399-9717 to register.

The Blandings Park Wildlife Sancuary in Biddeford will sponsor the Turtle Trek 2010 Adventure Races on Saturday. The event includes the Adventure, which includes canoeing/kayaking, running, bicycling and geocaching; the Challenge, which includes biking, running and geocaching; and the Hunt, which includes geocaching. Registrations must be completed before the day of the race. You can register by visiting www.turtletrek.me.

York County Audubon field trip 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Sanford Sewer Works. Meet at the parking lot at the plant office. Take Gavel Road east off of Route 4 at the blinking light, 2.7 miles south of the junction of Routes 4 & 111 or .7 mile north of the junction of Routes 4 & 109. FMI: Pat Sanborn, 781-9837.

Looking ahead

Maine Audubon will host a special presentation on Mission Wolf on Oct. 18 at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth. There will be two programs, one beginning at 4 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. Mission Wolf is a remote sanctuary for wolves in Colorado. Two live gray wolves and a wolf-dog hybrid will be at the presentation. Cost is $15 for members and $20 for non-members. To register call 781-2330, ext. 209, or e-mail lduffy@maineaudubon.org.

Hunter Safety Course, Skowhegan Sportsman’s Club, from 6-9 p.m. Oct. 19 and Oct. 21, and from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Oct. 23. To preregister, call Russ Corson at 474-5361.

The Maine Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club will sponsor two public forums featuring Eliza Townsend, the Maine commissioner of conservation. Townsend will talk about her favorite places in Maine and about protecting those and other special places in the state at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, and at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at Bangor Public Library, Bangor.

Opportunities for Enjoying Birds in Maine, 7 p.m. Oct. 19, York County Audubon program held in the Mather Auditorium of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm, 342 Laudholm Farm Road, Wells. Free. Sue Eder, education director at the Wells Reserve; Bob Duchesne, driving force behind the Birding Trail; and Steve Walker, coordinator of the Beginning with Habitat program at Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, will speak about birding in Maine.

Trail run, 1 p.m. Oct. 24, annual 7-mile run in the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands in Orland. Registration is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Hothole Brook Trail parking area. Entry fee is $10 per individual and $20 per family, and all proceeds benefit Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust. To register or volunteer, please contact Peter Keeney at pktrldrt@myfairpoint.net or 288-3909. Trail maps will also be posted at www.greatpondtrust.org.

Maine Guide Training Program at the Skowhegan Community Center, 39 Poulin Drive, Skowhegan, Dec. 2-5. The course prepares students for taking the state’s licensing exam for recreational, hunting and fishing guides. The cost is $475 per person, and a $200 deposit is required upon registration. To register, call Carroll Ware at Fins and Furs Adventures, 474-5430.

Ongoing

The Portland Water District invites preschoolers to join it for environmentally themed stories, activities and crafts. The sessions include: Harvesting at Home, Nov. 19; Forest Friends, Dec. 17; the Wonders of Water, Jan. 21; Incredible Insects, Feb. 18; Plants and Their Parts, March 18; Fun with Frogs, April 15. The programs will run from 10 a.m.-noon at the Sebago Lake Ecology Center in Standish. Register now and pay $10 for the series. To register, e-mail sebagolake@pwd.org or call 774-5961 ext. 3319 or 3320. Donation supports local loon preservation. Scholarships available, snacks provided.

L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools are offering Walk-On Adventures every Saturday and Sunday. Each class costs $20. No experience is necessary. Register in advance by calling 1-877-755-2326 or at the Outdoor Discovery Schools kiosk at the flagship store in Freeport. L.L. Bean will also offer kayak tours Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. until Columbus Day. Evening sunset, moonlight and women’s tours are also available. All tours are $59 per person.

Weekly Bird Walk, Thursday mornings at Gilsland Farm, Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth, 7 a.m., $5 for Maine Audubon members, $8 for nonmembers. All skill levels. Bring binoculars and a field guide and meet in the visitor center parking lot. 781-2330, ext. 209.

Bird Walks, 10 a.m. Thursdays, starting at the George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor. With naturalist and student Anna Stunkel, through Nov. 18. For information, contact astunkel@coa.edu or call 288-5395.

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