Native American Pow Wow, today at the Maine Wildlife Park, Route 26, Gray. Representatives from Maine and New England tribes will be at the park with dancers, drummers, craft vendors, singers and traditional food booths. Admission to the park is free for ages 3 and under; $5 for ages 5-12; $7 for adults; and $5 for seniors. FMI: Call 657-4977 or visit www.mainewildlifepark.com.

Mountains and Meditation Hike at Pleasant Mountain, 9 a.m. today. Take in the beauty that surrounds us and connect to our environment on this mindful hike up the Southwest Ridge Trail. Bring your own lunch, plenty of water and yoga mat and blanket. Suggested donation of $25 and up. Contact Nurture Through Nature at 452-2929 or getaway@ntnretreats.com to reserve your spot. 

Applications for the 2011 any-deer (antlerless) permit lottery are due Monday, and are available online from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Visit www.mefishwildlife.com. The drawing will be held in September. 

Tree Identification Tour of Pondicherry Park in Bridgton, 10 a.m. to noon Friday, sponsored by University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Loon Echo Land Trust. Ken Canfield, district forester with the Maine Forest Service, will lead the tour through the park. Free, but pre-registration is required. Please call 800-287-1471 (in Maine) or 781-6099 by Monday. 

Coffee & Conversation, 9 a.m. Tuesday, Ann Luskey, an ocean conservationist and advocate, joins Sean Todd, College of the Atlantic professor and director of Allied Whale, at the Deering Common Campus Center. Free and open to the public. For more information, call 288-5015 or go to www.coa.edu. 

Greater Lovell Land Trust Guided Walks, 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Bishop’s Cardinal Reserve in Lovell; and 10 a.m. Thursday at the Back Pond Reserve in Waterford. FMI: Visit www.gllt.org or call 925-1056. 

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Kennebec Estuary Land Trust annual meeting, 7 p.m. Wednesday, at the Hyde School auditorium in Bath. Public is invited. After a brief meeting, 3-D photographer Roger Richmond will offer a slide show, complete with 3-D glasses, entitled “The Art of the Earth.” Please RSVP by emailing info@kennebecestuary.org or calling 442-8400. 

Fall Great Outdoor Days, Cabela’s in Scarborough, Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Cabela’s and Famous Dave’s invite all visitors to enjoy a barbecue pork sandwich, bag of chips and a Pepsi for only $4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Proceeds will go to Maine Operation Game Thief, a nonprofit organization that works with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to pay rewards to citizens who turn in poachers and can remain anonymous. Seminars on a variety of topics will be offered. For more information, visit www.cabelas.com/scarborough. 

York County Audubon field trip, noon Saturday. Look for shorebirds on Hills Beach with Pat Moynahan. Meet at 133 Hills Beach Road, Biddeford. FMI: Call Pat at 284-5487.

Photography hike at the Cathance River Ecology Center in Topsham, 10 a.m. Saturday. Bring your own camera. The Cathance River Education Alliance will be able to provide a few small digital cameras to those without cameras. Be able to hike at least two miles with limited breaks. Meet at the Highland Green golf course parking lot, on the left after the Highland Green entrance. Call 798-2315 or email eric@creamaine.org with any questions. 

Berry Day in the Wildlands, berry pickers will walk to the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands’ premium blackberry patches, 10 a.m. Saturday, meet at the South Gate on Route 1 in East Orland (just south of the Route 176 intersection). Rain date is Aug. 27. Bring your own receptacles. Please pre-register with Sarah LeVine at 667-1293 or sarahlevine5@gmail.com. 

Thompson Lake Environmental Association meeting to discuss shoreland zoning regulations, 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at 73 Loop Road in Otisfield. Richard St. John, Otisfield code enforcement officer, will be the featured speaker. Free and open to the public. Please call Jeff Stern, project coordinator, at 583-2723, or email sternjm@hotmail.com to RSVP. 

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Looking Ahead

Geocaching Festival, 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 21, Merryspring Nature Center in Camden. Geocaching is an outdoor adventure game of hiding and searching for treasure boxes with the assistance of a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. Coordinates for the caches throughout the park will be made available at the event. Fun trinkets will be offered for placement in discovered caches, but feel free to bring your own items to leave in the boxes. If you already own a GPS unit, please bring it with you. Several units will be available for the event. Activities are designed for ages 5-12, but are open to all ages. All children must be accompanied by an adult. In case of rain, please check for cancellation. For more information, call 236-2239 or visit www.merryspring.org. 

Georges River Land Trust, annual meeting and celebration, 2 p.m. Aug. 21, at the Appleton Preserve. After a short business meeting, Dan Daley of the Georges River Chapter of Trout Unlimited will speak about the fresh water fisheries of the St. George River. A picnic potluck will follow the talk and GRLT will provide drinks. Attendees are asked to bring food to share according to the first letter of your last name, as follows: from A-I a main dish, J-S a salad and T-Z a dessert. Please leave your pets at home. FMI: Call 594-5166. 

Hunter safety course, Maine-ly Outdoors Ministry of Daystar Chapel in Madison, 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 22 and Aug. 24, and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 27 You must attend all three sessions to complete the course. To pre-register and for more information contact Dell at 399-9717 or Jerome at 426-2082. 

The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve marks its 25th anniversary with tours, talks and special activities at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 25. For information, visit wellsreserve.org or call 646-1555. 

L.C. Bates Museum events, star party, 8:30 to 10 p.m. Aug. 26, bring your own telescope if you have it and try out the museum telescope; Family Bug Day, Aug. 27. The museum is on Route 201 in Hinckley. Museum admission is $3 for adults and $1 for youth. For more information, call 238-4250 or email lcbates@gwh.org. 

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Open Range Day at the Royal River Rod and Gun Club, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 27, at the club on Fish Hatchery Road, New Gloucester. Open Range Day gives the public the chance to check out the shooting ranges, meet and talk to members and learn about the safety, education and community programs the club sponsors. Visitors are encouraged to bring a firearm or two and try our ranges. FMI: Call or email Pete Thoits, 657-4184 or petethoits@maine.rr.com; or Bob Muir, 892-6096 or bobm380@yahoo.com. 

Bowhunters course, sponsored by the Winslow Fire Department, Aug. 27. To register and learn details, call Don Perrine at 660-6382. 

Central Maine Mountain Bike Festival Aug. 27-28 at Quarry Road Recreation Area, Waterville. Family fun and mountain bike rides for all ages and levels, kids’ activities, food, music, time trial competition, camping and more. For a schedule of events and to preregister, visit www.cemenemba.org or call 441-6227. 

The Maine Huts & Trails Wilderness Running Race will be held Aug. 28 on the Maine Huts Trail. There will be a 10K, half marathon and 50K race. FMI: Visit www.mainehuts.org. 

Hunter safety course, sponsored by the Winslow Fire Department, 6 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 6 and Sept. 8, and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 10. To register, call Don Perrine at 660-6382. 

First Shots, 9 a.m. Sept. 10, an introduction to the safe, recreational use of handguns, rifles and shotguns; sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association. Takes place at the CVOA range at 4068 Carrabassett Drive, about 1.7 miles north of the Sugarloaf access road on Route 27. Pre-registration is required by contacting Neal Trask at 235-2732 or at nltrask@tdstelme.net. FMI: www.carrabassettvalleyoutdoorassociation.com. 

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York County Audubon field trip, 7:30 a.m. Sept. 17, Scarborough Marsh with Ed Hess. Meet at the trail head parking area on Route 9, south of Scarborough Marsh nature center. FMI: 324-4528. 

Ongoing

Portland Trails announces the “Dog’s Favorite Trail” contest, open to all dogs in the Portland area. In 100 words or less, dogs — with the help of their owner — are asked to describe their favorite trail in the Portland Trails network. Stories will be judged in two categories: funniest and most meaningful. All entries must be submitted with a photo of the dog on its favorite trail. Entries must be received by Aug. 31. Winners in both categories will receive a gift certificate to a local pet shop as well as a dog membership to Portland Trails. Submissions should be emailed to info@trails.org. 

Guided trail walks at Inland Woods/Pine Ridge trails in Waterville. 8 a.m. Mondays through October. Free; all welcome. Meet at trailhead behind Inland Hospital, 200 Kennedy Memorial Drive. FMI: www.kmtrails.org or 861-3292. 

Maine Huts & Trails will host excursions via pontoon boat from Stratton to Flagstaff Hut on Flagstaff Lake every weekend through Sept. 4. The boat departs Stratton dock on Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. and arrives at Flagstaff Hut by 5:30 p.m. Guests get two nights lodging, two dinners, two breakfast and two lunches. Cost is $218 plus tax for a non-member adult, $136 plus tax for children 12 and under; $193 plus tax for a member adult, $128 plus tax for a child. FMI: Visit www.mainehuts.org. 

Discovery Trek series, Portland Trails. Guided walks are free to Portland Trails members, with a $5 suggested donation for nonmembers. Register for any trek by emailing info@trails.org or calling 775-2411. FMI or to check for cancellations, go to www.trails.org. “A Bit of History on the Eastern Promenade,” 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24; “Indian Trail in the Peaks Island Land Preserve,” 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 2; “Bird Walk at the Quarry Run,” 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 30. 

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The Kennebec Land Trust Outing Club offers events for active adults age 21 and older. The club is a great way to explore the outdoors, get to know Kennebec Land Trust properties and socialize. Excursions are free for trust members or $5 for nonmembers. For a schedule, go to www.tklt.org. Call 377-2848 or email Theresa Kerchner at tkerchner@tklt.org to register. 

Weekly Bird Walk, 7 a.m. Thursdays at Gilsland Farm, off Route 1, Falmouth; $5 for Maine Audubon members, $8 for nonmembers. Bring binoculars and a field guide and meet in the visitor center parking lot. FMI: Call 781-2330, ext. 209.

Casco Bay Bicycle Club hosts several weekly road bike rides in the Portland area, and special one-time rides, often with an opportunity to socialize after. The Wednesday night ride in Yarmouth, with its 12-15 mph (no-drop) pace is most popular, featuring a different route each week. Members and nonmembers are welcome. FMI: Visit www.cascobaybicycleclub.org. 

Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport offers daily nature programs at 2 p.m. through Labor Day, weather permitting. Starting at the benches at the end of the second parking lot, one-hour guided programs may include a walk, short talks and other activities. No reservations needed, free with park admission. Admission is $1 for ages 5-11, $3 for Maine residents ages 12-64, $4.50 for nonresidents ages 12-64, $1.50 for nonresidents over 65, free for under 5 and Maine residents over 65. FMI: Call 865-4465. 


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