Kennebec Messalonskee Trails Hike and Mushroom Hunt, 1 p.m. today, Messalonskee Stream Trail, Kennedy Memorial Drive, Oakland. Local mushrooming experts will lead a hike and give tips on collecting edible mushrooms. Please bring a brown paper bag for gathering. People of all ages welcome; held rain or shine. No charge but donations will be accepted. For more information, go to www.kmtrails.org. 

Fall Foliage Festival, 1 to 4 p.m. today, Viles Arboretum, 153 Hospital St., Augusta, celebrating trees and everything that lives in, on, under and around them. There will be hay rides, foliage walks and leaf pressing. Admission is $3 for arboretum members, $5 for non-members. Hotdogs and drinks will be available for a small fee. 

Additional Photos

Aurora Morin of Sidney turned 10 on Sept. 6, and four days later shot a 152-pound bear while hunting with Katahdin's Shadow Outfitters in Haynesville. It took her just 40 minutes of sitting in a ground blind before she saw her first bear. After several tense moments of watching it, she had the shot she wanted and squeezed the trigger. Contributed photo

Steve Bickford of Gorham shot this 420-pound bear on the north side of Sebago Lake. Contributed photo

Handgun Safety Course, 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, the Sportsman’s BARR in Gardiner, This class fullfills the requirement for applying for a concealed firearms permit. Cost is $50. Call 588-0888 for more information or to register. 

Hunter Safety Course, 6-9 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and 8 a.m.-4;30 p.m. Saturday, sponsored by the Winslow Fire Department. Contact Don Perrine at 660-6382 to register. 

Hunter Safety Course, 6-9 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 17, offered by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife at Messalonskee High School in Oakland. Youth hunters must be at least 10 years old and accompanied by parent, guardian or other family member. The cost is $5 per person. For more information call 465-9134 or register online at http://www.midmaine.maineadulted.org/courses. 

Looking ahead

The Tour de Farmington, bike tour of farms in Franklin County, Oct. 10. Celebrating local agriculture and promoting alternative modes of transportation, the event features 19- and 70-mile routes. Cyclists can buy local food and products that can be picked up in Farmington at the end of the event. A local foods lunch, water and snacks will be provided. The day will conclude with a live bluegrass performance and burrito barbecue. $30 for adults and $15 for youths 15 and under for the 19-mile tour (includes lunch); $65, adults only, for the 70-mile tour (includes lunch and barbecue); $10 dinner ticket only. Pre-registration is required. Go to www.westernmountainsalliance.org or call 778-3885. 

Hunter Safety Course, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. starting Oct. 12 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. 

Handgun Safety Course, 6-9 p.m. Oct. 13, 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. 

York County Audubon field trip 7 to 10 a.m. Oct. 16, 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 0.7 mile north of the junction of Routes 4 & 109. FMI: Pat Sanborn, 781-9837. 

Maine Audubon will host a special presentation, 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. 

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. 

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

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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