The Stanton Bird Club will host “Tracking the Stonewalls of the Forest” at the Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary on Montello Street in Lewiston from 1:30-3:30 p.m. today. Naturalist Susan Hayward will lead the event, which provides the opportunity to snowshoe through the sanctuary along the stonewalls and find and identify the tracks left in the snow by animals that use the stonewalls for shelter. This event is free and open to the public. Meet at the Thorncrag parking lot. For directions and a map of Thorncrag, visit the website, www.stantonbirdclub.org. For more information, call 784-8307. 

The Somerset Bowhunters will hold their monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Skowhegan Sportsman’s Club. Anyone planning to attend the banquet on April 10 is asked to give notice by March 31. Call Jeannette at 397-3761. 

Additional Photos

A guided snowshoe hike, hosted by the Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust, will take place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. today at the Rines Forest in Cumberland. Tours will be given by Jay Braunsheidel and Sally Stockwell, director of conservation at Maine Audubon. Children can take part in a scavenger hunt through the woods and receive Maine animal tracks pocket guides to discover who lives in the forest. Free hot cocoa and snacks will be offered. Some snowshoes will be available, courtesy of Eastern Mountain Sports. Go to www.ccltmaine.org for more information. Courtesy photo

Tom Jamrog will present photos, video clips and gear from his 2,656-mile hike through California, Oregon and Washington at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Lincolnville Central School. For more information, call 763-3406. 

Winter skills course, Friday to Sunday, Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson. Participants will receive a detailed gear list before the class. It will start on Friday with snowshoeing or skiing into the yurt, a comfortable, warm winter shelter with a woodstove; Saturday and Sunday will be spent mostly outside. Topics include trip planning, clothing, safety, travel, shelter and food. Cost is $125 for HVNC supporters, $150 for all others. Register with David Butler at www.canoemaine.com or by calling (877) 632-2663. 

The Waterville/Winslow Chapter of Ducks Unlimited will hold its annual fundraising banquet Saturday at the Winslow VFW. The event includes dinner, a live auction, a silent auction, various raffles and games. Reservations are required. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Casey Carey at 441-0397. 

Guided nature hike, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Androscoggin Riverlands State Park in Turner. Theme is winter wildlife. Free. Starts at the park’s entrance off Center Bridge Road. Call Laura Keating at 557-0352 or e-mail laura.keating@maine.gov if you need snowshoes. Refreshments will be provided by event sponsor Nezincot Farm.

Snowshoe Jamies Pond, 2 p.m. March 13. Tom Bartol and Barbara Moss, Kennebec Land Trust stewards, will lead a snowshoe hike at the Jamies Pond Wildlife Management Area. All levels and ages welcome. Meet at the end of Meadow Hill Road, Manchester. For more information e-mail bartol@gwi.net. Cosponsored by the Manchester Conservation Commission. 

Looking ahead

Grassland birds in New England: causes of decline and reasons to be optimistic. 7 p.m. March 15. Mather Auditorium of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm. Free. UNE professor Noah Perlut will explore the lives of resident grassland species, and discuss how their ecology is affected by agricultural management. He also will describe diverse management options that can benefit both land managers and birds. 

Wood duck ecology, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. March 15, Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association, 38 Lake Farm Circle, Jefferson. Talk given by wildlife biologist Kendall Marden of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, who coordinates the waterfowl nest box program. Free. For details, call 549-3836 or e-mail Julia@dlwa.org. 

The Kennebec Land Trust and Colby College will sponsor the Kennebec Land Trust Lyceum Series: New England Nature Writers of the Land. The series will focus on the connections between people and the land expressed through writing. Lectures will include “Wilderness Lost, Wilderness Regained” at 7 p.m. March 17 and “Technology and Sense of Place” at 7 p.m. March 24, both at the Ladd Recreation Center in Wayne. For more information, call 377-2848 or visit www.tklt.org. 

Summer Children’s Camp Fair, March 20 from 1 to 4 p.m. at East End School Gymnasium, 195 North St., Portland. Free admission. Meet camp staff, explore summer experiences for tots to teens. It’s the only camp fair in southern Maine this year. For information, go to www.mainecamps.org or call 518-9557. 

NRA basic pistol course, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 20, at Pooh Corner Farm, Greenhouse & Florist in Bethel. Taught by certified instructors from Western Maine Property Protection LLC, the course will meet requirements for concealed carry permit applications. For details, call 739-9774. 

Handgun safety class will be held at the Gardiner Sportsmen’s Club from 6 to 9 p.m. on March 23. This class meets the requirements for a safety class to qualify for a concealed firearms permit. Cost is $60. Please call 441-7870 to sign up. 

Maine Guide Training Program, Skowhegan Community Center, 39 Poulin Drive, Skowhegan, April 14, 15, 16 and 17. The course prepares students for taking the state’s licensing exam for recreational, hunting and fishing guides. The cost is $475 per person, and $200 deposit is required upon registration. For more information or to register, contact Carroll Ware at Fins and Furs Adventures at 474-5430. 

Ongoing

Walk-On Adventures, L.L.Bean, Freeport. Snowshoeing, 9:30 a.m. to noon, and cross-country skiing, 1 to 3 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday through March, conditions permitting. Equipment provided. $15. Call (877) 755-2326 or stop by the information desk in the Discovery Lobby. 

Portland Trails Winter Walks, Presumpscot River Trail, March 19. Register by e-mailing info@trails.org or calling 775-2411. Portland Trails has snowshoes available (free for members, $5/non-members) that can be reserved. For more information, go to www.trails.org. 

The Portland Water District invites preschoolers to join it for environmentally themed stories, activities and crafts. Sessions include: Plants and Their Parts, March 18; Fun with Frogs, April 15. Programs run 10 a.m. to noon at the Sebago Lake Ecology Center in Standish. To register, e-mail sebagolake@pwd.org or call 774-5961, ext. 3319 or 3320. Donation supports loon preservation. Scholarships are available, and snacks are provided. 

Weekly Bird Walk, 7 a.m. Thursdays at Gilsland Farm, off Route One, 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. 

Snowshoeing at Inland Woods/Pine Ridge Trails in Waterville, 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Head lamps required. Meet at the trail head behind Inland Hospital, 200 Kennedy Memorial Drive. FMI: e-mail ewells@emh.org or call 861-3292. 

Bird Walks, 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through March 9, George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History at College of the Atlantic, 105 Eden St., Bar Harbor. FMI: e-mail astunkel@coa.edu or call 288-5395. 

Tracking Walks, 10 to 11 a.m. Thursdays through March 10. Learn to identify tracks and signs of creatures. Meet at the George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History, College of the Atlantic, 105 Eden St., Bar Harbor. FMI: e-mail mdickinson@coa.edu or call 288-5395. 

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