Pine Tree State Sportsmen Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, at Sukee Arena in Winslow. Admission is $7 for adults, $2 for youths 7-12, and free for children 6 and under.

Spring Wildlands Walk, celebrate the vernal equinox with a hike starting at 1 p.m. today in the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands in Orland. Meet at the South Gate (off Route 1 just south of Route 176) for this 3-mile moderate walk to a beaver dam. Bring snowshoes if conditions warrant. For more information, call Connie at 223-5039.

Additional Photos

Children explore plants, wildlife and habitat at a previous Ecology Day Camp sponsored by Merryspring Nature Center in Camden. The camp will again be offered from 9 a.m. to noon April 18 to 22. It will include hands-on discovery projects, nature walks and group activities. Cost for the day camp is $60 for Merryspring members, and $75 for non-members. Register by April 8 by calling 236-2239 or visiting the website, www.merryspring.org. Courtesy of Merryspring

Summer Children’s Camp Fair, 1 to 4 p.m. today 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.

Handgun safety class will be held at the Gardiner Sportsmen’s Club from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday. 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.

Not All Frogs Say “Ribbit,” 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Thomaston Academy, room 208. Identifying Maine’s frogs and toads by their unique calls, a program sponsored by the Georges River Land Trust. Presented by Susan Gallo, wildlife biologist with Maine Audubon. Program suitable for families. For more information, call 594-5166.

Looking ahead

Maple Sunday at Viles Arboretum, Augusta, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 27. Try some sugar on snow, learn how trees are tapped, sap is gathered and syrup produced. Take a wagon ride and view the sights and sounds of spring. Order up a pancake lunch with maple sausage and maple sugar as a topping. Nature activities for children will include making a twig display to take home of the various maple trees in Maine. For more information, go online to www.vilesarboretum.org or call 626-7989.

Woodcock Walks, 7 p.m. April 7 and 8, led by Paul Dest. Meet at Laudholm Farm and walk the Wells Reserve at sunset to watch the aerial courtship sky dance. Cost is $5 for York County Audubon Society and Laudholm members; $7 for non-members. Pre-registration is required. Contact the Wells Reserve at 646-1555 to reserve your space.

Hunter safety course, Monmouth Fish and Game, 6 to 9 p.m. April 4, 6, 11 and 13; and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 9. The course covers 14 hours of required materials, plus three hours of strongly recommended work. Attendance at all classes is required. Register by calling Doug Beck at 513-6772. Registration fee is $10.

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.

York County Audubon field trip, 7 a.m. April 17, Green Point Farm WMA. Meet at the Burger King in Saco. This trip will focus on finding migrating waterfowl and will entail driving. Please plan on carpooling. Contact Pat Sanborn at 781-9837.

From Cosmos to the Backyard, 7 p.m. April 19. Free presentation by photographer Kirk Rogers at the Mather Auditorium of the Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm. Rogers will talk about birding with lenses and observing the heavens with cameras and telescopes. Visit his website at kiroastro.com.

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.

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. For more information, call 781-2330, ext. 209.

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 connections between people and the land expressed through writing. Lectures include “Technology and Sense of Place” at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Ladd Recreation Center in Wayne; and “A Party in the Woods, Loss and Celebration Under a Changing Sky,” at 7 p.m. April 11, in the Olin Center at Colby College. Field programs include Earth Week: Birding, Hiking and Nature Writing at Gannett Woods & Wyman Forest, April 23 and New England Nature Writers and Vernal Pool Ecology for Teachers, May 6. For more information, call 377-2848 or visit www.tklt.org.

Spring Hawk Watch, Bradbury Mountain State Park, Pownal. Freeport Wild Bird Supply team ups with Nikon Sport Optics to sponsor the project that collects valuable data while providing an enjoyable and educational experience for visitors. Andy Northrup, official counter, will be stationed at the Bradbury summit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily until May 15. The hawk watch is free, but there is an entry fee to the park: $3 for Maine residents ages 12-64; $1 for ages 5-11; free for those over 64 and under 5. Go online to www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com for more information.

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