From Cosmos to the Backyard, 7 p.m. Tuesday. 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.

Handgun safety class, Gardiner Sportsmen’s Club, 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. Meets the requirements for a class to apply for a concealed firearms permit. Cost is $60. Please call 441-7870 to register.

Additional Photos

Young anglers fish during the 2010 Beaver Park Fishing Derby in Lisbon. This year’s derby will be held from 8:30 to 11 a.m. May 1. Participants must be 15 or younger and parents must accompany children. Parents who will be helping small children fish need a fishing license. Prizes will be awarded at the free event. For more information, call Verla Brooks at 353-9075. Courtesy photo

Bill Regan and his Reptile Friends, 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Portland Public Library Rines Auditorium. Children of all ages welcome. Marine biologist Regan will bring snakes, alligators and turtles and talk to kids about the animals and the world they come from. For more information, go to www.portlandlibrary.com.

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust will offer two events to celebrate local natural resources for Earth Day. At 7 p.m. Thursday, KELT and Sagadahoc Preservation Inc. will show the documentary “Tapped” at the Winter Street Center Dreamland Theater in Bath. Suggested donation of $5 will support KELT and SPI. From 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, KELT and Bath Trails will do spring cleanup on the 5-mile long Whiskeag Trail in Bath. For more information or to RSVP for trail work, please contact bkolak@kennebecestuary.org or 442-8400.

Vernal pool walk, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, 161 N. Pownal Road, New Gloucester. Royal River Conservation Trust. Come and explore these seasonal pools and see what the frogs and salamanders are up to. Please park on the road shoulder; the trip leader will meet you there. Go to www.rrct.org to sign up and get instructions. FMI: 776-8376. Rain date is April 30.

Looking ahead

Kennebec Messalonskee Trails Annual Meeting and Social Hour, 5:30 to 7p.m. April 26, REM’s Forum at The Center, 93 Main St., Waterville. Peter Garrett, KMTrails president, will give an update on the many KMTrails projects under way and review plans for trails in Waterville and surrounding communities. Light refreshments will be served. FMI: www.kmtrails.org.

Introductory horsemanship and riding adventure, for adults 55+ at Camp Ketcha in Scarborough. 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 26 and May 24. $10 per session. To learn more, call Marissa Leighton at 883-8977, ext. 104, or email mleighton@campketcha.org.

Vernal pool exploration with the Georges River Land Trust, 1 to 5 p.m. April 28. Co-sponsored with Friends of the Weskeag. Call 594-5166 to register. Registration fee of $5 is appreciated and will support ongoing stewardship of conservation properties.

Paddlers Film Fest and Silent Auction, 5 p.m. April 28, Eastland Hotel in Portland, to benefit Maine Island Trail Association and the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Films begin at 6:30 p.m. Advance tickets $12; at the door $15; students $10, available by calling 761-8225 or online at Brown Paper Tickets for a small surcharge.

Wilderness first aid training course, from April 29 to May 1 at the College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor. This 16-hour, hands-on course is targeted to the outdoor enthusiast on day trips or short adventures. Graduates receive WFA certification by the Maine-based Wilderness Medical Associates, valid for three years, as well as basic life support-level CPR and anaphylaxis certification. Cost is $190. Participants will be expected to complete homework assignments in the evening. For more information, visit the website http://www.wildmed.com/outdoor-professionals-and-enthusiasts/wilderness-first-aid.html. To register, call Tonia Kittelson at 801-5672 or email tkittelson@coa.edu.

Family walk, 10 a.m. April 30, in the Great Pond Mountain Wildlands in Orland. Young children and strollers welcome. Meet at the north gate on the Bald Mountain Road) in North Orland. Call 667-6703 for more information or email nichelefox@gmail.com.

Spring stargazing party, 8 p.m. April 30, Great Pond Mountain Wildlands, Orland. Come to the south gate on Route 1 and drive in. Bring a blanket or light chair and plenty of warm clothing; binoculars, star charts, telescopes, planispheres and other astronomical gear. Carpooling is recommended. Rain/cloud date is May 21. Email info@greatpondtrust.org or call 469-2008 for weather updates or more information.

Handgun safety course, Maine-ly Outdoors Ministry of Daystar Chapel in Madison, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 30. This course satisfies the state’s requirement to apply for a concealed weapons permit. Call Dell at 399-9717 to register.

Firearms permit classes offered by Western Maine Property Protection include an NRA basic pistol class from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 30 at Cabela’s in Scarborough, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 1 at Lake Thompson Fish & Game Club in Oxford. Cost is $125. To register or for more information on these and other upcoming classes, call 739-9774, email westernmaineproperty protection@yahoo.com or go to www.wmepropertyprotection.com.

Celebrate National Drinking Water Week, May 1 to 7, Portland Water District. Free events and activities. Learn about vernal pools and what lives in them, hike along the Sebago to the Sea Trail, try fish printing, learn about rain gardens and other easy ways to create a beautiful yard that reduces pollution, and find out about loons and owls. Reservations are required: email sebagolake@pwd.org or call 774-5961, ext. 3324.

Hiking with Joy: Trail Games and Activities for Families of All Ages, 7 p.m. May 5, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. Sponsored by Maine Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club. Joy Norkin will describe and demonstrate a variety of trail games and activities for children, families and everyone to make your outdoor activities more fun. A potluck dinner begins at 6 p.m., followed by Norkin’s presentation. Bring a potluck item to share and your own dinnerware (plate, utensils, etc.). Drinks will be available. Free and open to the public. For more information, go online to www.amcmaine.org/calendar/ or email education@amcmaine.org.

Bowhunter safety course, sponsored by the Winslow Fire Department, May 7. Call Don Perrine at 660-6382 to register and for details.

Ongoing

Clean Water for Clams, children’s activity series sponsored by the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust at the Patten Free Library in Bath from 3:30 to 4:40 p.m. each Thursday in April. For ages 6 to 11. Environmental educator Becky Kolak will offer water experiments, discussion and crafts on the importance of clean water for shellfish and for people. No registration is necessary. Contact Kolak at 442-8400 or visit www.kennebecestuary.org.

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust offers a series of explorations to learn about a watershed from its source to the sea. Field trips will investigate Nequasset Brook in Woolwich, from its clear waters that filter through forest soil to the reservoir that supplies Bath’s drinking water, to a historic fish ladder and out to Hanson Bay and the sea. Trips will take place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. April 30, 10 a.m. to noon May 7; and 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. May 21. Registration is required. Call 442-8400 or email aheyburn@kennebecestuary.org.

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

Spring Hawk Watch, Bradbury Mountain State Park, Pownal. Freeport Wild Bird Supply teams up with Nikon Sport Optics to collect valuable data while providing an 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. Go online to www.freeportwildbird supply.com for more information.

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