Maine Audubon celebrates the return of spring with storytelling in “Phenomenal: Seasonal Stories from Your Wildlife Community” on Thursday, March 20, at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth and online. Contributed / Maine Audubon

When the world around us shakes free from the icy grip of winter, revealing life again as spring bulbs poke out of the ground, green canopies fill the trees, and daylight stretches longer each day, there is unmistakable triumph, joy and a little bit of relief in the air. We have survived another Maine winter – one that requires both physical and emotional adaptations in our life.

In recognition of this special seasonal chapter of the year, Maine Audubon is hosting a live storytelling event on March 20, called “Phenomenal: Seasonal Stories From Your Wildlife Community,” at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth to celebrate and gather around the natural phenomena in a Maine spring.

The storytelling event was launched last spring, and Maine Audubon also hosts an event in the fall to observe and mark the inverse seasonal changes of dormancy and hibernation. This year, the spring rendition will feature multiple speakers of varying disciplines, including biologists, poets and Wabanaki educators.

“Studying and observing phenology, or how plants and animals respond to seasonal changes, is a big part of our work at Maine Audubon,” said Eric Topper, director of education at the nonprofit. “Maine Audubon and our partners are really proud of the science-based approach to our work, and we host many programs to share the latest research, data and findings of top experts in the fields amongst which we work.”

He explained that inspiration for creating an event like “Phenomenal” lies in the stories that are inextricably linked to quantitative research and study.

“While we and the presenters are huge fans and practitioners of science, we also recognize the importance of emotional connections, and the joy, wonder and awe we experience during the course of our work. We’ve found that stories, those that are focused on singular events and often deeply personal, can be just as inspiring and motivating as the conclusions and findings we draw from research and data,” he said.

Each speaker will share two stories that culturally and personally tie them to springtime in Maine. While the full roster of speakers will be released later in the month, the two confirmed presenters are Samaa Abdurraqib, executive director of the Maine Humanities Council and a Maine Master Naturalist, and Minquansis Sapiel, a member of the Passamaquoddy Nation who is an author and social worker.

Sapiel, who also holds her captain’s license, has worked with Maine Audubon for almost two years with youth education projects surrounding Wabanaki history and culture. In 2023, she published a children’s book titled “Little People of the Dawn”– illustrated by one of her daughters – which is a Passamaquoddy tale that, through a young girl named Lili, communicates the power of honoring tradition and caring for the earth.

“Storytelling is an art form of self expression,” said Sapiel.

She said that in her time working in conjunction with Maine Audubon, the organization has made important efforts to center Indigenous knowledge in their science and education programs. A big part of that knowledge, she said, exists in teaching others, especially the youth, on how to be impactful and delicate caretakers of the future.

Sapiel said her stories will focus on fish migrations, shining light on how “the watersheds work their magic” in the spring, marking an important time of sustenance and tradition for the Wabanaki people.

The storytelling evening will be a hybrid event, available for those who wish to participate in person at Gilsland Farm or join remotely. In-person tickets are $15 for Maine Audubon members, $20 for the general public, and remote tickets are $5. Visit Maine Audubon’s event page to register for the event.

“We need the science to help us trust and reinforce what we know and the action we take, but it is more often stories and anecdotes that really keep us most expressive, yearning and hopeful for what is or should be happening in the natural world all around us,” said Topper.