For these University of Southern Maine students, schoolwork includes a sea kayaking session on Casco Bay.

University of Southern Maine student Tyler Penny relaxes toward the end of Professor David Jones' sea kayaking class on Casco Bay. "The thing I like is that you're out there with nature. it's quiet time, you're low to the water so you're almost a part of the natural experience," Jones said. Whitney Hayward/Staff Photographer

A USM class within the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies kayaks on Casco Bay off Portland. Environmentally friendly "green degrees" are becoming more pervasive in universities throughout the country, and USM now offers studies in eco-tourism. Whitney Hayward/Staff Photographer

USM Environmental Science and Policy program students Matthew Jones and Victoria Hill conduct an aquatic identification test at Camp Cedar in Casco. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

USM environmental science and policy student James Yelle reads a compass during an orienteering and tree identification skills course at a camp in Casco.

USM Environmental Science and Policy program students Kassidy Wright and James Yelle consult a textbook during an orienteering and tree identification test at Camp Cedar in Casco. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

USM Environmental Science and Policy program students Corey Wright and Anna Whitaker work on an orienteering and tree identification test at Camp Cedar in Casco. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

USM Environmental Science and Policy program students Richard Jacobs and Lauren Lilly do an aquatic identification test at Camp Cedar in Casco. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

Students from the USM Environmental Science and Policy program participate in an aquatic plant identification exercise at Camp Cedar in Casco. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

USM Environmental Science and Policy professor Karen Wilson addresses students at the end of their field immersion weekend at Camp Cedar in Casco. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer