Annual Meeting Field Trips
All field trips are scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15. Most are free. Each field trip has a maximum capacity, so register early to secure your spot.
You can register for field trips during your conference registration, or later through a separate form.
Free Field Trips
Save Our Summits Stewardship Hike (Sargent Mountain)
Time: 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Join us for a Save Our Summits participatory stewardship hike to the top of Sargent Mountain. Along the way, you’ll help carry restoration soil (as much or as little as you’d like) while learning about efforts to restore this unique subalpine ecosystem. The hike is 4.2 miles round trip on gravel and rocky, root-filled trail. Time includes drive time. Transportation is provided (1.25-hour van ride to the trailhead).
Guided Bird Walk (Schoodic Peninsula)
Time: 6-9 a.m.
Join Schoodic Institute’s Forest and Wildlife Ecologist for a guided bird walk across the Schoodic Peninsula. We’ll look and listen for a mix of ocean and forest birds while exploring how this coastal landscape supports both. A relaxed, observation-rich walk with plenty of opportunities to share sightings and questions.
Schoodic Head Coastal Forest Hike
Time: Noon- 4 p.m.
Hike to the summit of Schoodic Head (440 feet above sea level) with Schoodic Institute’s CEO and a forest ecologist. This 4.5-mile route travels across pavement, gravel, and rocky, root-filled trail as we explore the structure and dynamics of Maine’s coastal forests. Expect equal parts conversation, scenery, and a bit of a workout.
Fee-Based Field Trips
2026 Annual Meeting
Seaweed Exploration & Art (Intertidal Zone)
Time: 7:30-11 a.m.
Cost: $15
Join us at low tide to step into a world of vibrant, living color. We’ll explore the remarkable diversity of seaweeds—learning how to recognize them, what makes them unique, and the roles they play in coastal ecosystems. Along the way, we’ll gather specimens to bring back and turn into one-of-a-kind art.
Great Duck Island Field Station Visit
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Cost: $90
Travel offshore (1 hour each way) to Great Duck Island aboard College of the Atlantic’s research vessel Osprey for a visit to the Alice Eno Field Research Station. This remote island has supported decades of research on seabirds and coastal ecosystems. We’ll explore the station, learn about ongoing and past research (including work on storm petrels and guillemots), and discuss the logistics—and value—of sustaining field science in an off-grid setting. Time includes drive time. Short carpooling to Frazer Point required.
Working Lobster Boat Tour
Time: 8:45 -11:15 a.m.
Fee: $70
Join the crew of a working lobster boat for an up-close look at Maine’s iconic fishery. You’ll haul lobster traps, learn how the gear works, and keep an eye out for curious seals along the way. A hands-on glimpse into the rhythms—and realities—of working on the water. Time includes drive time. Short carpooling to the village of Corea required.
Abbe Museum Visit (Bar Harbor)
Time: 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Fee: $25
Visit the Abbe Museum in downtown Bar Harbor for a guided exploration of Wabanaki heritage, culture, and homelands. Through exhibits and multimedia storytelling, we’ll engage with Wabanaki perspectives—past and present—and consider how these narratives shape our understanding of place today. Time includes drive time. Carpooling to Bar Harbor required.