Forest of Maine Teachers' Tour

TOUR #1, July 13 - 16	TOUR #2, July 27 - 30
TWIN PINE CAMPS ON MILLINOCKET LAKE	LITTLE LYFORD POND CAMPS
NEAR KATAHDIN	NEAR MOOSEHEAD LAKE

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FORESTS OF MAINE

· Changes in Forestry and changes in education – Discover and discuss them in the Maine woods.

· Each tour will combine math, science, technology, language arts and Social Studies with current information about forest practices, up-to-date technology and promising research into new products.

· Designed primarily for high school and middle school teachers, the Tours are adaptable for all grade levels. Preference will be given to two-teacher teams from the same school in case of over-subscription.

· Project Learning Tree’s nationally acclaimed environmental education curriculum is the framework for learning more about the importance of Maine ’s forests.

· A PLT facilitator, industry or consulting forester, landowner and state forester will accompany each Tour. There will be lots of opportunity for discussion and Q & A in the field, on the bus and over meals.

· Participants will complete a Project Learning Tree workshop that includes training in curriculum materials with links to the revised Maine Learning Results. You will also receive Maine Forest Facts and the CD-ROM Maine Forests Forever Green.

· Each participant will be certified as a Project Learning Tree Teacher and be eligible for certification of contact hours plus, for an additional fee of $20.00, 3.0 CEU’s upon completion of the Tour.

· We will visit a variety of renewable solar energy facilities on both tours, encompassing wind and wood in familiar and more recent technologies.

· Maine Tree will cover all but $85 of tour-related expenses, including overnight accommodations, air-conditioned motorcoach travel, your selection of meals, appetizers and beverages, plus natural resource publications and other teaching materials. Your $85 registration fee will help us defray some of these expenses.

· A stimulating time with interesting people at a beautiful location in the Maine woods. You’ll start at 1 p.m. on Tuesday with a Project Learning Tree workshop, and finish at 11:00 a.m. on Friday with time for questions, discussion, presentations, evaluations and certificates.

· Good meals and facilities at fine Maine lodges, with time to socialize and to discuss information and issues relating to Maine ’s forests. With all three nights spent in one location, minimal time will be needed for traveling, unpacking and packing.

· Travel to woodland and mill destinations via air-conditioned motor coaches, equipped with toilet facilities and television monitors for viewing videos on forestry and forest issues.

“The Teachers’ Tour … was outstanding. The outdoor experiences, guest speakers, lodging, meals, camaraderie – every aspect was more than I expected. The woods industry, culture, people and personal experiences will all be carried back into the classrooms in many different ways. Thank you again for a top notch experience and all the resources. All professional development should be as well designed as these tours.”

“Many of the PLT activities are easily adaptable or ready to use and fit very easily with Learning Results.”

“This was an excellent workshop/tour. Super accommodations, super food, super coordination, super driver, super facilitators.”

“This was the most beneficial learning experience I have had since college. It has taught me so much and I feel confident it will improve my teaching. I hope to be able to come again on a tour. Thank you for this outstanding opportunity – I appreciate it greatly.”

“This is absolutely the best and most useful learning experience I have attended. Awesome!”

Great views of Mt. Katahdin are visible from Twin Pine Camps on the shore of Millinocket Lake , along with swimming and boating. We’ll hold a Project Learning Tree workshop the first afternoon. We’ll travel on the Golden Road with Katahdin Timber foresters as we tour harvest operations and then follow the logs to the Katahdin Paper mill and recycling plant. We’ll visit an optimizing log yard and hear about Baxter State Park and other area places of interest.

The Appalachian Mountain Club’s Little Lyford Camps will be our base for this tour of the Moosehead Lake area. The camps are located in the 175,000 acre KI-Jo Mary Multiple Use Forest where public use and recreation is managed by the non-profit North Maine Woods. We’ll visit timber harvests on land managed by Huber and Plum Creek as well as several wood products manufacturers and sawmills.

3.0 CEU’s will be offered through the University of Maine at Orono on both tours. Dr. William Livingston, School of Forest Resources, will work with teachers on Tour #2 only. Learn about invasive species and their impacts on forests, and about native American traditions. Explore ways to connect math and science to lesson planning and complete one guided lesson plan. The $20.00 CEU fee will be collected on the final day of the Tours.