Do we have a treat for you this summer. In celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, the Friends of Hog Island presents Kaiulani Lee in a one-woman tour-de-force performance of Rachel Carson’s Sense of Wonder, a two-act drama, on July 28, 2012 at the historic Lincoln Theater in downtown Damariscotta at 7 p.m.

Rachel Carson was a special friend of Hog Island and was present when Millicent Todd Bingham signed the deed to National Audubon at Hog Island in 1960. Likewise Kauilani Lee is a special friend of Hog Island. She performed in the Fish House on the island and is excited about performing again for Hog Island.

Kaiulani Lee

Audiences nation-wide have described Ms. Lee’s performance as “mesmerizing,”” extraordinary,” “sensationally wonderful, “ “inspiring, “ and as” having been touched by Rachel Carson herself. “ Billy Moyers, PBS, described it as a performance “that brings to life the remarkable spirit of a woman who changed the way we see the world… You cannot walk away unmoved.”

Ms. Lee has guest-starred in numerous television series including Law & Order and The Waltons. Her film credits include The Seduction of Joe Tynan, The Fan, Garp, and Cujo. She has more than 35 years experience in writing and acting. She also has a special place in her heart for Hog Island, Maine, the home of the Audubon Camp, where she performed a Sense of Wonder in the very building where Rachel Carson had witnessed a momentous time in the camp’s history.

The performance will be followed by an audience Q & A with Ms. Lee and a conversation with Dr. Steve Kress, Scott Weidensaul, and Tim Glidden. Kress is Director of the Hog Island Audubon Camp and of National Audubon’s Seabird Restoration Program. Weidensaul is naturalist, researcher and the author of more than two dozen books including Living on the Wind and his most recent, The First Frontier: The Forgotten History of Struggle, Savagery and Endurance in Early America. Glidden is President of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and former director of the Land for Maine’s Future Program.

All proceeds will benefit FOHI and its mission.

For more information or reservations e-mail president@fohi.org.

From Sue Schubel, FOHI Volunteer Coordinator . . .

Greetings Friends – It’s only February, but . . . February! It’s already February! Good grief, it will be May before we know it! Time to buckle down and confirm you summer plans. Many thanks to everyone who has submitted a volunteer application so far. And much encouragement to those who are still pondering. Now is the moment to nail this down in your schedule. I do understand in this mosaic of life that sometimes we wait for the muse to strike, divine inspiration to hit us over the head, or some other unlikely outside influence to guide our path and put down that one element to work around.

Kate, a former camper, returns to volunteer

Let me give you a lightning bolt of direction and ask for volunteers for these camper weeks:  June 3-8 (Seabird Biology and Conservation – Road Scholar); June 10-15 (Joy of Birding);  June 24-29 (Joy of Birding 2 + Teen Birding); August 19-24 (Family Camp); August 26-31 (Audubon Leadership); September 9-14 (Seabird Biology and Conservation 2 – Road Scholar); September 16-21 (Migration and Monhegan).  We really need a good crew for each of these weeks so our participants will feel well cared for and want to return with all their friends.  (You will notice that Educator’s Week and Ornithology/Teens are not on the list as they are already filled.)

If you prefer a quieter time, we also have space for volunteers during our spring and fall work weeks.  No campers during these sessions – just plenty of paint, scrapers, hammers, nails, rubber gloves, scrubbies, brooms, and vacuums.  A good time is had by all – you could even be the “head” man!  (or woman!)

Look through our FOHI volunteer packet for useful information or drop me an e-mail of inquiry at sschubel@audubon.org.  Looking forward to seeing your creative souls on Hog Island this summer!

From Scott Weidensaul

If you’re thinking about coming to Hog Island’s Audubon Camp this summer, there’s an important deadline approaching fast. A variety of scholarships up to $500 for both teens and adults are available through National Audubon and many chapters, as well as a number of independent bird clubs, but the National Audubon deadline is March 1. There’s more information at http://projectpuffin.org/hogisland/scholarships.html#Registration

If you don’t see your local bird club or Audubon chapter listed, check with them because some have offered scholarships in the past and may be willing to do so again – believe it or not, these offers often go unclaimed and unused.

Looking for Upland Sandpipers at Clary Hill

This will be an exceptional year at Hog Island, and I’m not just saying that because I’m now directing the ornithological programs there. We’ve never had a more stellar lineup of internationally known birding and ornithological superstars, including Pete Dunne from Cape May Bird Observatory; Wayne Petersen from Mass Audubon and ABA; ecologist John Kricher (author of The Neotropical Companion, the Peterson Guide to Eastern Forests and many other books); bird vocalization expert Don Kroodsma; renowned sound recordist Lang Elliott; Steve Kress of Project Puffin; Bill Thompson III from Bird Watcher’s Digest; author, NPR commentator and bird artist Julie Zickefoose; Birds of Maine author Peter Vickery; and Pennsylvania’s own birding phenom Tom Johnson, along with a dozen or so more.

We’ve also completely updated the Field Ornithology curriculum, which will give participants more chances to dig deep into subjects like vocal and visual communication, avian reproduction and annual cycles – all in the field, while visiting a host of new locations from the outer bay to inland bogs. If you took FO in the past, consider coming back for a very different experience.

Monhegan Island

We’re also offering two sessions of our popular “Joy of Birding” program, which is designed to turn you into a better birder by eye and ear, along with two teen ornithology sessions for 14- to 17-year-olds.

I haven’t even mentioned the Educator’s Week, Family Camp, or the Road Scholar sessions – all of which have outstanding instructors and programs. Check out the descriptions and register at http://hogisland.audubon.org

I know summer seems far away, but some of the programs are nearly full, so if you don’t want to be on a waiting list, I’d suggest registering immediately. Birders and non-birders will equally enjoy the sessions. Tell your friends and family.

It’s here at last, FOHI’s first annual report.

As you read, you’ll learn what we have accomplished together in such a short time and what we plan for 2012. Thank you for making 2011 a great year for FOHI and the Hog Island Audubon Camp. We couldn’t have done it without you! Don’t forget to share the report with friends and family.

Guillemot bringing home the "bacon" - Red Rock Eels

It is a time to remember family and friends. You are our friends and you are our family. Without you Hog Island would not be able to flourish. Enjoy this holiday season surrounded by both – family and friends.

Sunrise over Hog Island, December 24, 2011 (21 degrees!)

Season’s Greetings from the board of Friends of Hog Island and thank you for all your support of the Audubon Camp at Hog Island.

The Friends of Hog Island has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. This time last year, we were not sure about the disposition of the Hog Island Audubon Camp. But this year, the camp is under  National Audubon ownership and management. Because of your support,  it is well on its way to a secure and financially stable future.

Hog Island - the day before Thanksgiving

The camp has enjoyed two seasons bursting at the seams with campers. FOHI fulfilled its annual commitment to the camp of $50,000. The 2012 sessions are 20% full; FOHI volunteers are already signing up; and we have a challenge donation of $500,000 toward our promised endowment.

We have many to thank for this – volunteers, who give so generously of their time; donors, who are unwavering in their financial support; campers, who keep us going with their smiles and enthusiasm; instructors, who never fail to make you feel special; staff, who tend our every need; Dr. Steve Kress, who makes sure good looks at puffins are seen by all; and last, but not least, David Yarnold and the National Audubon staff, who gave us a new beginning.

From the FOHI board,

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Remarks by Duryea Morton on the occasion of the 75^th Anniversary of the Audubon Camp in Maine, Hog Island, August 21, 2011

“How natural it feels for Peggy and me to, once again, set foot on Hog Island. Our family spent the summers 1971-1977 here while I directed the Camp and Peggy assisted me with many important responsibilities behind the scenes. We are delighted to be part of the Maine Camp’s 75^th Anniversary to celebrate its impact on the lives of so many people.

Dur giving his 75th anniversary remarks

When Millicent Todd Bingham inherited the 300 acres, the largest portion of Hog Island, from her mother she wrote,

When I walk the woods, listen to the thrushes, spy the osprey circling overhead, or hear the boom of the Great-horned Owl at night, I can never feel that I own such a place. It seems rather the property of all who cherish this and wish to preserve it for others who can cherish it likewise in years to come.

Looking back to the Depression years of 1934 and 1935, two people, with a dream of the future, were moving along parallel tracks unable to find a kindred spirit until Robert Cushman Murphy of the Museum of Natural History in New York introduced them to each other. It was at that point that Millicent Todd Bingham met John H. Baker, the next Executive Director of the National Audubon Society.

Years later, in 1961, Mrs. Bingham wrote to John Baker and reminisced about that meeting.

From the outset our objectives were the same – to further the cause of conservation. But our immediate aims were a little different. You wanted centers of information established throughout the country, but lacked a starting point. I wanted the island for study and enlightenment toward the same end, but had no organization willing to try the experiment. Together we could make a beginning.

Last August, when I presented the Todd Wildlife Sanctuary to the National Audubon Society, your dream and mine had been fulfilled.

Millicent Todd Bingham

And so, in early June 1936, Carl Buchheister, the first Camp Director, stood on the mainland gangway and met his staff. Roger Tory Peterson and Allan Cruickshank were the only two who knew each other. The rest were unknown to one another. They weren’t strangers for long, and soon developed the nucleus of the program that, over the years, has been so successful. The camp ran through 1943. Restrictions during the Second World War closed down operations at the end of the season.

During the following two year period, in order to keep the Camp idea in the minds of Audubon members and others, a smaller version of the Maine Camp was opened at the Audubon Center in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The Audubon Camp in Maine reopened in 1946.

This summer, 2011, marks the 65^th anniversary of my first part time job with the National Audubon Society. Carl Buchheister, then a Vice president of the Society and Director of the Camp, hired me as a Student Assistant to help wash dishes. I rode the overnight train, the Bar Harbor Express, from New York to Newcastle where Mr. B, as we called him then, met me. And like you, my breath was taken away when we drove around the corner at the top of Nash’s hill and I saw Muscongus Bay for the first time.

Operating the camp that summer was very difficult. The war had caused major shortages of supplies and food. Because I had just returned from service with the 10^th Mountain Division in Italy, had a Drivers License, and could drive a car with a stick shift, I was asked to drive Carl’s wife, Harriet, all over the state of Maine to scrounge food for the Camp. Every other day, all summer long, we took the Society’s old pre-war wooden station wagon and drove to different locations to collect a few heads of lettuce at a farmer’s roadside stand, some canned goods at a small food store, and bread, at yet, another location. Meat was very scarce so we ate lots of fish that summer. Campers and staff all had to bring their Food Ration Books and at least half a pound of sugar so the cooks could do a limited amount of baking and there would still be enough for cereal and coffee. The only candy available at that time was a box of colored, chewy bits, with not much flavor, called, JuJubees. The Armed Services still had priority on all other items of candy. During the food searching expeditions Mrs. Buchheister recounted the early history of the camp and at one point, mentioned that when the camp opened in 1936, the food budget for the season was $350!

Carl Buchheister

There is no question that, that summer, here on Hog Island, under Carl Buchheister’s inspiring leadership influenced my life to follow a course that included 22 years of full-time employment with the National Audubon Society. One of my most important responsibilities during that time was the administration of the four Audubon Camps. In addition, I had the opportunity to direct, for a total of 14 summers, two of the four camps, Connecticut and Maine.

Carl created the Student Assistant program and subsequent Directors followed his lead. High school and college boys, and later girls, interested in natural history were selected to join the camp staff as volunteers in exchange for participating in the program and the opportunity to study with an instructor on a special project. They worked the necessary hours doing basic chores to make the camp function. Well into the 1960’s, as a surprise at the end of the summer, the Director would give each Student Assistant a check for $25. Believe me, when I say that, in the early days, that was a very big deal.

The roster of Student Assistants at Maine and the other camps is long and impressive. Many have held positions of responsibility in the federal government or in private conservation organizations. Some are university professors of science or biology, others are teachers of conservation or ecology. Whatever their future profession, all Student Assistants carry the Maine Camp experience in their hearts and minds and continue to spread the message.

In 1995 when enrollment at the camp was dwindling, several former staff members and campers organized The Friends of Hog Island. From its early days of fund raising to the activities of the present, FOHI has grown and assumed a substantial role in the future of the Hog Island. Now, under the leadership and skills of Juanita Roushdy, the future is very bright.

What is it that has caused so many people to become inspired to help?

First, the setting is idyllic. Carl wrote that,

This island like most Maine islands is one of ineffable beauty. Spruce and Balsam Firs, great sheer forests growing straight and tall and limbless, their needled branches joining over the top to form a green canopy. In the world of subdued light and silence below, the only sound is the waves on the shore. One walks noiselessly on a deep, soft carpet of needles passing now and then outcroppings of rocks covered with lichens and mosses. Here, one senses a quality quite different from a mainland forest. Here, one has a feeling of apartness, of aloneness, of being in a small self contained, finite world at once insulated and bounded by the sea. This was the island feeling. A sense of wonder that I was to experience every time I visited a Maine island.

A moss-laden path of Hog Island

Second, the program at the Camp was designed around the idea that every participant is a teacher either in the classroom or in the family unit. Although there have been slight alterations over the years, the goal of introducing every camper to the importance of ecological literacy, using the coast of Maine as a living laboratory, has never changed. Based on Carl’s experience and expertise, the Maine Camp staff viewed every session as a play. The curtain rose when the campers arrived and went down when they departed. Every program, every trip, and every event was planned so there would be a series of climaxes which led to the next scene in the story of Muscongus Bay. The activities were consciously programmed to raise the ecological and emotional awareness of the participants. Enthusiasm, spontaneity, a sense of fun, and a common goal, were the ingredients. The simple, quiet, natural rhythms of this enchanted island stir ancient connections to the land which are hidden deep in our hearts; the sounds of lobster boats in the early morning, rainy evenings, the wake up bell, the smell of hay-scented fern and of mudflats, the uneasy feeling as you first step out across rockweed, the silence of fog, and the measured pace of island living, quietly steal into our minds and, without knowing how or why, – we have slowed down and given ourselves breathing space to unselfconsciously explore this wondrous world with child-like, wide-eyed excitement.

As the Society’s first field educational program this Camp has always set the tone for all subsequent Audubon teaching programs. Indeed Maine is the Flagship of the Audubon Camps, or as Carl often said, “The Mother Church.”

Staff is the key. They are drawn here by a common bond to share their knowledge and appreciation of the outdoors with the campers. The staff become part of a great tradition of quality which characterizes the National Audubon Society and particularly the Audubon Camp in Maine. They embrace a heritage which has influenced the lives of all who have taken part – and they have an unparalleled opportunity to maintain and add to these traditions. Very few people are in a position during their lifetime to shape the minds and actions of others in such a positive manner.

It is important to remember that the success of the Camp can never be measured in dollars and cents, for the participants have experienced, not only growth of knowledge, but an emotional awakening or reawakening as well. Intangibles are difficult to quantify because, while in some cases the response is immediate, in others, the response may take months or years to surface. But have no doubt, the staff and campers have all been touched by the spark of Hog Island and are changed for life.

Hog Island

We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to those who came before us and who have inspired and guided us. Countless dedicated staff members and volunteers have put their creativity, knowledge and energy into all phases of the program. How lucky we are to have been part of this grand experiment and mission.

As we carry on our lives in the future, remember the inner feelings and rich history we all share. Remember, too, that in these uncertain times, it is more important than ever to recognize that there is reassurance in the cycles of life; the ebb and flow of the tides, the succession of the seasons, the sunrise and the sunset, for they provide our strength and our beacon. What better place to reaffirm our commitment to these truths and the glorious potential of this program, than on Hog Island at the Audubon Camp in Maine on its 75^th birthday.”

This Monday, the National Audubon Society opens registration for the legendary 6-day residential birding and environmental education programs at the historic Audubon Camp in Maine on Hog Island.

Hog Island double rainbow

New for 2012 are Family Camp (ages 8-12) and a special special fall migration program with a trip to Monhegan Island.

The ever-popular Joy of Birding and Field Ornithology sessions for adults are in June, as well as two weeks of dynamic teen camp programs.

An Audubon Chapter Leadership Program focusing on Atlantic Flyway Initiative is in late August, and $225 scholarships available for individuals with matching funds from their local Audubon chapters.

The season begins and ends with hands-on service-learning sessions presented in partnership with Road Scholar (Elderhostel), where participants work side-by-side with National Audubon Society biologists and interns to census seabirds and restore nesting habitat on offshore seabird islands.

Earlybird special!
$50 discount for registrations received by December 15th.

Pete Dunne, Scott Weidensaul and many other expert ornithologists, naturalists, educators and authors will be in residence during the 2012 sessions.

All summer programs include field trips to nearby Eastern Egg Rock, where Dr. Steve Kress and his team of biologists have successfully restored an island colony of Atlantic Puffins, and Roseate, Arctic and Common Terns. Roger Tory Peterson was the camp’s first bird instructor in 1936 and many of America’s finest naturalists, including Rachel Carson, have spent time on the 330-acre wildlife sanctuary, located in mid-coast Maine, on Muscongus Bay.

Participants live in restored wooden buildings dating back to the early 1900’s and are treated to three fabulous meals each day, prepared by chef extraordinaire Janii Laberge.

Birders can expect a variety of field trips to different habitats, including salt water, fresh water wetlands, blueberry barrens, in addition to Hog Island’s own mature spruce-fir forest. June birding programs tally more than 100 species of land and seabirds.

There will be boat trips to seabird nesting islands, bird-banding demonstrations, lively evening presentations by some of the country’s most talented and expert ornithologists, and the unique and  indescribable magic of living on a beautiful wooded Maine island.  All programs include an opportunity to work on hands-on conservation projects of the Seabird Restoration Program in the Gulf of Maine.

As instructor Pete Dunne wrote recently in Birder’s World, “If your life is steeped in birds, then you owe it to yourself to visit the Source. If you have just discovered birds, there is an island where you can get a crash course in field birding that will link you to birding’s past and vault your skills into the future.”

For more information, photos and to enroll, visit http://hogisland.audubon.org or call (607) 257-7308 x.14.  Some scholarships are available – check with your local Audubon chapter or birding club.  See you on the island!

Useful Links

• Video about Hog Island Ornithology programs: http://youtu.be/le_CjB4F_Ks
• Testimonials from past campers: http://projectpuffin.org/hogisland/testimonials.html#AboutUs
• Registration page: http://projectpuffin.org/OrnithCampsRegistration.html
• Photo gallery: http://projectpuffin.org/hogisland/hogisland-gallery.html#Gallery

Recent print articles about Hog Island

• http://projectpuffin.org/pdfs/HogIslandBirdersWorldOct2010.pdf
• Recent Smithsonian article about Project Puffin: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/A-Puffin-Comeback.html
• Project Puffin video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-WFYZLWXmY

Quotes from 2011 campers

”I really felt that I was in the presence of some of the best birding people in the country, if not the world. How wonderful!”

”The staff was amazing. Friendly, helpful, funny, supportive. You have set the bar very, very high for all future camps, and trips with other people. ”

”When I came to Hog island I didn’t know what to expect. Five days later I had been rewarded with the most transformative professional development experiences I have had as a teacher.”

”Your program, staff, environs and heritage are an absolute TREASURE. Memories of the “Joy of Birding” week will live contentedly in my heart for a very long time. Thank you for caring about our wonderful world and it’s future.”

Read more testimonials from past campers:  http://projectpuffin.org/hogisland/testimonials.html#AboutUs

Flickr photo albums from each of the 2011 sessions

• Maine Seabird Biology & Conservation Fall 2011
• Audubon Chapter Leadership Program 2011
• Sharing Nature an Educators Week 2011
• Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens 2011
• Field Ornithology and Teen Coastal Maine Bird Studies 2011
• Joy of Birding 2011
• Maine Seabird Biology & Conservation, May 2011

A perfect end to a magical day

Amid the radiance of fall color, FOHI volunteers had the island and Janii, our chef, to themselves. They had their choice of rooms, selected desserts, spectacular sunsets, and had plenty of time to just relax and soak up the island.

The workweek started by Sue Schubel, FOHI Volunteer Coordinator, asking everyone a surprise question: “What “whim” would you like satisfied while on the island?”  Such a question left a usually talkative group speechless. Well, mmm, aah, maybe, the hesitancy ended in a resounding desire to have more time to enjoy its beauty and birds. Their wish was granted.

Chocolate mousse, sweetie pie puffins, morning bird walks, naps in the sun, late breakfasts (7 a.m.!), a hike to Bingham cottage, champagne and crab rangoon appetizers, pensive moments in the Adirondack chairs, and a surprise sunset sail aboard the 43-foot “Deep Green” with Captain Anthony Liss satisfied everyone’s whim!

Hey ho hey ho, it’s off to work we go

FOHI Workweek volunteers

Thirteen volunteers under Sue’s and Eric’s guidance began the remodeling in the Wash House; hung a new door in the Crow’s Nest and painted the new walls of the additional shower and toilet; painted the hall and stairs in the bridge, aired, folded and packed away all 120 blankets; washed the linens and curtains; swept; cleaned; wrapped the mattresses; replaced and glazed windows; repaired and built new stairs in the Bosun’s Locker and the Wash House;packed and sealed all the displays in the Queen Mary Lab; packed up the kitchen; organized the Boson’s Locker; cleaned out the boathouse; put away the chairs and hammocks – the list goes on.

Walter Pfaff and Elizabeth Roysten extended their stay from the Road Scholar week to help and Jay Collier came for a day. Eleven volunteers stayed the whole week: Eric Eichhorn, Loretta Victor (FOHI board member), Gaye Phillips (FOHI Treasurer), Robert Phillips, Phyllis Coelho, Mary Bennett, Mary LaCreta, Phil Witmer, Libby Hyatt, Jo McCarten, and Juanita Roushdy.

Norwood and Betty make a surprise visit

A surprise visit

Another surprise was a visit to the island by Norwood and Betty Hazard. Norwood attended camp and was a staff person in the late 1950s. Returning to the island and visiting with the volunteers brought back many fond memories.

Thank you

Many thanks go to Sue, Eric Snyder, the Hog Island Manager, Janii Laberge, the chef, and his assistant Kory Kwasow for working side by side with us.

Our FOHI volunteers are an invaluable contribution to the financial sustainability of the Hog Island Audubon Camp.  In 2012, we will need volunteers for each of the program sessions as well as the FOHI workweeks. Sign up now!

To all of you who give so much of your time to Hog Island – Thank You.

From Sue Schubel

We know Hog Island is your summer love, but September may perhaps be the most beautiful time here.  Summer lingers on with “warm” seas around the isle, growth is luxuriant with meadows of asters and goldenrod to greet you on the mainland, and an abundance of ferns and flowers on the island.  Monarch butterflies that hatched in Maine are migrating south to Mexico, a place their great grandparents came from, but that they know only distantly through their DNA. The tide pools are full with golden star tunicates, sponges, baby periwinkles and tiny crabs.   Hawks are migrating along the outer islands, following the migrating songbirds.  The air is crisp and clear and ripe apples fall from the trees.

This September 18-23, volunteers can celebrate a very successful summer as we shake and store the woolen blankets (Roger Tory Peterson slept here!), perk up some spaces with paint, repair windows, move some debris, and generally carry on with improvements.   Eric and numerous volunteers have made great strides this season with the infrastructure of our campus – you will be impressed.

Don’t miss this opportunity to spend the end of summer on your favorite island.  Join our dedicated volunteer group as we work on end-of-season projects, enjoy Janii’s culinary creations, reminisce about times past and thrill to the prospect of times ahead!

September 18-23 is fast approaching. Hurry and reserve your spot, contact Sue at sschubel@tidewater.net or phone her at 207-380-1370.