This short film featuring Harpswell Heritage Land Trust is part of a documentary film about Maine youth in nature. It is being independently produced by Topsham filmmaker Mark Ireland for broadcast (Maine Public) and selected Maine theatrical screenings. Stay tuned for the full feature film released early in 2024! Read more
Join Harpswell Historical Society and Harpswell Heritage Land Trust for a celebration of traditional handcrafts and subsistence skills on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 12-4 p.m., rain or shine, at the Harpswell Historical Society, 929 Harpswell Neck Road. Parking will be available at the Elijah Kellogg Church. You’ll find lots to see and learn — all free,… Read more
Nature Day Camp staff members are kind, enthusiastic, responsible, experienced, genuinely interested in children and dedicated to creating a positive and enriching experience for all campers. Julia McLeod, Camp Director Julia McLeod loves exploring nature with children. She especially enjoys listening to kids’ ideas and observations, sharing a sense of wonder, and exploring tidepools. She… Read more
The Forest Playground
Explore, Play, Discover Take a step into the Forest Playground and you will quickly discover that it is not a typical playground. It is much more. This is a place where all of our senses are invited to play. The elements and materials here provide inspiration for fun, connection, creativity, movement and discovery. Children experience… Read more
Here’s what parents and campers love about Nature Day Camp: 2023 Quotes from Parents: “My child loved every day of camp. She especially enjoyed her time in the water and on the natural playground. She came home each day excited to tell us about the creatures she had encountered: lobster, horseshoe crabs, a hummingbird, etc.”… Read more
Nature Day Camp was a huge success this summer, engaging 166 campers and four junior counselors with nature in Harpswell. Children enjoyed exploring tide pools, catching butterflies, learning about Harpswell history, swimming, making new friends, catching crabs, and getting messy! One happy camp parent wrote: “We love this camp the most out all off the things… Read more
It’s been a great school year for outdoor learning at Harpswell Community School! Harpswell Heritage Land Trust’s Julia McLeod has brought HCS students out to the woods more than 80 times during this school year for science learning and nature-based play. Her work reached every student at our local public elementary school. Some highlights of… Read more
Ideas for Celebrating the Winter Solstice
What is the winter solstice? The earth travels around the sun once each year. The tilt of the earth is what gives us seasons. When the Northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, we have winter in Maine. During this time, the sun is lower in the sky and days are shorter. The winter… Read more
A Successful Nature Day Camp Season in the era of Covid
Harpswell Heritage Land Trust’s Nature Day Camp ran uninterrupted for 22 years until Covid struck and the land trust made the difficult decision to cancel its camps in 2020. When the camp returned in 2021, it was to very high demand from families for outdoor fun and normalcy. The 2021 camp season was full of… Read more
The perfect waterproof guide for your summer adventures! Harpswell Heritage Land Trust has created a custom guide to the common plants, animals and algae found along Harpswell’s shoreline. Printed on waterproof paper, the guide is easy to stick in your back pocket when heading out to explore. This visual guide features color illustrations to help… Read more