Events & News
For many Mainers (including me), December and January can be challenging months to get outside. It’s cold, it’s dark, and lately, the snow and ice have been a bit unpredictable. If left to our own devices (literally and figuratively), it’s easy to lose the weekend to household chores, holiday parties, enticing food, and various screens. Research has shown, however, that the dark winter months can affect our mood, and in some cases the lack of sunlight, coupled with a deficit in vitamin D, results in Seasonal Affective Disorder.
The good news is that there’s a safe, cheap, and healthy way to combat these symptoms – get off the couch and head outside! Exercising outside, even for brief spells, is associated with decreased tension and depression and increased energy, and these benefits are especially important during winter months. And fortunately, BPL has a cure for you. Check out our list of outdoor winter activities on Maine State Parks, including First Day Hikes, and come join us for a happy, healthy, and energetic start to 2020!
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Camping during the winter can be a truly magical experience. The dry air makes star gazing fantastic, the snow cover makes tracking easy, and camping at a location where you can cross-country ski, skate, or snowshoe saves the commute of day trips and off-site accommodations.
You can be toasty warm when winter camping and recreating. All it takes is a bit of preparation. Here are some tips for making your winter camping this season the best ever.
Be Prepared:
- for changing weather conditions (both you and your car),
- to provide your own first aid, and
- to not count on your cell phone, which in Maine can be very unreliable,
- know your limits, and those of your companions (outdoor skills & physical ability),
- refresh your outdoor skills & consider an easy adventure to start the winter season.
- tell a friend where you are going and when you expect to return so that they can initiate help if you do not return on time.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife offers courses for youth and their families to learn lifelong outdoor skills through Camp North Woods, Maine Youth Field Days, and the Hooked on Fishing program. The Becoming an Outdoors Woman program offers the opportunity to learn hunting, fishing and outdoor skills in a non-competitive atmosphere along with other like-minded women.
Registered Maine Guides are outdoor experts. Call on them to lead you into areas where you have not yet traveled, or to add a special focus to your trip such as fishing, canoeing, or Maine yarns and history.
Winter Camping Locations
Did you know that you can camp during the winter at the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, select State Parks, and on Public Lands?
Allagash Wilderness Waterway The Allagash Wilderness Waterway operates a winter campground at Chamberlain Bridge where people can place a camping unit for an overnight or lease a space by the month. The winter campground is plowed, public drinking water and vault toilets are supplied. All remote campsites are open during the winter for those who want to setup near their favorite fishing spot or enjoy wilderness camping. Wilderness trekkers are encouraged to leave a trip itinerary with a ranger.
State Parks and Public Lands
Winter camping is primitive tent camping: no water or cleared sites. Bring your own water, snow shovel, and tent.
The State Park locations are great for those who want to camp a bit closer to local amenities, are sharing winter camping with others for the first time, or want to enjoy groomed cross country ski trails (Aroostook State Park, Mount Blue State Park, Sebago Lake State Park or an outdoor ice skating rink with warming yurt (Mount Blue State Park); and oh what a view! Camping on the Public Lands is an outback experience in the summer. In the winter you need to be an experienced winter camper and completely prepared to take care of yourself. It is truly an outback experience.
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Snowmobiling is a fun and exciting family activity enjoyed by over 4 million people across the United States and Canada. The sport is a safe and enjoyable form of recreation if done properly and with respect.
International Snowmobile Safety Week is a good time to refresh your skills, learn from more experienced riders, and reach out to the snowmobile clubs where you ride.
Part of being safe is to be prepared. Here are some links so you'll Know Before You Go:
Safe Snowmobiling Means...
- Never consume alcohol or drugs before or during snowmobiling.
- Become familiar with the snowmobile you ride.
- Operate at safe and reasonable speeds.
- Stay on trails and areas where snowmobiling is permitted.
- Avoid travel on unfamiliar frozen bodies of water.
- Use extra caution at night.
- Keep your snowmobile properly maintained.
- Become familiar with the terrain you travel on.
- Listen to the weather forecast before you leave.
- Always wear a helmet and proper clothing.
- Never ride alone; let someone know where you are going and when you plan to return.
- Carry emergency supplies and learn survival skills.
In our next issue we will share ideas for getting non-riding friends involved in snowmobiling during Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week, February 8-17th.
(Photos: B Pond Trail, Acadia with Winter Harbor View, Covered Bridge "Cow's Bridge")
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Bacon Wrapped Venison Backstrap with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- Venison backstrap (or you can use a pork tenderloin)
- Package of good quality bacon
- 2 T butter
- 1 T olive oil (Note: ½T on step 2 & ½T on step 3)
- 10 oz sliced mushrooms
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 t fresh thyme
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Instructions
1. Slice the backstrap into 1½” to 2” slices. Wrap each slice of venison with a slice of bacon and add a sprinkle of pepper (or you can use your favorite steak seasoning). To avoid using a toothpick to keep the bacon on the slice, I make sure that the end flap of the bacon is the first to get seared on the skillet. 2. Add a quick drizzle of olive oil to the skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan & oil are hot enough, add each piece of venison, cooking it about 5 minute before turning it. Once all the pieces are cooked fully, transfer to plate and keep warm. 3. Heat remaining oil and melt butter in the same skillet over medium high heat. 4. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. 5. Add the garlic and a bit of salt and pepper. Cook until garlic is golden. 6. Add broth, cream and Parmesan. Stir, then lower heat to medium so the sauce is simmering. Do not boil rapidly, cream may separate. 7. Stir occasionally and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens. It shouldn't be super thick, this is a rich, creamy sauce. 8. Stir in the thyme, adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove from stove. Serve over each bacon wrapped venison portion.
Contributed by Jen Neumeyer, Boating Facilities Secretary, Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.
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January
First Day Hikes - January 1, 2020
Winter Family Fun Days Begin in January
The Winter Family Fun Days kick off with the Youth Ice Fishing Derby at Lake St. George State Park on Saturday, January 25th and continue through March.
Here are the first five dates:
View the Winter Family Fun Day schedule as a flyer (PDF KB)
Ski & Snowshoe Trailer Tours the State
The Maine State Parks Ski & Snowshoe Trailer will be making the rounds this winter to offer free equipment loans beginning on January 11 & 12th at Sebago Lake State Park. View the full schedule (PDF 272KB)
Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park Programs
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Traps and Trails, held in partnership with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, will be on Saturday, February 15th at Range Pond State Park during the free fishing weekend - no fishing license required!
- The beginner ice fishing clinic for adults includes instruction, equipment, and bait.
- Explore the park's 4.1-mile trail network, including groomed xc-ski trails.
- Local food and drinks will be served.
More details to come in the February newsletter!
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Saws felled trees, shovels moved earth, and men worked side-by-side with hand tools to make a 1/2-mile ski run on the eastern slope of Quoggy Joe Mt.
In a special to the Bangor Daily News it was reported on December 29, (circa 1938) that the 1/2-mile ski trail was complete, a 1,000-foot ski (rope) tow was underway, and Echo Lake was being cleared for a skating area with hockey and curling rinks.
Photos, top to bottom: Some of the 35 men who were the ski trail builders, ski sled circa 1939, ski trailer workers on the slope of Quoggy Joe.
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Though the rope tow and alpine ski run are long since gone and the mountain is now called Quaggy Jo, Aroostook State Park continues its tradition of being a winter recreation wonderland. There's a sliding hill, snowshoe trails, 15-miles of groomed cross-country ski trails with a warming hut, and visitors continue to skate on Echo Lake.
Winter camping is also allowed for those who like rustic conditions. The campground road is closed, but visitors who arrive with a tent may park in the day-use parking then ski or snowshoe in and camp. Water is off and the carry-in/carry-out policy is in effect. Camping self-registration forms are located at the park entry booth. For more information about winter camping call the park: (207) 768-8341.
Park brochure (PDF 2MB).
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Writer Margaret Hathaway and photograher Karl Schatz are collecting recipes and photos from kitchens all across the state: From everyday families and individuals to award winning chefs and notable Mainers. The book will explore the foodways of Maine’s native people, include recipes drawn from historic community cookbooks, and reveal the tastiest flavors from our newest Mainers. With the help of Maine’s people – people like you – they are making the Maine Bicentennial Community Cookbook, a collection of 200 recipes celebrating Maine’s rich culinary past, delicious present, and exciting future!
Deadline for Submissions: January 10, 2020
Submission Form and Additional Information
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Send article suggestions or newsletter comments to Jocelyn Hubbell, Interpretive Specialist, webmaster, and newsletter editor for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.
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