February Vacation Camp celebrates its 5th year, Patten Winterfest, General Management Plan update, and more…
Above, friendship forged in snow at Vacation Camp in Millinocket. Photo credit: FKWW
This newsletter is coming to you in the third week of March, a time of year defined by the tension of transitions. Patches of snow dot the landscape still. The driveway is softening each afternoon, half of it following us into the house in our boot treads, and the roads are bubbling up with frost heaves imperil all but the highest-clearance vehicles.
But beyond the slush and dirty snowbanks, the forest is a lovely place to explore in March. Every day the sun shines more directly, lasting longer into the afternoon. We can stop, take our gloves off, and enjoy a pocket-stashed sandwich with the cheerful song of the chickadees (listen for “Cheeseburger!” or “Hey Sweetie!”) that by March fills the air, belying the sparse visual evidence of the little songbirds.
And if the exertion of snowshoeing or skiing through the heavy, soft snow has you steaming in your parka, it might not be a bad idea to take a cue from these happy campers at the Katahdin Learning Project’s February Vacation Camp last month, and flop down into it for a few minutes of rest and a fresh perspective. Open your eyes to the brilliant blue optimism of a March sky! [Note: the rain and warmth since this email was composed have brought an end the ski/snowshoe season. But once the clouds part, we will really enjoy those blue skies.]
Read on for the latest news from Friends and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument!
Click for our latest blog post about their trip to Haskell Hut! Photo credit: Elaine Hendrickson
Five Years of Fun and Learning at Vacation Camp
In late 2021, as families and communities began to relax the social distancing of the Covid-19 pandemic, children were having a rough time. Erratic school closures, missing friends, teachers, and coaches, and witnessing the stress of adults in their lives had left a lot of kids more comfortable with a screen in their hands than being together with peers.
The Katahdin Learning Project (Friends’ place-based education program) team wanted to help kids feel connected again. Educators imagined a program that went beyond their popular in-school nature lessons – something immersive, rooted in place and community, and built to foster a sense of belonging. And the idea for Vacation Camp was born!
2026’s February Vacation Camp was KLP’s 5th year running of our week of school-break winter wonder (and April will mark the 4th year of mud-season magic). Camp is a safe, educational, and super fun four days of fresh air, friends, fur pelts with a National Park Service Ranger…and so much more.
Vacation camp serves Millinocket-area kids in K-5th grade, but as our oldest campers aged out, KLP designed volunteer Ambassador and Leader positions for middle and high school students – complete with real-world application, training, and evaluation processes. And the youth aren’t the only beneficiaries! Friends of KWW could not do Vacation Camp alone – and we’ve only grown stronger as an organization by the partnerships nurtured along the way. Thank you to: Outdoor Sport Institute/Katahdin Gear Library, Millinocket Schools, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Baxter State Park, Friends of Baxter State Park, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, Northern Forest Center, Katahdin Collaborative, and many individuals!
Vacation Campers head outdoors for much of the week. Photo credit: FKWW
Impactful programs like Vacation Camp thrive when the community is invested in its success, and we are so grateful for the philanthropic community that believes in our mission to build a new generation of leaders, learners, and advocates who are deeply rooted in the Katahdin region and committed to its care. Special thanks to those who have helped underwrite Vacation Camp, including the Onion Foundation, Peter Alfond Foundation, Northern Penobscot Activities Council, and of course, members like YOU.
Inside Camp’s home base of the Millinocket Memorial Library, a snow science lesson with KAWW’s Ranger Crystal introducing scientific methodologies and learning about the animals who live in our region with special guest Baxter State Park Ranger Cassandra. Photo credit: FKWW
Celebrating Snow at Patten Winterfest
The very last day of February was a great day to be in Patten at the Lumberman’s Museum for the 2nd annual Winterfest! Conceived and created by folks at the National Park Service at Katahdin Woods and Waters and Maine Forest Service, the free, family-focused event showcased 19 local and state organizations with nearly 40 volunteers and educators sharing winter knowledge and skills with 138 children, caregivers, and community members!
Wild winds didn’t dampen the fun, although attendees were grateful for the stations inside the Lumberman’s Museum – alternating activities like trying out cross-country skiing or snowshoeing with the Katahdin Gear Library with checking out antique logging equipment or racing through the animal obstacle course before warming up at Friends’ information station inside – many thanks to our corporate sponsor Katahdin Trust for keeping the cocoa cups full! Friends’ staff Kala, Michelle, and Brian all pitched in and enjoyed catching up with parents, community members, and supporters in a fun setting.
In the Katahdin region, embracing winter is a way of life, and Friends is honored to play a role in bringing the community together to celebrate winter recreation (some folks even arrived by snowmobile!) and learn how nature adapts to cold and snow.
A Lumberman’s museum blacksmithing demonstration and an original KLP obstacle course that teaches animal adaptations. Photo credits: FKWW
Just Around the Corner – Membership May
While most of Maine dries out from the melting blanket of snow, the calendar marches on and spring will be here before we know it. Friends’ staff are looking forward to kicking off the monument’s 10th anniversary season with our popular Membership May series – at four different brewpubs around the state!
Whether you’ve been paddling the East Branch since before the log drives ended, or you’re still looking forward to your first visit to Katahdin Woods and Waters, plan to make a stop at one (or more) of our Membership May events to pick up a monument map and Friends’ annual impact report, chat with staff, volunteers, and members, learn about progress on the monument’s General Management Plan, and much more. Oh, and the pizza is on us!
Mark your calendar and register for one or more of these free events today.
Thursday, May 7th – 4:30-6pm at Maine Beer Company in Freeport
Monday, May 11th – 4:30-6pm at Fogtown Brewing in Ellsworth
Thursday, May 21st – 5-7pm at Knife Edge Brewing in Millinocket
Thursday, May 28th – 5-7pm at Katahdin Brew Works in Patten
The monument’s dirt roads won’t open for visitor traffic until the mud is fully dry, usually around Memorial Day, so May will be a good time to oil up your hiking boots, pull the leaves out of the canoe, and join fellow Friends at the nearest Membership May event to you. See you there!At every stop along the way, we get to see Friends from different corners of Maine! Left to right, Fogtown Brewing Co in Ellsworth and Katahdin Brew Works in Patten. Photo credits: FKWW
Behind the Signs – News From Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument has launched the development of their General Management Plan, the formal process that builds off previous work around public listening sessions and the draft management framework. This plan provides long term direction around resource protection, visitor experience, access, and facilities. The first opportunity for public engagement is being planned for the last week of April and first week of May. Both virtual and in-person options will be available to comment on draft concepts of the monument’s zoning and desired conditions. KAWW Superintendent Neal Labrie said,
“Stay tuned in to NPS social media and web announcements for specific dates, times, and locations for civic engagement sessions. We also plan to hold some less formal drop-in opportunities that will provide information and opportunities for local conversation.”
Sponsor Spotlight
Membership May is when we kick off our 2026 year-long sponsorship recognition. If you are connected to a business or nonprofit that cares deeply about our national parks system, the Katahdin region, or sharing the rich history and ecology of the national monument with meaningful experiences, join companies like Wright-Ryan, 2025 Lookout Level sponsor. For more than 40 years, they’ve shaped northern New England through lasting relationships and even longer-lasting buildings. Thank you!
Your business or organization can be a part of the movement to preserve and protect Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument for the benefit of local communities and visitors from around the world. We are happy to customize a sponsorship package that works best for your brand. Visit our sponsorship page, call (207) 808-0020 or email sarah@friendsofkww.org today to learn more.
This blog post was adapted from an email sent on March 17th, 2026. Sign up for our email list at friendsofkww.org/signup
Snow, Sun, and Fun – March eNewsletter
Posted: March 17, 2026 by Sarah Andre
February Vacation Camp celebrates its 5th year, Patten Winterfest, General Management Plan update, and more…
This newsletter is coming to you in the third week of March, a time of year defined by the tension of transitions. Patches of snow dot the landscape still. The driveway is softening each afternoon, half of it following us into the house in our boot treads, and the roads are bubbling up with frost heaves imperil all but the highest-clearance vehicles.
But beyond the slush and dirty snowbanks, the forest is a lovely place to explore in March. Every day the sun shines more directly, lasting longer into the afternoon. We can stop, take our gloves off, and enjoy a pocket-stashed sandwich with the cheerful song of the chickadees (listen for “Cheeseburger!” or “Hey Sweetie!”) that by March fills the air, belying the sparse visual evidence of the little songbirds.
And if the exertion of snowshoeing or skiing through the heavy, soft snow has you steaming in your parka, it might not be a bad idea to take a cue from these happy campers at the Katahdin Learning Project’s February Vacation Camp last month, and flop down into it for a few minutes of rest and a fresh perspective. Open your eyes to the brilliant blue optimism of a March sky! [Note: the rain and warmth since this email was composed have brought an end the ski/snowshoe season. But once the clouds part, we will really enjoy those blue skies.]
Read on for the latest news from Friends and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument!
Five Years of Fun and Learning at Vacation Camp
In late 2021, as families and communities began to relax the social distancing of the Covid-19 pandemic, children were having a rough time. Erratic school closures, missing friends, teachers, and coaches, and witnessing the stress of adults in their lives had left a lot of kids more comfortable with a screen in their hands than being together with peers.
The Katahdin Learning Project (Friends’ place-based education program) team wanted to help kids feel connected again. Educators imagined a program that went beyond their popular in-school nature lessons – something immersive, rooted in place and community, and built to foster a sense of belonging. And the idea for Vacation Camp was born!
2026’s February Vacation Camp was KLP’s 5th year running of our week of school-break winter wonder (and April will mark the 4th year of mud-season magic). Camp is a safe, educational, and super fun four days of fresh air, friends, fur pelts with a National Park Service Ranger…and so much more.
Vacation camp serves Millinocket-area kids in K-5th grade, but as our oldest campers aged out, KLP designed volunteer Ambassador and Leader positions for middle and high school students – complete with real-world application, training, and evaluation processes. And the youth aren’t the only beneficiaries! Friends of KWW could not do Vacation Camp alone – and we’ve only grown stronger as an organization by the partnerships nurtured along the way. Thank you to: Outdoor Sport Institute/Katahdin Gear Library, Millinocket Schools, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Baxter State Park, Friends of Baxter State Park, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, Northern Forest Center, Katahdin Collaborative, and many individuals!
Impactful programs like Vacation Camp thrive when the community is invested in its success, and we are so grateful for the philanthropic community that believes in our mission to build a new generation of leaders, learners, and advocates who are deeply rooted in the Katahdin region and committed to its care. Special thanks to those who have helped underwrite Vacation Camp, including the Onion Foundation, Peter Alfond Foundation, Northern Penobscot Activities Council, and of course, members like YOU.
Inside Camp’s home base of the Millinocket Memorial Library, a snow science lesson with KAWW’s Ranger Crystal introducing scientific methodologies and learning about the animals who live in our region with special guest Baxter State Park Ranger Cassandra. Photo credit: FKWW
Celebrating Snow at Patten Winterfest
The very last day of February was a great day to be in Patten at the Lumberman’s Museum for the 2nd annual Winterfest! Conceived and created by folks at the National Park Service at Katahdin Woods and Waters and Maine Forest Service, the free, family-focused event showcased 19 local and state organizations with nearly 40 volunteers and educators sharing winter knowledge and skills with 138 children, caregivers, and community members!
Wild winds didn’t dampen the fun, although attendees were grateful for the stations inside the Lumberman’s Museum – alternating activities like trying out cross-country skiing or snowshoeing with the Katahdin Gear Library with checking out antique logging equipment or racing through the animal obstacle course before warming up at Friends’ information station inside – many thanks to our corporate sponsor Katahdin Trust for keeping the cocoa cups full! Friends’ staff Kala, Michelle, and Brian all pitched in and enjoyed catching up with parents, community members, and supporters in a fun setting.
In the Katahdin region, embracing winter is a way of life, and Friends is honored to play a role in bringing the community together to celebrate winter recreation (some folks even arrived by snowmobile!) and learn how nature adapts to cold and snow.
A Lumberman’s museum blacksmithing demonstration and an original KLP obstacle course that teaches animal adaptations. Photo credits: FKWW
Just Around the Corner – Membership May
While most of Maine dries out from the melting blanket of snow, the calendar marches on and spring will be here before we know it. Friends’ staff are looking forward to kicking off the monument’s 10th anniversary season with our popular Membership May series – at four different brewpubs around the state!
Whether you’ve been paddling the East Branch since before the log drives ended, or you’re still looking forward to your first visit to Katahdin Woods and Waters, plan to make a stop at one (or more) of our Membership May events to pick up a monument map and Friends’ annual impact report, chat with staff, volunteers, and members, learn about progress on the monument’s General Management Plan, and much more. Oh, and the pizza is on us!
Mark your calendar and register for one or more of these free events today.
The monument’s dirt roads won’t open for visitor traffic until the mud is fully dry, usually around Memorial Day, so May will be a good time to oil up your hiking boots, pull the leaves out of the canoe, and join fellow Friends at the nearest Membership May event to you. See you there!
At every stop along the way, we get to see Friends from different corners of Maine! Left to right, Fogtown Brewing Co in Ellsworth and Katahdin Brew Works in Patten. Photo credits: FKWW
Behind the Signs – News From Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument has launched the development of their General Management Plan, the formal process that builds off previous work around public listening sessions and the draft management framework. This plan provides long term direction around resource protection, visitor experience, access, and facilities. The first opportunity for public engagement is being planned for the last week of April and first week of May. Both virtual and in-person options will be available to comment on draft concepts of the monument’s zoning and desired conditions. KAWW Superintendent Neal Labrie said,
“Stay tuned in to NPS social media and web announcements for specific dates, times, and locations for civic engagement sessions. We also plan to hold some less formal drop-in opportunities that will provide information and opportunities for local conversation.”
Sponsor Spotlight
Membership May is when we kick off our 2026 year-long sponsorship recognition. If you are connected to a business or nonprofit that cares deeply about our national parks system, the Katahdin region, or sharing the rich history and ecology of the national monument with meaningful experiences, join companies like Wright-Ryan, 2025 Lookout Level sponsor. For more than 40 years, they’ve shaped northern New England through lasting relationships and even longer-lasting buildings. Thank you!
Your business or organization can be a part of the movement to preserve and protect Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument for the benefit of local communities and visitors from around the world. We are happy to customize a sponsorship package that works best for your brand. Visit our sponsorship page, call (207) 808-0020 or email sarah@friendsofkww.org today to learn more.
This blog post was adapted from an email sent on March 17th, 2026. Sign up for our email list at friendsofkww.org/signup
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