Schoodic 2009 Trip Info

Below is a brief summary of the 2009 Schoodic information. Additional details and sign-ups will be posted here as they become available. Please visit this site periodically throughout the summer for the most current information and updates.

General Itinerary

Specific activities, options, and times will become more detailed throughout the summer. Below is a general breakdown of the dates and events that are being planned.

Tuesday, August 25th – Travel and Welcome

  • Arrive at Murray Hall in the afternoon to check-in, stow belongings, and load buses
  • Travel to Schoodic Education and Research Center and settle into rooms
  • Dinner at the Schooner Club
  • Welcome by the SBE Director, student group introduction activity
  • Optional movie at Moore Auditorium and social time

Wednesday, August 26th – Activities with Faculty

  • Breakfast at the Schooner Club
  • Field activities with SBE faculty (options will be posted here soon)
  • Meet with academic advisors
  • Lunch at the Schooner Club and down time
  • Field activities with SBE faculty (options will be posted here soon)
  • Free time on playing field
  • BBQ dinner at the pavilion
  • Fun activity coordinated with grad students
  • Optional movie at Moore Auditorium and social time

Thursday, August 27th – Field Excursions

  • Breakfast at the Schooner Club and pack lunches
  • Visit research facilities in the area
  • Whale watch, nature cruise, or hiking (see options below)
  • Dinner back at the Schooner Club
  • Optional movie at Moore Auditorium and social time

Friday, August 28th – Return to UMaine

  • Breakfast at the Schooner club and pack belongings
  • Travel back to Orono
  • Register with Residence Halls and join the Maine Hello Program in progress

 

Helpful Information

Leaving a car on campus.

If you will be leaving a car on campus while you are at Schoodic (EVERYONE will ride the bus to SERC), you need to apply for a parking permit.
Students who will live in the dorm need to apply for a resident permit and off campus students need a commuter permit.  The permits cost $50 each and are good until August 31st, 2010 (just over one year).  You can get your permit at the Student Services Center in the Memorial Union or by mail by printing off the application form that is available online (http://www.umaine.edu/parking/new_permits_on_sale.htm) and sending it in.  Be sure to allow enough time for the mail.  Once you have your parking permit, you can park your car anywhere on campus in a lot designated for your permit (residents, red lot signs or commuters, black lot signs).  Residents cannot park in commuter lots and vice versa.
If your car will only be on campus while we are at Schoodic you need a temporary permit.  You can get this at no charge from Teresa Costello in Murray 100.

Everyone should have FirstClass set up and working.  You should be checking for e-mail at least once per week.  We will send any last minute information via FirstClass so be sure to check your e-mail daily in the last few days before we go to Schoodic.

 

What to bring to Schoodic

You will be staying in a dorm or an apartment at Schoodic.  Sheets, blankets, and towels will be provided for you.  You will also get breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
Storage space for personal belongings at Schoodic is very limited and cannot be locked.  It consists of cubbies that are only about 18x18x18 inches.  So bring only essentials and leave valuables at home.

  • Warm clothes (such as warm socks, long pants, a fleece jacket – temperatures can get down to the 40’s at night on the coast during late August)
  • Summer clothes (it can be hot during the day)
  • Raingear (raincoat, rain jacket and pants, or a poncho) – there will be outdoor activities scheduled regardless of the weather
  • Flash light (The national park maintains a minimum of outdoor lights at night to minimize light pollution.)
  • Sneakers or other appropriate footwear for walking on trails 
  • A second pair of shoes that can get wet and dirty while walking in tide pools (such as an old pair of sneakers) 
  • Sunscreen
  • Insect repellent
  • Water bottle
  • Personal toiletries and any medications you are currently taking or may need.  Be sure to bring any prescription medications in their original bottle.

 

Field Excursion Options

On August 28th we will explore some of the area around Acadia National Park as well as some of the research facilities in the region.  You will be choosing an excursion from the following list, but all will include a visit to the University of Maine’s Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR), in Franklin, Maine.  CCAR is a research facility studying aquaculture of commercially viable marine organisms including fish.

Option 1:  CCAR tour and Whale Watching Cruise.

An all day excursion that will include a tour of CCAR in Franklin followed by lunch and a 3 ½ hour whale watching cruise. (Picture ID required)

Option 2:  CCAR tour and Nature Cruise.

An all day excursion that will include a tour of CCAR in Franklin followed by lunch and a 2 hour nature cruise around Penobscot Bay. (Picture ID required)

Option 3:  CCAR tour, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) Tour, and a hike in Acadia National Park.

An all day excursion that will include tours of both CCAR and MDIBL.  This tour includes lunch and a hike along some of the less traveled trails in Acadia National Park.  Several of our students have conducted research at MDIBL during the summer months (you will meet a current UMaine student working here for the summer).

Please note that both cruises occur in open water and, therefore, appropriate warm and water-proof clothing should be worn.  Additionally everyone is required to show a valid picture ID before boarding either cruise ship.  Those without picture ID will be denied the ability to board the ship.

 

Admission Fees

Note that all costs associated with the Schoodic trip are included in the NFA 117 course fee. This includes the whale watch, nature cruise, and any other excursion that would otherwise require an admission fee.