Schoodic Institute

09/04/2026

Seaweed, sunrises, surprises, and celebrations at sea for this week’s

09/04/2026

09/02/2026

We had a blast last week hosting The Maine Outdoor Film Festival at Schoodic Institute in the Rockefeller Hall Meadow. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a night of films under the stars... and nearly-full moon! We thought it was a fantastic lineup of films celebrating conservation efforts and outdoor adventure in Maine and beyond. Let us know your favorites!

Join us this month for more evenings under the stars. Enjoy various night sky events September 3rd-10th: https://schoodicinstitute.org/events/

09/01/2026

We're looking skyward this September! Our Summer Lecture Series program culminates this month with Skywatching: Human-Bird Relationships Through Time. Join us in Moore Auditorium or online via Zoom to hear avian insights from Dr. Bonnie Newsom, Angi King Johnston, and Olivia Olson. Please register ahead for this free event: https://schoodicinstitute.org/event/summer-lecture-series-skywatching/

08/31/2026

Wow, what a view! You may know the feeling: cresting a ridgeline or finding a gap in the trees that treats you to a breathtaking vista. National parks and protected lands are ripe with good views. But did you know that visitor access to these views is highly intentional, even down to a science? Schoodic Institute’s Gero Fellows recently conducted a Visual Resources Inventory (VRI) at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

Read Tiegan Paulson's reflections on his experience assigning quantitative value to the scenery: https://schoodicinstitute.org/how-do-you-rate-a-scenic-view/

08/30/2026

Stargazing at Schoodic! This September, we are excited to offer various astronomical evenings with amateur astronomer Richard Luecke. Each event features an image-enhanced journey in Moore Auditorium, followed by a green laser tour and telescope experience outside (weather permitting).

9/3 Get to Know the Summer Stars Over Schoodic: https://schoodicinstitute.org/event/summer-stars-over-schoodic/

9/4 Welcome to the Milky Way: https://schoodicinstitute.org/event/welcome-to-the-milky-way-5/

9/5 Our Understanding of the Cosmos—Then and Now: https://schoodicinstitute.org/event/our-understanding-of-the-cosmos/

9/10 Get to Know the Summer Stars Over Schoodic II: https://schoodicinstitute.org/event/summer-stars-over-schoodic-ii/

08/28/2026

Happy National Park Week! As a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, we support science and education here at home in Acadia, and at parks across the country. Coming together is an important part of our work, whether it’s collecting dragonflies, sharing science, or learning from Tribal Nations.

08/27/2026

We are celebrating the spirit of collaboration this National Park Week! It takes a dedicated team of park partners, volunteers, and generous community members to keep Acadia thriving: from the ground up. Schoodic Institute and Friends of Acadia wish to extend a big thank you to Coast of Maine Organic Products, Inc. for their donation of 100 bags of enriched soil mix for our Save Our Summits soil restoration project. Shout-out as well to volunteers and Frost Farms for loading and delivering.

Want to help with next steps (and get your own steps in)? Sign up here for a soil hike: https://friendsofacadia.org/get-involved/events/save-our-summits-registration/

Twice a week from June through mid-September, volunteers carry soil up to the Sargent and Penobscot ridges. Then in the fall, restoration technicians get to work reviving vegetation plots. This new mix, selected to improve moisture and encourage growth in existing plots, will be added to the soil hiked up by volunteers since 2023. All-in-all, Coast of Maine's donation totals about 2,000lbs (1,900 liters).

Many hands will make light work. We are grateful to everyone involved for helping Acadia’s summit plants grow!

08/26/2026

Join us in the Rockefeller Hall meadow for sunset cinema! Tomorrow evening, 8/27. Get tickets here: https://schoodicinstitute.org/event/2026-moff-at-schoodic-institute/

08/25/2026

“We emerged as a species alongside trees, which is why millions of us can coexist with trees.”

Our August summer lecture with Catherine Schmitt and panel enlightened us on the Trees of Acadia and reminded us that “part of being human is to interact with the rest of the world. Acadia is a human landscape, but coexistence is certainly possible.”

🎥 As always, this lecture was recorded. Hear insights from Catherine, Kate, Matthew, and Allen here: https://youtu.be/YPhQe9E1Stg?si=Clv2QsDjILDmmLDe

📗 Then go to your local bookshop for a copy of Catherine’s new book “Trees of Acadia” or Allen Workman’s “Schoodic Point”.

Guests to the lecture also enjoyed a curated selection of forest-centered art by Acadia National Park artists in residence.

We are keeping our gaze towards the canopies and beyond with this summer’s final evening lecture. Join us September 8th for Skywatching: Human-Bird Relationships Through Time, featuring Dr. Bonnie Newsom, Angi King Johnson, and Olivia Olson. Register here: https://schoodicinstitute.org/event/summer-lecture-series-skywatching/

Photos by Nick Fisichelli and Grace Upham