Upcoming events
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Improve Your Forest Workshop & Field Trip
May 14, 2025 9am-12pm
Maine Woodland Owners hosts this fun and educational woods event. Learn what you can do to improve your forest.
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Union River Watershed Summit
May 16: 4-6:30pm; May 17: 9:30-3:30 2025
2-day virtual & in-person event exploring the past and future of the Union River—with historic tours, expert talks, and art—Community input is vital at this pivotal moment.
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Board of Supervisors Meeting
Virtual May 28, 2025 08:00 AM
Join our monthly Board of Supervisors meetings. Learn about our progress and plans for soil and water conservation efforts and programs in Hancock County.
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Community Resilience Course
May 28, 2025 8am-5pm NW Harbor
Hosted by Hancock County Emergency Management Agency, this course teaches meaningful actions to take to enhance resilience to natural hazards, and incorporate these actions into professional practice.
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No Mow May
In your backyard - All of May
Let your lawn grow this May to create diverse habitats for native pollinators and delight the migrating birds of spring. Lawn signs are available! -
Jumping Worms Workshop
June 17, 18 Virtual
This free virtual workshop explores the latest research, monitoring efforts, and management approaches for invasive jumping worms.
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Plant Paddle Workshop with Lake Stewards of Maine
June 25, 2025 10am-1pm
Help protect Maine lakes with this on-water workshop to learn how to spot invasive aquatic plants and become a certified plant patrol volunteer. Space is limited, register below. Bring your own canoe or kayak.
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Trenton Butterfly Festival
June 28, 2025 - 9-2
Held at Trenton Elementary, the Butterfly Festival will include a pollinator parade, games, dunk tank, bouncy house, prizes, food and more! Dress as your favorite pollinator!
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Backyard Rewilding
Ongoing CLC Program
Join our Rewilding program, made possible by the Davis Conservation Foundation, led by Tabatha White. Turn your backyard into a biodiverse haven for native species!
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Volunteer Trail Maintenance
Ongoing
Help Frenchman Bay Conservancy maintain trails on Wednesdays at 8:30 led by Sterwardship Manager Garrett Black.
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Water Quality Volunteers
Ongoing Workshops
Help monitor water quality in Hancock County with ongoing workshops provided for volunteers by Lake Stewards with DEP.
HCSWCD District Calendar
Get Involved
Our conservation work in Hancock County depends on community residents and organizations to support and contribute to it. We maintain a list of conservation-related opportunities that are organized by our partners, and, when possible, we organize events and volunteer opportunities that are specific to our soil and water projects. We invite you to join one or all of these opportunities to stay connected with conservation work in our community.
We also invite you to consider giving to our District. We accept donations of all sizes, and encourage you to reach out to us if you’re interested in partnering to accomplish and expand conservation goals. Please call us at 207.667.8663 for more information.
By providing Envirothon and other quality education programs to students today, we hope to ensure the continued value of Maine’s natural resources. Envirothon is aligned with Common Core Standards, the guiding principles for Maine’s education system.
Youth Engagement
Envirothon
What is Envirothon? A natural resource problem-solving competition for grades 9-12. In an outdoor setting, students are tested in five natural resource areas: aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and a current national environmental issue. Envirothon is a team effort that includes site-specific, hands-on tasks. A team includes three to five students, an alternate, and an adult advisor. Regional and state competitions are held each spring. The top Maine team qualifies for the North American Envirothon finals, an opportunity to compete against teams from across the United States and Canada.
Why Envirothon? The State of Maine has a long history of natural resource use and management. Maine is 90% forested, has 6,000 lakes and ponds, 4,500 miles of mainland shoreline, and 32,000 miles of rivers and streams. We have an abundance of wildlife and fish, and agriculture continues to be an important resource. The Maine Association of Conservation Districts has a strong, shared commitment to preserving these natural landscapes.
Educational Farm Tours Program
The Educational Farm Tours Program was created to increase students’ access to local agriculture and agricultural education through tours, hands on activities and educational lessons. The hope is that these experiences will help foster a greater understanding of our food and fiber system as well as its importance in Hancock County.
Reimbursement is available once for each class/youth group per school calendar year as grant funds allow. Reimbursement is meant to cover the tour fee the farm charges the school/youth group.
The following farms participate in the Educational Farm Tours Program that is sponsored by the Hancock County Soil & Water Conservation District. Each farm is unique in what it has to offer a visiting school or children’s group.
Please contact the individual farms directly for more information. If you would like your farm to be a part of the Educational Farm Tours Program, please contact the Hancock County SWCD office at 207-667-8663.