Grant to Benefit Houlton’s Bird Farm

By JEN LYNDS; OF THE NEWS STAFF

HOULTON – An outdoor classroom that has contributed to the education of numerous Houlton High School students has received a boost from a recently obtained grant.

Andrea Newman, community liaison for Vital Pathways, announced recently that the community health organization had been awarded a Project Canopy grant through the Maine Forest Service.

Project Canopy, according to its Web site, is a cooperative effort of the Maine Forest Service and the Pine Tree State Arboretum.

The grant amounts to $2,070, Newman said Monday.

Project Canopy grants are available to state, county and municipal governments, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations for developing and implementing community forestry projects and programs.

The grant will help officials update and expand a forest management plan for the Bird Farm, a 99-acre plot of woods and fields located behind the high school.

It functions as an outdoor classroom which is used by a number of science and outdoor education teachers at the high school to educate students about ecosystems, tree identification, and orienteering. Students also collect specimens from the ponds, streams, fields and forest on the farm for use in science classes.

The Bird Farm Committee, a group composed of educators, residents and resources professionals, said in a written statement that they intend to use the forestry plan to help “guide natural resource management” in the area and guarantee that the Bird Farm’s resources are available for many years to come.

Don Collins, chairman of Vital Pathways, said he believes the plan will spark awareness – both in youth and adults – about managing natural resources.

Newman said Monday that the committee already has taken several steps on its journey to get the plan created.

The plan will be prepared by a private consulting forester.

The committee will approve the proposal once it is crafted and then pass it on to the SAD 29 board for its potential adoption.

According to the Maine Forest Service, 35 communities and organizations were awarded a total of $171,541 from the 2007 Project Canopy grant program.

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