Becoming an Outdoors Woman in Maine

02/03/2026

Good evening!

For those who may not have seen the email pushes, MDIFW has a Winter Skills Overnight opportunity in partnership with UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond!❄️

This will be the first Co-Ed overnight opportunity with lots of fun activities offered, and even better there is still room to sign up!
To learn more visit their registration page here: https://extension.umaine.edu/bryantpond/winter-skills-weekend/

We hope to see you and help build those outdoor skills! 🥾🎣🏹

Program Date: February 7 – 8th, 2026 Snow Date: February 14 – 15th, 2026 Minimum Attendance requirement: 40 participants This extensive, weekend long program is the perfect excuse to get outside, learn or improve new skills and make new friends. Take to the ice to learn how to ice fish or head t...

10/01/2025

Two Fall Outdoor Skills Days are coming up: Sunday, October 5 at Camp Beech Cliff on Mount Desert Island and Sunday, October 19 at Bryant Pond! Open to ALL adults ages 18+. Choose two sessions that most interest you, from learning to fish or hunt, to foraging, paddling, and more.

Learn More + Register Online: https://lnks.gd/2/33tpNM7

09/17/2025

Check this out!

Fall is a brilliant time to embrace your outdoorsy side, so challenge yourself! Expand your autumn adventures by learning something new at our Fall Outdoor Skills day.

📅 Sunday, October 5, 8:30am-4:30pm
🗺 Camp Beech Cliff, Mount Desert, ME

This one-day event for adults offers a variety of workshops led by knowledgeable and welcoming educators including registered Maine guides, biologists, and master naturalists.

You'll get to choose two workshops from a list of topics including introductions to fly fishing, naturalist skills, bushcraft, hunting, and archery, as well as reading the forested landscape, and exploring lake ecology.

The outdoors is for everyone, and learning in nature is a lifelong journey! Register and choose your workshops at https://www.campbeechcliff.org/fallskills

08/28/2025

Help Shape the Future of Outdoor Recreation in Maine
Maine is updating its Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP)—and we want to hear from YOU.

Whether you’re an outdoor recreation provider who offers outdoor recreation experiences or a resident who enjoys Maine’s incredible natural spaces, your input is critical to shaping the next five years of outdoor recreation planning and investment in our state.

Why Your Voice Matters
Outdoor recreation is an essential part of life in Maine. From hiking trails and water access sites to ballfields and snowmobile routes, these spaces are used by residents and visitors alike. To ensure Maine’s outdoor recreation resources continue to meet community needs and reflect statewide priorities, we need insight from the people who use and manage these places every day.
Your feedback will help:
• Identify gaps in access, equity, and infrastructure
• Inform funding decisions and priority projects
• Guide long-term strategies to improve recreation for all Mainers
Take the Survey That Fits You
There are two separate surveys, and we invite you to complete the one or both that best matches your experience:

For Outdoor Recreation Users
If you’re someone who ATV’s, hikes, bikes, hunts, fishes, paddles, plays sports, camps, or otherwise enjoys outdoor recreation in Maine, this survey is for you.
Take the Public/User Survey
https://forms.office.com/g/dYBp47Dyav


For Outdoor Recreation Providers
If you work in municipal, state, tribal, or nonprofit outdoor recreation—or help manage public lands, trails, facilities, or programming—please share your perspective on the challenges and opportunities you see.
Take the Provider/Supply Survey
https://forms.office.com/g/sZhCAW9kWT


Be Part of the Planning Process
Your responses will directly inform the 2025 Maine SCORP, a plan that helps guide outdoor recreation funding, policy, and development across the state. Completing a survey takes just 15 minutes, and your perspective can make a direct impact on setting priorities for the next 10 years.

Questions about Maine’s SCORP should be sent to:
Nicole Lazure
Outdoor Recreation Planner
Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands
22 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0022
(207) 592-2341
[email protected]

07/09/2025

Good afternoon! Sharing an opportunity for those who may be interested. Those interested can contact Amanda, who is an outreach steward for AmeriCorps and Maine Appalachian Trail Club, see contact information below. 🥾⛰

01/08/2025

Good morning! For all of you eagerly awaiting the Winter BOW program, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife has rebranded the program to the Women's Winter Skills Weekend which will take place Friday, February 7th through Sunday, February 9th, 2025 at the UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond. The program will encompass the same style workshops and offerings but the rebrand is part of a bigger transition to streamline and provide more diverse offerings throughout the year!

Hope to see you there! 🐟❄️🎣🦫🥾

For more information or to register visit:

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Winter Skills Weekend The “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” Winter Skills Weekend has been a long time favorite program at Bryant Pond, celebrating all of the adventures to be had during the winter in Maine. This season will be offering our B.O.W. Winter Skills as a 1-day p...

09/18/2024

Happy Wednesday! Is it just me looking forward to the weekend?

If you're still looking to make some weekend plans, don't miss the End of Summer Extravaganza! Inviting folks of all ages and skill levels to join us and learn how to get outside and make the most of this fall!

Welcoming folks of all identities, abilities, and experience levels into the Maine outdoors for a day of fun, celebration, and learning!

05/17/2024

Looking for a way to increase angling in your area?! Becoming a certified instructor gives you the skills and resources to get folks of all ages introduced to the tradition! Join MDIFW on Monday, May 20th!

Looking to do some angler education this summer?! Join us for this hands-on training to gain new skills, techniques and become certified!

04/30/2024

Good morning! We have some great news! There have been some cancellations in the Spring SustainME offering TOMORROW in Augusta! This FREE event is open to anyone of any skill level and identity 18 and over!

We will be there rain or shine, so pack your rain gear, your lunch and a favorite camp chair! Workshop sessions include Introduction to Trapping and Fur Handling, Fly Fishing, Wild Game Cooking, and Wilderness Survival to name a few!

Welcoming folks of all identities and skill levels to a day of outdoor skills designed to bring you closer to self reliance in Maine!

04/05/2024

We are happy to announce Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife has heard the feedback and we are happy to add an additional location to our Becoming an Outdoors Woman in Maine offerings!

Come join us on Sunday, May 19th at Camp Beech Cliff for a Spring Mini!

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) is a program that originated when University of Wisconsin Stevens Point’s Professor Christine Thomas conducted a study that found woman prefer to learn about hunting, fishing, fire building, and outdoor skills in general in a non-competitive environment with like-m...

02/08/2024

Last weekend we held the 2024 Becoming an Outdoors Woman in Maine Winter Weekend at UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond. What a blast!

On day one, there were a lot of first-time moments in the snow, on the ice, and in the classroom as this awesome group came from far and wide to try ice fishing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing, learn winter survival, fly tying, and wild game campfire cooking techniques. They got started with trapping, hunting, and guiding basics and topped it all off with s'mores and lots of laughs.

On day two, the group split up to embark on three different expeditions. One group took to the ice, excited for more flags to go up as they put their new ice fishing skills to the test. Another group spent the day at the range, gaining confidence with a wide range of fi****ms. The third group strapped on their snowshoes to hit the trails and immerse themselves in Maine's winter woods.

There's nothing like creating memories with new friends while building skills that set you up for a life enjoying the Maine outdoors. If this sounds good to you, please join us at our future events!

Learn more about BOW and other Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife adult educational programs at mefishwildlife.com/education.

12/10/2023

Ice! Snow! Let’s Go! ❄️ Registration for the 2024 winter session of Becoming an Outdoors-Woman is now live!

Mark your calendars, ladies!
📅 Friday, February 2 - Sunday, February 4
🗺 UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond

With a new added feature to the program this year, this hands-on experience is going to be next level! Intros and campfire time on day one… workshops on day two… and for day three? Mini expeditions! On the ice, in the woods, or at the range, this day has adventure written all over it!

At BOW you can choose the workshops that interest you the most. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the experiences you can walk away with when you try new things at BOW:

🚩 Enjoying the thrill of a flag while ice fishing with new friends.
😎 Expertly handling a corner on a snowmobile course.
🎯 Hitting your target with three different fi****ms in one day.
🔥 Savoring the taste of campfire-cooked game.
✅ Learning what it takes to make your dream of earning your registered Maine guide patch come true.

Follow the link below to learn more about the schedule and workshops, find a packing list, and register. Reserve a spot soon before we sell out!

https://extension.umaine.edu/bryantpond/adult-programs/becoming-an-outdoors-woman/becoming-an-outdoorswoman-winter-skills-weekend/

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