Seabird Sue Schubel with a budding birder.
Disney Conservation Hero Susan Schubel will lead a workshop from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, July 20, at Beachcombers’ Rest Nature Center at Pemaquid Beach Park. Families and people of all ages are invited to come and learn about seabirds through indoor and outdoor activities. Participants will have fun becoming an expert on five different Maine birds with Be-a-Bird Mystery Boxes. The workshop is free, but donations are welcome. Participants must pay the town’s admission fee to Pemaquid Beach Park. If Pemaquid Beach is closed due to weather, the program will be held at Pemaquid Watershed Association’s office at 584 Main St. in Damariscotta.
In 2008, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund selected Schubel as one of 11 Disney Conservation Heroes from applications submitted by environmental organizations around the world. Schubel was chosen for her work as outreach educator for Project Puffin. Known locally to thousands of Maine children as “Seabird Sue,” Schubel has been bringing hands-on activities to children in Midcoast Maine schools since 1998. An innovative educator, she has introduced more than 10,000 students to Maine’s rich ecology and Audubon’s Seabird Restoration Program through a wide variety of activities. Schubel also has served as a caretaker of Audubon’s Hog Island Camp, which has been educating adults, children, and families about coastal wildlife in Maine and beyond for more than 70 years. During this workshop, Schubel will be teaching participants about the seabirds of the area such as the gulls and puffins.
Beachcombers’ Rest Nature Center is a collaborative effort between the Bristol Parks and Recreation Commission and Pemaquid Watershed Association, a volunteer-based, membership-supported nonprofit organization that has been conserving the natural resources of the Pemaquid Peninsula region since 1966. For the full list of Beachcombers’ Rest Nature Center workshops, go to pemaquidwatershed.org.
