FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, March 14th, 2019
Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters lending free equipment at Head North Ski Days
The sixth annual Head North Ski Days will offer free cross-country ski and snowshoe equipment to the public at the north end of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
Patten, ME — Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters (Friends) will be hosting the sixth annual Head North Ski Days in the north end of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (the Monument) from Saturday, March 16th to Friday, March 22nd. With the help of local volunteers and Friends’ community partners at Elliotsville Plantation, Inc, event attendees are invited to borrow free cross-country ski or snowshoe equipment at the North Gate of the Monument. Friends Education Coordinator Kala Rush will be hosting visitors as well as students from across the Katahdin Region.
“The Monument provides a great opportunity for folks to enjoy the Maine North Woods in winter,” said Friends’ Education Coordinator, Kala Rush. “The Katahdin Region has been slammed with snow this year and the skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling conditions are the best they’ve been in years.”
From March 16th to March 22nd, starting each day at 10 AM, the public will have access to free cross-country skis, boots, and poles provided by Outdoor Sport Institute as well as snowshoe equipment from the Katahdin Gear Library. Volunteers will help visitors set up equipment and can offer recommendations for enjoying the trails system. Adventurers interested in a backcountry overnight experience are invited to reach out to Friends to plan an extended trip.
“Whether you’re out for half a day or a couple of nights, the 16-plus miles of groomed trails offer excellent skiing and snowshoeing with some breathtaking views of the East Branch of the Penobscot, Bald Mountain, Traveler Mountain, and more,” said Kala Rush.
Elliotsville Plantation, Inc. started Head North Ski Days in 2014 to showcase what was then a recreation area before the historic land gift that led to the designation of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in August 2016. With generous support from local Maine sponsors Shin Pond Village, Richardson’s Hardware, and Emerald Builders, Friends continues to host the event and offer free equipment for visitors from the Katahdin Region, Maine, and around New England.
“We’re proud to have the support of Maine businesses and organizations that understand the importance of Maine’s woods and waters. The Monument community spans the Katahdin Region and beyond and this event has received support from Mt. Chase, Patten, Millinocket, Farmington, Bowdoinham, and Caribou,” said Kala Rush.
Millinocket radio station The Mountain 94.9 and Big Hits 99.3 in Farmington are supporting the event by broadcasting a Head North Ski Days public service announcement recorded through the Katahdin Learning Project with the help of Katahdin High School students.
The Katahdin Learning Project is Friends’ place-based learning initiative in the Katahdin Region with the intent of getting students and the broader community outside and connected to the Monument. Education Coordinator Kala Rush recorded the radio spot while teaching local students about audio production as part of a Katahdin Learning Project “learning journey.” During Head North Ski Days, students from schools in Millinocket, Medway, Stacyville, and Patten will have the opportunity to enjoy the north end of the Monument with Kala and teacher chaperones.
“Through Head North Ski Days, regional teachers are going the extra mile to help their students experience the wild places around them,” said Rush. “With each learning journey, students are growing their connection to the lands and becoming stewards and advocates of the environment in their own families and communities.”
For more information about Head North Ski Days, please visit the Friends website.
Press Contacts:
Kala Rush, Education Coordinator
Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters
(406) 728 – 5692
Sam Deeran, Deputy Director
Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters
(207) 650 – 4074
Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters lending free equipment at Head North Ski Days
Posted: March 15, 2019 by Sarah Andre
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, March 14th, 2019
Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters lending free equipment at Head North Ski Days
The sixth annual Head North Ski Days will offer free cross-country ski and snowshoe equipment to the public at the north end of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
Patten, ME — Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters (Friends) will be hosting the sixth annual Head North Ski Days in the north end of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument (the Monument) from Saturday, March 16th to Friday, March 22nd. With the help of local volunteers and Friends’ community partners at Elliotsville Plantation, Inc, event attendees are invited to borrow free cross-country ski or snowshoe equipment at the North Gate of the Monument. Friends Education Coordinator Kala Rush will be hosting visitors as well as students from across the Katahdin Region.
“The Monument provides a great opportunity for folks to enjoy the Maine North Woods in winter,” said Friends’ Education Coordinator, Kala Rush. “The Katahdin Region has been slammed with snow this year and the skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling conditions are the best they’ve been in years.”
From March 16th to March 22nd, starting each day at 10 AM, the public will have access to free cross-country skis, boots, and poles provided by Outdoor Sport Institute as well as snowshoe equipment from the Katahdin Gear Library. Volunteers will help visitors set up equipment and can offer recommendations for enjoying the trails system. Adventurers interested in a backcountry overnight experience are invited to reach out to Friends to plan an extended trip.
“Whether you’re out for half a day or a couple of nights, the 16-plus miles of groomed trails offer excellent skiing and snowshoeing with some breathtaking views of the East Branch of the Penobscot, Bald Mountain, Traveler Mountain, and more,” said Kala Rush.
Elliotsville Plantation, Inc. started Head North Ski Days in 2014 to showcase what was then a recreation area before the historic land gift that led to the designation of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in August 2016. With generous support from local Maine sponsors Shin Pond Village, Richardson’s Hardware, and Emerald Builders, Friends continues to host the event and offer free equipment for visitors from the Katahdin Region, Maine, and around New England.
“We’re proud to have the support of Maine businesses and organizations that understand the importance of Maine’s woods and waters. The Monument community spans the Katahdin Region and beyond and this event has received support from Mt. Chase, Patten, Millinocket, Farmington, Bowdoinham, and Caribou,” said Kala Rush.
Millinocket radio station The Mountain 94.9 and Big Hits 99.3 in Farmington are supporting the event by broadcasting a Head North Ski Days public service announcement recorded through the Katahdin Learning Project with the help of Katahdin High School students.
The Katahdin Learning Project is Friends’ place-based learning initiative in the Katahdin Region with the intent of getting students and the broader community outside and connected to the Monument. Education Coordinator Kala Rush recorded the radio spot while teaching local students about audio production as part of a Katahdin Learning Project “learning journey.” During Head North Ski Days, students from schools in Millinocket, Medway, Stacyville, and Patten will have the opportunity to enjoy the north end of the Monument with Kala and teacher chaperones.
“Through Head North Ski Days, regional teachers are going the extra mile to help their students experience the wild places around them,” said Rush. “With each learning journey, students are growing their connection to the lands and becoming stewards and advocates of the environment in their own families and communities.”
For more information about Head North Ski Days, please visit the Friends website.
Press Contacts:
Kala Rush, Education Coordinator
Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters
(406) 728 – 5692
Sam Deeran, Deputy Director
Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters
(207) 650 – 4074
Category: Events, Press Releases