Day 3 | Acadia National Park: The Beauty of Looking Closely

The morning was filled with some of our favorite Expeditions in Education experiences. Campers worked through the Acadia Rescue challenge, created Nature Prints, and continued our Rewilding project. None of those activities are really about finding the right answer. They're about learning to notice. The cracks in a leaf. The texture of bark. The tiny details that most of us hurry past every single day. Funny how paying closer attention to nature often teaches us to pay closer attention to each other, too.

That same lesson followed us into the afternoon as we spent time with our Acadia National Park ranger family. Kate and Alexa have been part of STEAM in the PARK here since the very beginning, and it is always a joy to learn alongside them again. We were also joined by Maddie and Megan, who many of you know from Rocky Mountain and New River Gorge, along with Lex, a Fish and Feathers Intern whose excitement for this coastline was contagious. We have always believed that one of the greatest gifts we can give educators is time with the people who care for these places every single day. Rangers become storytellers, scientists, teachers, and before long, friends.

Then we walked into one of the most fascinating classrooms in Acadia...the tidepools.

It is amazing how much life can fit into such a small space. We found green sea urchins tucked deep into rocky crevices, blue mussels clustered together, acorn barnacles covering nearly every rock, common periwinkle snails, dogwhelks, hermit crabs carrying borrowed homes, green crabs weaving through the seaweed, tiny shrimp and amphipods darting through the water, and thick beds of rockweed, bladderwrack, Irish moss, and kelp dancing with every wave. Every few minutes someone would call out, "Come look at this!" and the whole group would gather around something that could have been missed if we had been in a hurry.

College of the Atlantic continues to spoil us with incredible meals. Tonight we enjoyed steak, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, salad, and fresh bread. I don't think anyone is leaving here hungry. More importantly, every meal has felt like an invitation to slow down, linger a little longer, and enjoy the people around the table.

This evening we gathered in the Gates Community Center Theater to watch National Parks Adventure on the big screen. Watching a film that celebrates our national parks while sitting on the shores of Frenchman Bay just felt right. Sometimes a story lands differently when you're standing in the middle of one yourself.

Before heading back for the night, our campers worked together on collaborative lesson plans. Watching ideas bounce around the room reminded me why we do this. The tidepools, the ranger conversations, the nature prints, and the laughter from today won't stay in Acadia. In a few weeks, pieces of this place will begin showing up in classrooms all over the country. That's the part that never gets old.

Tomorrow we'll trade tidepools for lobster traps and head out on the water for lobster boat fishing and seal watching. I have a feeling Acadia still has a few surprises waiting for us.