The woods near the SeDoMoCha School may be too swampy for construction, but a group motivated to enhance outdoor learning opportunities is rebuilding it as a living laboratory. Thanks in part to a $7,350 grant from the Piscataquis County Fund of the Maine Community Foundation, a nature trail developed at the Dover-Foxcroft site nearly a half-century ago in an effort led by former teacher Dorothy Warren is in line for a makeover.

For spring high school coaches and athletes, the COVID-19 pandemic has left a massive void. That is especially true for seniors who will never have the opportunity to complete their high school careers. The sports shutdown also has impacted for baseball and softball umpires, lacrosse referees and track and field officials.

With schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, spring sports canceled and the future uncertain, the Maine Principals’ Association has ventured into the virtual world for a new activity to sponsor. The organization, which regulates high school athletics in the state, is adding esports to its list of MPA extracurricular activities beginning in the fall through a partnership with PlayVS.

Maintaining your health is about more than just not contracting a deadly disease — even during the pandemic. But as the stay-at-home orders have dragged on, many of us have let our daily physical activity slide, which compromises our physical health in other ways. It’s time to change that.

The MPA Interscholastic Management Committee recently issued a memo outlining revisions to their policy in the upcoming months. They include pushing back the start of summer coach-athlete interactions and eliminating the normal August hands-off period. The MPA also instituted a contact period for remote workouts and instruction and temporarily suspended its minimum academic requirements.

Jokingly referred to as the “Maine State Bird,” black flies are one aspect of the Maine outdoors that most people would prefer didn’t exist. Dotting the air in early spring, these tiny bugs have an annoying habit of flying into people’s eyes and ears. And their bites can be especially itchy.

The Piscataquis County Committee of the Maine Community Foundation has awarded $40,850 in grants to several nonprofits.

In his 2016 book “Maine Sporting Camps,” George Smith writes, “In 1904 there were at least 300 sporting camps in operation in Maine. By 2007, this number had dwindled to fewer than 40. In his interview with the Maine Sporting Camp Heritage Association Smith also learned that these few remaining camps “face serious challenges to their survival.” 

The American Legion National Organization has canceled its 2020 baseball season for teenage players across the country. American Legion officials went a step further than the Little League organization, which also cited COVID-19 concerns in canceling its regional tournaments and World Series for various age groups.

According to a group representing sporting camps around Maine, Gov. Janet Mill’s rural reopening plan falls short of providing relief to commercial sporting camps, employees, guides and rural neighbors because it bans visits from non-residents. Non-resident fishing trips over the next six weeks generates almost 90% of the annual revenue for many of the camps operating across the state.

The MLB Network on Sirius radio has been airing games from different eras with the focus on some of the great play-by-play men in the history of baseball.

On Saturday's opening day of wild turkey season, I had no intention of waking up before dawn, waddling into the woods in the dark, and trying to find a wild turkey I wasn't sure would be there. No, my initial plan looked more like this: Wake up at the crack of nine, eat a little bit, gather up my gear, and then … maybe … waddle into the woods.

With so much confusion and uncertainty this spring about what you can or cannot do and stay within the law, there isn’t a trout or salmon angler in Maine or elsewhere who isn’t asking this question: “Will I be able to access the woods and go fishing?” North Maine Woods, a recreational land management group that controls access to thousands of acres of woodlands and fishing waters in northern Maine, has announced that it will open its gates, but with conditions.

The organization that represents landowners who control more than 3.5 million acres of Maine forest have reopened those lands to day use, and hopes to reopen primitive camping sites to Maine residents beginning June 1.

The Maine Field Hockey Association announced Monday that it has canceled the 2020 Maine Field Hockey Festival and McNally Senior All-Star Game.

As the state of Maine slowly reopens businesses and public spaces this spring and summer, it may be confusing at times to figure out exactly what’s open and available -- and what’s not. To help you enjoy the outdoors safely, and with minimal frustration, we’ve compiled information about outdoor destinations and recreational opportunities, focusing on the month of May. 

On April 30 the Maine Sporting Camp Association (MSCA) requested government approval of a plan whereby non-resident commercial sporting camp clients could “self-certify” that they have been in isolation at their home for at least 14 days before traveling to Maine.

Gov. Janet Mills and her staff have outlined restrictions for the opening of golf courses on Friday as part of Stage 1 of the plan for restarting Maine’s economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mills on April 2 had shut down golf courses but announced Tuesday that they are among the businesses that may open on Friday with numerous safety rules in place.