Friends of Baxter State Park
Maine Youth Wilderness Leadership
Friends of Baxter State Park (FBSP) invites Maine high school sophomores and juniors to participate in its innovative Maine Youth Wilderness Leadership Program (MYWLP). Ten participants are selected for an extraordinary opportunity to spend nine days and eight nights immersed in the finest example of wild country in Maine.
This program embodies the central mission of FBSP to promote education about the values of wilderness preservation at Baxter State Park and sets in motion a journey that will last a lifetime. Baxter State Park is their outdoor classroom as the participants share in an experience that is becoming rare as they learn a very important message to share in their schools and communities: wilderness preservation is an essential value for humans as well as for all other species that rely upon this land.
in the Park’s backcountry.
Accompanied by experienced wilderness leaders from the Chewonki Foundation, MYWLP participants work with a variety of specialists as they backpack from one end of Baxter State Park to the other, camping at different sites, including several nights in the backcountry at Russell Pond. Members of the Baxter State Park staff collaborate with FBSP in planning the program and work with the participants during their stay in the Park. Understanding the wilderness through science, art, storytelling, photography, writing, history, and recreation instills in the participants an appreciation of the wild lands of Baxter State Park. This is an experience they will never forget.
Applications are due on due February 8th. Ten participants and six alternates will be selected in March. The program begins in April when participants receive required reading materials and other assignments; they then submit a project proposal in May. The field experience in Baxter State Park is the second week in August. Participants present their final projects in a follow-up session after their stay in the Park. Thanks to the support from generous donors and members of Friends of Baxter State Park, there is no direct cost to the students.
To apply, download this: application form. Or contact us and we will send you one. For more information about the program contact us at info@friendsofbaxter.org or write to us at PO Box 609, Union, ME 04862.