Viles Arboretum is excited to announce the arrival of exciting new programs and events opportunities for 2023!
We strive to provide high quality environmental education opportunities to our community. Take home a new skill or further your understanding of a topic with one of our classes or workshops. Our continual development of partnerships with other organizations and knowledgeable community members allows us to bring you a diverse range of classes, workshops and speakers hosted by experts in their field of expertise. In the New Year we are excited to announce programming hosted in partnership with Re-Wild Maine, Maine Primitive Skills School and FEDCO Trees.
In February, Re-Wild Maine will be hosting a bittersweet basket making class at the Arboretum. Learn to make a beautiful basket of invasive round-leafed bittersweet! We'll cover identification, responsible collection, materials processing and storage, and creation, including the basics of stake-and-strand twining and weaving. Each participant will go home with a round basket that is approximately 8" round and 6" tall. This is a great opportunity to learn how to use a common noxious weed found throughout Maine without spreading it to new locations. Tickets are $60 per person, space is limited!
The Maine Primitive Skills School will be hosting several informative walk-and-talks at the Arboretum beginning in March. This informative series will cover intriguing topics surrounding the lore and traditional uses of elements in our natural environment. Classes include; Important Needle Leaf Trees, Traditional Uses of Deciduous Trees, Understanding Bird Language, Important Herbaceous Plants of Edge Areas and Nature Literacy Through the Eyes of a Tracker. These classes are a great opportunity for the whole family. Tickets are $5 per person.
In early April, Jen Ries from FEDCO Trees will be hosting a Fruit Tree Grafting Class at the Arboretum. This highly informative class will teach participants the proper techniques of fruit tree grafting. Each participant will go home with five live fruit trees, a great deal for the cost of the class! Tickets are $80 per person and space is extremely limited!
Those interested in signing up for a class or program should visit vilesarboretum.coursestorm.com or call during normal business hours (Wednesday-Saturday 10:30-4:30) at 207-626-7989.
