University of Maine Cooperative Extension is collaborating with several local organizations in York and Androscoggin counties to present a series of maple sugaring workshops for beginners and small-scale producers in January and February. There is also an online option hosted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association.

All of the programs are designed for backyard and homestead-scale systems that require a limited initial investment in equipment. Discussions will include identifying and tapping trees, collecting and boiling sap, as well as filtering, grading and canning syrup.

On February 1, the Southern Maine Maple Sugarmakers Association (SMMSA) will host Backyard Maple Sugaring, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the York County Extension Office, 45 Kennebunk Road in Alfred, ME. This day-long workshop is developed to give participants a more in-depth overview of the sugaring process. The morning session will include demonstrations and discussions by UMaine Extension Maple Industry Educator Jason Lilley and several established maple syrup producers. The afternoon will include a tour of a local sugarhouse to highlight how they got started and demonstrate the sap processing equipment that they use. The cost of this workshop will be $18 and includes a how-to guide. Visit the event webpage to register.

A virtual session hosted by MOFGA and led by Lilley is planned for January 7, from 6 – 8 p.m. Visit MOFGA’s event page to register.

The remaining workshops, which do not include a sugarhouse tour, are scheduled to last approximately 2 hours and will be held at the Julia Adams Morse Memorial Library in Greene on January 9, Massabesic Adult Education in Waterboro on January 30, and Lewiston Adult Education in Lewiston on February 4. Look for registration information about these events coming in January.

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact jason.lilley@maine.edu

About University of Maine Cooperative Extension

As a trusted resource for over 100 years, Extension has supported UMaine’s land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension seeks to build thriving communities and grow the food-based economy, focusing on aspects from production and processing to nutrition, food safety and food security. Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H which offers hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and civic engagement and creates a positive environment where participants are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles.

There’s going to be yet another chance to see the Northern Lights in Maine tonight.

There have been viewing opportunities all week after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued an alert Sunday night that the aurora borealis may be visible at high latitudes on Dec. 30 and 31. Since that storm the viewing opportunities have continued.

“Aurora may be visible at high latitudes, i.e., northern tier of the U.S. such as northern Michigan and Maine,” a Jan. 2 alert from the agency said.

When will the northern lights be visible?

The northern lights could be visible tonight once the sun goes down in parts of the northern United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

The aurora is not visible during the daylight hours, and is usually seen just after sunset or just before sunrise, according to NOAA. The agency says the best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight.

Where to check the northern lights forecast

To track the latest northern lights forecast, check out these websites:

Mainers, if you see a rabbit that might be a New England cottontail or an Eastern cottontail (a non-native species that resembles NEC), Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wants to hear about it.

The New England cottontail (NEC) is Maine’s only native true rabbit, and was once common in southern Maine. However, NEC populations have declined dramatically in Maine and across their entire range due to habitat loss, according to MDIFW, in a news release. Today, NEC are known to occur in just 7 towns: Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Wells, York, Kittery, Eliot, and Kennebunk; with a statewide population of less than 400 individuals.

“MDIFW is working with partners to restore Maine’s NEC, but we need more eyes in southern and coastal Maine!” said the release.

MDIFW will conduct surveys in the vicinity of credible NEC sightings to search for currently unknown populations.

“Any new confirmations of the species will greatly enhance our restoration effort by allowing us to protect the population and provide additional opportunities for us to conduct habitat management that will ultimately increase Maine’s NEC population,” said MDIFW. 

Please take a photo to submit when possible, take note of the following, and report your sighting online:

• Date
• Time
• Location/Town
• Habitat Description
• Identifying Characteristics- Please do not report known snowshoe hares. Did you observe any features that support identification as an NEC? Find identification tips below. 

New England cottontails at a glance

New England cottontails are medium-sized rabbits (14-17 inches long) and weigh in at 1-2.5 pounds. They have dark brown fur with a wash of black-tipped fur, a black edge to their ears. They also have a black spot between their ears though this characteristic is typically not visible from a distance.

Hares are white in winter, but rabbits are brown year-round

It can be surprisingly tricky to distinguish NEC and snowshoe hares during most of the year but identification becomes much simpler in winter! The snowshoe hare goes through a costume change for the snowy months, turning white while NEC retain a brown coat all year. We only need reports of potential NEC so this winter remember to write it down if it’s brown and just enjoy the sight if its white!

Non-native look-alikes

Until recently, Maine was the only state in the northeast that did not have eastern cottontails, a non-native rabbit which is nearly indistinguishable from the NEC. Reporting all brown rabbits in winter not only helps locate new undocumented populations of NEC, it also may help identify areas of eastern cottontail expansion which pose a threat to the recovery of Maine’s only native rabbit. 

Click here for more information.