Staying Local

​​We can still be a community of people who love the outdoors, even while socially distanced. 

Below are a series of resources aimed at keeping our community in touch with nature & with each other during a time of enforced physical isolation. From youth education to art challenges to backyard bingo, we hope to have something for everyone!

​Scroll down to see our list of activities for all ages!

Join Bear-Paw's Cryptid Quest

"Cryptids" are fantastical creatures (such as the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot) that people claim to have seen but that have never been proven to exist. We're inviting everyone who lives or recreates within the Bear-Paw region to share their own cryptid with us, complete with photo and tracks (if it leaves any).

​Submit your cryptid (worksheet + image) to us using the button below and we'll add it to our "Cryptid Biothon" list.

In May, we will be hosting a Cryptid Quest: a map of the region will be shared with the cryptids' general locations marked on it. This GPS-based scavenger hunt will allow you to explore the area and read about some of the cool cryptids submitted by people in our region!

Online Resources for Nature Education

New to homeschooling?

We have compiled a list of outdoor education resources and activities for families with school-aged children!
​From our map making and Conifer ID activities to WWF's live snow leopard tracking video, there are opportunities for students of all ages.
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Explore them below.

The outdoors is for everyone.

​There are as many ways to enjoy and experience nature are there are people. Here are some fun alternatives to hitting the trails:
Nature Journaling
Many influential nature writers, historic & modern, began their nature writing career with simple journaling for pleasure. Journaling can be private or public, long or short, free-form or perfectly grammatical. It can be done in your back yard, at a lake, or on top of a mountain; what matters is expressing your connection to nature using the written word.
​Tempted to try it, but unsure where to begin?

Go outside (it doesn't matter where) and sit very still for 5+ minutes.
Breathe slowly & deeply. If you feel comfortable, close your eyes.
Listen to the world around you, and write down what you hear. What does it sound like? What is it?

How many different species can you find / hear / see?
During one 15-minute period in late March, we saw and heard 36 different species in a backyard in Strafford. Can you beat that number? (you don't need to be able to identify everything, just be able to know that it is a unique species)
Backyard Bingo!
The first person to find all the items in a 'bingo' pattern (5 items in a line vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) wins eternal bragging rights among your quaran-team. Choose between a bird-specific bingo card or a New Hampshire landscape bingo card - or do both!

Scavenger Hunt Rules:

  • ​​​Up to 5 items can be cross counted (for instance, pine cones contain seeds)
  • Sign of a difficult to find animal is acceptable in place of a visual sighting. For instance, finding a fox will be very tricky indeed, but you might come across its hair, scat, or den- and that absolutely counts as having detected a fox!
  • The “Extra” section does not need to be completed but for every “Extra” you check off, you can forgo two of the harder items in other categories.​
In order to minimize impact on the trails :
  • Avoid areas you know are usually wet after a rainstorm
  • Give the earth time to absorb the water before you walk
  • Don’t detour through another low spot- it is likely also wet, and will lead to the creation of a new muddy trail
  • If possible, stick to high ground or dry spots when detouring
  • If you can safely walk on fallen logs or stones, do so
  • Stay as close to the original trail as possible
  • If there’s another trail you can take, consider that
  • Carry a portable bog bridge with you and use that (just kidding)