All in for the Maine Outdoors!

Hi lovers!

Happy Thursday! Hopefully you’re all having a great week. Life has been crazy around here with our new baby girl, Scarlett but also so amazing. It has been the hardest 3 weeks of my life but also the most amazing and I love that little girl to pieces.

Anyway, before Scarlett arrived and changed our lives forever, J and I were doing all the things to try and get her to come out before I was induced! One thing we did was some walking which is supposed to speed things along. My labor ended up going great – a story for another day – but who knows, maybe these walks really helped things move along quickly!

After one of my many doctor’s appointments before baby girl we decided to make a little pit stop at the Scarborough Marsh. This is one of the areas that is owned and managed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) and is Maine’s largest saltwater marsh! One of my doctors offices is only a few minutes away from here so we thought it would be a nice little change of scenery as opposed to our usual walks around the neighborhood. Plus, what’s a better way to explore Maine. You can check out the MDIFW site here to find places near you to explore that are managed by them.

 

MDIFW is made up of biologists, game wardens, and educators all in on a common mission: responsible, safe enjoyment of the Maine outdoors! They believe that a healthy ecosystem makes life better for all the fish, wildlife, and people like myself who call Maine home – as well as for the visitors who call it Vacationland. Their work is funded by sportsmen and outdoors people and revenue comes through the sale of hunting and fishing licenses/permits, boat, snowmobile, and ATV registrations, plus taxes on hunting and fishing gear. The more of us who actively enjoy Maine’s natural resources the more ability they have to enhance preserves and protect them for the future. This is why Jonathan and I wanted to get out there and explore our beautiful backyard of Maine a bit more! For anyone, like ourselves, that enjoys the Maine outdoors, MDIFW touches all of Maine from its state parks, to lakes and streams, to the birds and deer in your background and plays a key part in keeping our ecosystem safe and healthy. Everything they do helps make Maine a special place. Basically, we’re all in this together: Biologists, Game Wardens, Educators – me and you, the hunters, fishermen, and everyday adventurers who support the MDIFW’s work. We’re all in for the Maine outdoors!

 

Since I had actually been here to the Scarborough Marsh Audobon Center previously with one of the classes I was student teaching in last fall, I remembered how beautiful and peaceful it was. There’s also a cute little museum with animals and birds and all sorts of things for children to explore. I can’t wait to take Scarlett back here someday. Plus, the trails here made for a great place to go as a pregnant lady who wants to “go for a hike” that mainly just consists of walking on some flat trails by the marsh…haha. It’s not a hike up a mountain sorta place which is definitely not the vibe I was looking for anyway. But what it is is a beautiful place to walk around, bird watch, and you can even rent canoes and kayaks to explore the Dunstan River and the habitat of the salt marsh. Unfortunately, there was no getting that big pregnant belly into a kayak, but it’s definitely a nice option if you want to do something other than explore on land.

Butttt, if you’re like me and just want to keep it casual and explore the trails, the options are pretty great as well. I mean, look how beautiful this place is. They have picnic tables too, right by the fresh water river that empties into Scarborough Marsh. You could pack a lunch and sit right here and enjoy the scenery.

Walk across the street and you’ll find some of the trails along the marsh! These are not strenuous hikes by any means and perfect for literally all ages.

As you can see hiking through here was easy enough for me to do so really anyone could do this! When I came here last fall I was with a bunch of 2nd graders and of course they loved it. It can get a bit muddy on this side where the trails are so I’d recommend wearing some shoes you don’t care about getting a little dirty – all part of the fun of exploring Maine!

Not only was my hubby my photographer for the day – thanks babe – we also thought it would be fun to take a little video montage of us walking through the trails and exploring the marsh. It’s just a quick video but we thought it would be a fun sneak peek to what you’ll see should you decide to explore the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center!

 

The MDIFW is hosting a monthly Instagram photo contest going on now through November. Share your photos on Instagram of how you enjoy Maine’s outdoors, tag @mefishwidlife and include #AllinfortheMaineOutdoors to be entered for a chance to win a MDIFW prize pack valued at over $250! Doesn’t get much better than that – go enjoy the outdoors and enter to win some prizes! Sounds good to me! Also be sure and follow them on Facebook and Twitter (all socials are @mefishwildlife) too to stay up to date with all the Maine Outdoors deets! You can also enter for a chance to win an exclusive MDIFW experience where you can participate in a day-in-the-life experience with a wildlife biologist or game warden to learn how they protect Maine wildlife and serve in the Maine outdoors. To learn more about the MDIFW and subscribe to their newsletter so you never miss a Maine thing head to their website here!

What’s your favorite thing to do in the Maine outdoors? Comment down below or on my Instagram post – I love finding new things to do in my home state!

*This post is sponsored by MAINE DEPARTMENT OF INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE. However as always, all opinions and reviews are 100% my own. Partnerships like these make The Beauty in Type One possible. Thank you for your support!