Birdsacre Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary

The 200-acre Stanwood Wildlife Sanctuary in Ellsworth, ME is a charitable, non-profit organization dedicated to educating and encouraging conservation. There are numerous nature trails appropriate for hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, and bird watching year round during daylight hours. The fully accessible Woodland Gardens sport a 540-foot boardwalk, promoting educational awareness of five diverse environments including a woodland meadow, ledge, evergreen forest, fern-moss area, and a bog. One will also find throughout the grounds huts housing non-releasable, injured birds as well as various owls used in their on-site (and traveling) owl programs. The Homewood Museum and Nature Center are both open seasonally. The Museum tells the history of the Stanwood family, including ornithologist-photographer Cordelia J. Stanwood. The nature center contains many nature displays, including an extensive egg collection. There are opportunities to volunteer in several ways including caring for injured birds, supervising the Nature Center, and help with trail maintenance. Contact the Sanctuary for details.