Scholarship Fund Named in Honor of Founding Member, Chuck Huntington
The Merrymeeting Audubon Board of Directors recently voted to name its scholarship program after Chuck Huntington, a professional ornithologist and long-time friend and mentor to birders around the world. Chuck, who passed away in January of 2017, was the founder of the Merrymeeting Chapter and an avid supporter of its camp scholarship programs.
The Chuck Huntington Scholarship Fund provides scholarships for chapter area teens and teachers to attend Hog Island Audubon Camp, and for younger students to attend the Univeristy of Maine 4-H summer camps at Tanglewood and Bryant Pond. All programs are in one week residential settings. We provide full and half scholarships to approximately 30 students each year. Half scholarships range from $200-300, full scholarships from $595-$1295. Applications for scholarships are made available to area schools in February of each year, and are also available for downloading on this page beginning in January. For more information about our scholarships, please contact any of the following scholarship committee members: Bronda Niese, Chairperson – 406-2396, bniese04@comcast.net; Sue Sergeant – suegeosergeant@comcast.net, 442-8195; Ted Allen –beanallen79@gmail.com, 729-8661; Kathy Claerr – kclaerr1@comcast.net; Steve Spear – 353-8863, sspear32@gmail.com.
For more information regarding the camp programs we support, go to hogisland.audubon.org, or call 843 340-8673 and ask about programs for Teens or, if you are a teacher, Educator’s Week. For children ages 8 – 14, you can review the variety of programs available at Tanglewood 4-H Camp by accessing https://extension.umaine.edu/tanglewood, or by calling 207 789-5868. For Bryant Pond 4-H Camp, go to https://extension.umaine.edu/bryantpond or call 207 665-2068.
Merrymeeting Audubon is proud of its track record of funding about 30 camperships per year. The chapter is able to provide such a high level of support for campers in our catchment area through donations from committed local organizations and generous individuals. In 2019, Tanglewood, Bryant Pond, and Hog Island tuition rates translate to approximately $18,000 in anticipated scholarships.
We invite you to help send a kid to camp too! Please make your tax deductible donation to the scholarship fund. Send your check to: The Chuck Huntington Scholarship Fund, c/o Steve Spear, 9 Livernois Drive, Topsham, ME 04086
Teen and Teacher Hog Island Scholarships Available for Summer, 2020
We are once again proud to offer a scholarship for one teen to attend Mountains to Sea Birding for Teens at the Hog Island National Audubon Camp in Bremen, Maine. This intensive 5-night adventure provides a rare opportunity to study boreal and coastal bird species in Maine. The program will run from June 28 to July 3. A full description is available at the Hog Island National Audubon Camp website. Directions for applying are included in the application, which can be obtained by emailing Steve Spear at sspear32@gmail.com.
Hog Island also offers an outstanding opportunity for educators to learn about new approaches, methods, and activities that can enhance their environmental curriculum. The program, which will run from July 12 – 17, is called Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week. Merrymeeting Audubon is pleased to offer a half scholarship for one elementary or middle school teacher to attend what is sure to be a rejuvenating and inspiring experience. Directions for applying are included in the application, which can be obtained by emailing Steve Spear at sspear32@gmail.com.
