Maine Coastal Islands NWR Visitor Center

Located at 9 Water Street, Rockland, Maine

The Maine Coastal Islands Visitor Center and Headquarters in Rockland is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays.  The Nature Store is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Spring Art Opening!

Friday, April 5th, 5 – 7pm

On Friday, April 5, from 5 to 7pm, join us at the Maine Coastal Islands Visitor Center at 9 Water St. in Rockland, as we unveil our spring art show! This show includes three unique collections from our local community and beyond. Kirk Gentalen shares his Midcoast Moments collection with us. Long-time nature observer and photographer, Kirk uses the moments captured through his photos to share his appreciation of nature with others. This collection features some of his favorites. From expert photographer to blooming artists, the Leaps of Imagination collection shares collagraphs created by local youth based on their study of animals. Finally, our third collection in this show comes to us curtesy of Kay Etheridge titled Beyond Audubon: Bird Images through the Centuries. The collection highlights how birds have been pictured throughout history and the evolutions therein. From woodcuts to engraved and etched copper plates, the history of bird images extends beyond the well-known Audubon and this collection seeks to highlight just some of them.

Find the full description for each of the three shows below!

Midcoast Moments by Kirk Gentalen

Kirk Gentalen is a long time nature observer who started taking photographs in 2003 as

a way to study mushrooms and document animal behavior. Over time, Kirk’s photography has morphed into a pleasant way for him to share his appreciation of nature with others – through moments captured in photos. With a camera always handy, Gentalen will stop and take a picture of anything nature-related, and Midcoast moments are some of his favorites.

Kirk Gentalen is a regional stewardship manager for Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and he has 30 years of environmental education experience, working across the country from Alaska to Maine. He is a popular speaker on Midcoast nature topics, and he leads animal tracking and other workshops for various groups. Currently living on the St. George peninsula with his family, Amy and Leif, Kirk writes Nature Bummin’, a nature blog and edits the Vinalhaven Sightings Report.

Leaps of Imagination – Youth Artists

Students working with the local program Leaps of Imagination, share their collagraphs, created based on their study of animals. A collagraph is a process of creating a ‘plate’ whereby shapes of different materials are glued onto a surface to create an image.  The plate is then inked up (with colored pigments) and placed on top of a clean paper, and is then pressed down. Some of the works in this collection are collaborations between grades.

Beyond Audubon: Bird Images through the Centuries

From the 16th century to the present, birds have been represented in a variety of ways in published images. The earliest printed images isolated the birds on the page, but over time, they were depicted with plants in their habitat and sometimes with nests and eggs.  The earliest printed images were created using woodcuts, and these were followed by engraved and etched copper plates, which could reproduce finer details. Lithography, used by Audubon, was not in wide use until the 19th century. Before the advent of color printing, colored editions were painted by hand.

About the curator:  Kay Etheridge is Professor of Biology Emeritus at Gettysburg College and she now lives in Rockland. Her field of research included studies on tropical bats, manatees, lizards, and salamanders. More recently, she has written about the interplay of natural history images and the history of biology.

Lower Rio Grande Valley Birding Trip Adventures!

Only two spots left for our April 13-19, 2024 trip!

The Friends of Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge (FOMCI) is excited to offer this birding trip to south Texas in 2024!  The trip will be in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, which offers some of the best bird watching in the entire country. This 7-day April trip that targets spring migrants from South America and local resident birds.  Expect to see tons of birds and enjoy the nice warm weather as we visit some of the best birding hotspots that Texas has to offer.

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Proceeds raised by these sponsored trips will be used to support the refuge’s seabird work, which includes hiring seasonal island technicians to protect seabirds during the nesting season, education & community outreach, visitor center greeting, and running the gift store.