Strengthening women and girls’ confidence in the outdoors -- and life!
Outdoor Women Lead (OWL) reduces barriers women and girls experience in the outdoors.
We offer:
- An Outing Group for Women, participants explore local land preserves and waterways while learning about local natural ecology and getting outside with like-minded women.
- A Summer Camp for Girls. Girls learn outdoor, naturalist, and gardening skills at Milbridge Commons Wellness Park.
- Outdoor Skill-Building Workshops for Women and their Families. Workshops are family-orientated and focus on skills you need to navigate and thrive in outdoor settings successfully.
Imagine the community you want.
Together, we can create it.
OWL is a collaborative project between WHRL and Maine Outdoor School, and is open to anyone for whom “woman” is a meaningful identifier or lived experience.
Outing Group for Women
Are you interested in joining other women on outdoor adventures and learning more about our local natural ecology? This outing group is reserved for women and girls 16+.
Upcoming Outings
In the event of a necessary weather-related cancellation, outings will be rescheduled. Registered participants will be emailed the Friday afternoon before an outing in the event of a postponement.
We ask that you please leave your dogs at home for OWL hikes.
Please let us know if the gas prices prevent you from participating! Contact lizzie@whrl.org.
Spanish Language Interpreter Service Available
Please let us know if interpreter services would make this experience more accessible.
“OWL is a life-changing program that has given me strength and education. It’s a great way to meet others.”
“On the OWL hikes, I feel the companionship of hiking with other women and the beauty of nature.”
“OWL is the only group where you can have honest conversations about being a woman in the outdoors without fear of judgment or ridicule that you aren’t exploring or hiking or doing whatever outside activity “right” or “correct.””
Machias River Preserve–Finding Animal Signs
Machias River Preserve–Finding Animal Signs
Join us with Hazel Stark, from Maine Outdoor School on this hike and learn how to find and identify winter animal signs along the Machias River while hiking or snowshoeing.
This is a 5.5-mile trail network, but we will likely do less than 3 miles, depending on...
Hamilton Cove–Winter Adaptations
Hamilton Cove–Winter Adaptations
How do the harsh conditions of the Bold Coast affect the organisms that live here? Discover this on an easy-to-moderate hike with stunning Bold Coast views.
Location: Lubec, Maine
Difficulty: Easy-moderate
Tunk Mountain–Nature Journaling
Tunk Mountain–Nature Journaling
Join us with Hazel Stark from Maine Outdoor School on this Tunk Mountain hike and start your nature journal to add some inspiration to your existing one. as we observe the signs of spring.
Location: Machias, Maine
Difficulty
Tide Mill Creek–Spring Plants and Birds
Tide Mill Creek–Spring Plants and Birds
Join us with Hazel Stark from Maine Outdoor School on this hike through Tide Mill Creek. If you're a nature observer, this is the most overwhelming time of year, with new flowers, leaves, and birds making themselves known everywhere! We'll slow down and learn to iden...
Canoeing on Orange River
Canoeing on Orange River
Join us with Hazel Stark from Maine Outdoor School on this paddle along the Orange River. Wildlife are busy raising young, finding food, and taking advantage of the longer days of late spring, but everyone has to come down to the river sometimes for a drink. This wi...
Pigeon Hill Shore Trail–Day Hiking 101
Pigeon Hill Shore Trail–Day Hiking 101
If you’re new to day hiking or feel you need more preparation, this outing is perfect for you. Join us to discover what a Registered Maine Guide carries in her pack at all times on this short, scenic, and flat trail. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask her an...
Stewardship Day with the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA)
Stewardship Day with the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA)
We are excited to partner with MITA again this year to offer an OWL Stewardship Day on a local island! MITA’s cleanups are full-day events where experienced volunteer skippers take crews to targeted islands to clean shorelines. They’re great introductions to volu...
Canoeing on the Narraguagus
Canoeing on the Narraguagus
Join us for a relaxed paddling outing, offering opportunities to spot various wildlife, including beavers, river otters, muskrats, and many different birds. With a bit of luck, you might even catch a glimpse of a moose or bear! We will meet in Cherryfield and paddle ...
Klondike Mountain–Foraging
Klondike Mountain–Foraging
Learn the basics of plant and mushroom identification so you can build the skills necessary to start sustainably and safely foraging for wild foods and medicines.
Location: Lube, Maine
Difficulty: Moderate
Backfield Park, Great Wass Island–Unique Organisms
Backfield Park, Great Wass Island–Unique Organisms
This mossy wonderland is the perfect place to learn the differences between non-vascular plants, symbiotic organisms, and algae (mosses, lichens, seaweeds!) and begin your journey of identifying these unique organisms. This is an easy network of trails through the wo...
Hidden Ponds–Winter Survival
Hidden Ponds–Winter Survival
Lost and stuck overnight in the backcountry--what do you do? This hike is all about diving into the world of outdoor survival, learning from the wildlife that do it best, and learning some important tips and tricks if you find yourself in a scary situation. This mode...
Outdoor Skill Building Workshops
These workshops are geared towards women and their families, ages 10+. You do not have to have kids to participate.
OWL Image Gallery
WHRL is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
Copyright © 2005 – 2022 Women for Healthy Rural Living
Our Mission
To advance and promote the health and well-being of the woman, her family, and her community.
