UNION – Friends of Baxter State Park (FBSP) is inviting current Maine high school sophomores and juniors to submit applications to participate in the 4th annual Maine Youth Wilderness Leadership Program (MYWLP). The program, which involves more than a week of backpacking through at Baxter State Park, is scheduled for August 4-12, 2012. The application deadline is Feb. 15, 2012.
In August each year, Friends of Baxter State Park sponsors the innovative Maine Youth Wilderness Leadership Program. This program embodies the central mission of FBSP to promote education about the values of wilderness preservation at Baxter State Park. Thanks to generous support from Roxanne Quimby and the Maine Community Foundation, there is no direct cost to the students.
Ten high school sophomores and juniors have an extraordinary opportunity to spend eight nights immersed in the finest example of wild country in Maine. In Baxter State Park, they share in an experience that is becoming rare. This wilderness education program sets in motion a journey that will last a lifetime. Beyond the amazing personal experience, the participants also learn a very important message to share in their schools and communities: wilderness preservation is an essential value for humans as well as for all other species that rely upon this land.
Accompanied by experienced wilderness leaders from the Chewonki Foundation, MYWLP participants work with a variety of specialists as they backpack from one end of Baxter State Park to the other, camping at different sites, including three nights in the backcountry at Russell Pond. Understanding the wilderness through science, art, storytelling, photography, writing, history, and recreation instills an appreciation of the wild lands of Baxter State Park. This is a journey the participants will never forget.
Applications are due Feb. 15, 2012. Only students who are sophomores or juniors at the time that applications are due are eligible to apply. Participants and alternates are selected from a pool of applications in March. Participants are given supporting materials to prepare them for their experience.
For more information about the application process see www.friendsofbaxter.org or contact Friends of Baxter State Park at info@friendsofbaxter.org or write to us at PO Box 609, Union, ME 04862.
To learn more about Baxter State Park, go to www.baxterstateparkauthority.com
