Nature night

SACO – The fourth annual Nature Night in the Enchanted Forest will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Ferry Beach Ecology School, Route 9.

Ecology school naturalists will lead illuminated free nature walks in the nighttime forest, and cider, snacks and songs will be served around a campfire. For more information, call 283-9951.

The school is operated by Ecology Education Inc., an independent educational nonprofit, teaching the science and practice of ecology through experiential programs and publications.

Fire workshop

WELLS – Teachers, resource professionals and community volunteers will learn about fire ecology and how the topic connects to school studies. The Wells Reserve will host a Project Learning Tree workshop from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26.

Participants will explore the Project Learning Tree high school curriculum materials and learn how the Nature Conservancy utilizes fire. T. Parker Schuerman, Southern Maine TNC preserve manager, will present a local story about fire, using maps and historical data.

The workshop, led by trained facilitators and Maine Forest Service Fire Prevention Specialist Kent Nelson, will take a look at prescribed burns, history of the 1947 fire and the urban interface.

For more information or to register, call or e-mail Pat Maloney, 626-7990 or [email protected]. Cost is $25, which includes two high school guides and other resources to take home. Meet in the Wells/Laudholm Farm parking lot at 3:30. Visit www.wellsreserve.org for directions.

Society meeting

ROCKLAND – The Mid-Maine Rose Society will meet at 11:45 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, for lunch in the Breakwater Bookland, 9 Camden St. The annual meeting will be held at 1 p.m. in the upstairs meeting room.

Volunteers needed

Beagles of New England States (BONES), a nonprofit rescue group committed to finding permanent homes for beagles in need throughout New England, is seeking volunteers in Maine.

Since its inception in June 2003, BONES has been rescuing beagles through a group of volunteers from all six New England States. More than 500 beagles have been adopted in three years.

Anyone interested in learning more about BONES or becoming a volunteer will find information on the Web site at www.bonesbeagles.org.

Fort lecture

AUGUSTA – Historian David Richards will speak on the topic of the “Rise of Spas in the 19th Century” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, in the learning gallery at city hall, 16 Cony St. The talk is part of Old Fort Western’s new fall occasional lecture series.

Richards has been assistant director of the Margaret Chase Smith Library in Skowhegan, where he is responsible for educational programs, since 1996. He has also served as executive secretary of the Androscoggin Historical Society in Auburn, as well as curator of collections at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Museum in New Gloucester from 1984 to 1991.

Richards majored in history at Bates College. He holds an MA in New England studies from the University of Southern Maine and a PhD in history from the University of New Hampshire. His recently published book, “Poland Spring: A Tale of the Gilded Age, 1860-1900,” analyzes the history of the Maine resort and water source.

The program is free. Donations in support of educational programming at Old Fort Western are suggested. Go to www.oldfortwestern.org for more information.