FARMINGTON – Anyone interested in hiking, camping, biking or other outdoor adventures with like-minded people is invited to the first meeting of the proposed Western Maine Outdoor Club.

That will be at 6 p.m. Friday, April 27, in the North Dining Hall of Olsen Student Center at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Organizer Richard Fecteau of Farmington said he has had a “germ of an idea” for a local group like this for some time.

“The meeting is being held to see if there is enough interest to form an outdoor club,” he said. “Response to a few e-mails so far as been good and has included positive feedback.”

The proposed club could take different forms. It could just be an informal email list for people interested in the same things or the club could organize and lead participation in activities and adventures that explore the area.

The club may also seek to provide a structure for public awareness such as safety, conservation and environmental awareness, or to provide an outlet for public service activities. The Appalachian Trail Club, for instance, does service work on the trail, he said.

Those who want to share interests in activities such as hiking, climbing, exploring, nature, paddling, photography, volleyball and first aid are welcome to the first meeting. The club would be an all volunteer organization. Members are expected to have a wide variety of outdoor interests and may want their knowledge. Others may join to learn and develop new outdoor skills.

Responses so far, he said, have suggested reaching out to existing groups such as the Maine Appalachian Trail Club or the Maine Outdoor Adventure Club.

“While there are other outdoor clubs in Maine, it would be nice to have even more options and have a local group,” Fecteau said, “as they can act more spontaneously and take in local interests without driving to another location.”

Experience is not necessary, he said. The novice adventurer is welcome and would fit in. The club is meant to be pretty low-key.

A snowshoe hike has been organized for the following day, Saturday, April 28, Fecteau said. That hike to visit an old growth forest in Wyman Township will start at 9 a.m. from the Appalachian Trail where it crosses Route 27 three miles north of the Sugarloaf access road. Carpooling can be arranged with advanced notice.

The remnant forest stand is on state-owned land next to the Appalachian Trail. The 140 acres of public land were removed from a recent land swap for the Katahdin Lake parcel at Baxter State Park, he said, and are being held to just make people aware. It is a moderate hike; the total distance covered will be less than two miles, with plenty of time for discussion.

While Fecteau, an experienced outdoor trip leader, has taken the initiative to start organizing the groups, he will need the participation of other people, he said, to make it an active club.

Fecteau, who has shared trips with small groups during all seasons throughout Maine and beyond, is also the Bigelow District overseer for the Maine Appalachian Trail Club and an organizer of the 2006 Maine Mountain Conference.

For more information about the proposed club or meeting, e-mail him at [email protected] or 778-0870.