AUGUSTA — To honor its 75th anniversary in 2010, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands this week launched a new online calendar to list all events and activities happening at Maine state parks and historic sites.

According to a Wednesday morning report, people using the new calendar can find events by choosing the park or historic site they plan to visit, by month, or by event type — such as kids/family, nature/interpretation, concert/performance, or living history.

“The new calendar is the ‘go-to’ place for all events at our historic sites and parks,” Gary Best, the Bureau’s interpretive planner, said Wednesday.

The calendar can be accessed by visiting the bureau Web
site at www.parksandlands.com and clicking on the “Park Events” listing
on the right-hand side.

The calendar automatically lists five successive upcoming events, but users can see all events simply by clicking on the “search events” button.

Fifteen events have been posted already, including five winter activities starting in January, Best said.

The specific details of each listing are available by clicking on them.

In addition to events sponsored by the bureau, Best said the calendar will also list events held by various Friends groups that support Maine state parks.

Bureau events will also be listed on the Maine Department of Conservation’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Augusta-ME/Maine-Department-of-Conservation/57426456796?ref=ts.

In 1935, the Maine Legislature passed an act that created the State Park Commission. Three years later, the first state park — Aroostook State Park — was established.

The bureau now manages 47 state parks and historic sites, with more than two million visitors annually, Best said.

BPL officials expect the calendar to become a favorite site for park visitors who want to know what’s happening during the 75th anniversary year.

“We are putting together an unprecedented lineup of special events,” Best said. “2010 is the year to rediscover your Maine state parks.”

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