STRONG — The 26th president of the U.S. turned his love of the Maine outdoors into a lifelong passion, and today, seventh-grade students are gaining an appreciation of his legacy through a partnership with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay.

A young and asthmatic Theodore Roosevelt was sent to Maine in August 1872 to improve his health. He continued to visit the state for many years and developed a deep friendship with Maine guides Wilmot Dow and William Sewall. They encouraged what would become his lifelong passion for nature and conservation.

When Roosevelt visited Island Falls in 1879, he wrote in his diary, “The woods look simply perfect. I cannot get used to the extreme beauty of the snow-covered pine and spruce forests.”

Even after becoming president in 1901, Roosevelt stayed in touch with the Maine guides as he became more determined to preserve his country’s natural beauty and its resources. During his presidency, he protected approximately 230 million acres of public land, formed the National Forest Service, created five national parks and protected thousands more acres by establishing wildlife preserves.

Dow was the great-great-grandfather of Melissa Cullina, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens’ director of education and staff botanist. Concerned by what she saw as a “nature deficit disorder” in today’s students, she applied for and received a grant from the Lunder Foundation in Portland to pilot a program that connects the state’s seventh-graders with nature through technology in the classroom.

Teams of science and social studies teachers go to Boothbay for training and take customized learning kits back to their schools. They guide their students through the development of a project that will benefit their communities.

Strong Elementary School students Ethan Powell and Evan Allen and other classmates in Candace Dunham’s science class have been studying the connection between Roosevelt’s diaries, his conservation legacy and his links to their world in rural western Maine. On Friday, Gardens staff member Amity Beane joined Dunham and her students in their classroom to monitor the progress of their classwork and their work on a nearby washed-out section of Valley Brook. Their goal was to reclaim the unusable space and make it into an inviting place for everyone.

“We’ll be able to go there to do schoolwork and get more time outdoors,” Powell said. “Next year, we’ll help other students get involved by sharing what we’ve learned and getting them interested.”

Dunham’s students learned to upload photos and other project information to a secure, Lunder New Naturalists website. They also learned to interact with other students and teachers, compare scientific data and appreciate what they have in common and what is unique to their own part of Maine.

Beane said she hears about the benefits for students as she travels the state to meet with each team of teachers and their students. Students have embraced the combination of community service, science, history and technology with enthusiasm, she said.

“We started with nine schools last year,” she said. “This year, we have 19 schools.”

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Executive Director William Cullina said funding for the pilot project ends this year, but he hopes to recruit partners from both for-profit and nonprofit sectors to continue the statewide program. A five-year program could allow 36 schools and as many as 1,200 students to be involved at any given time.

For more information about the Lunder New Naturalists program, call 633-4333 ext. 152 or visit www.mainegardens.org.