SOUTH PORTLAND — Girl Scouts of Maine has announced that three Girl Scouts —  Rachel Davis and Laura Dumas of Gray and Payton Spearin of East Millinocket — have earned their Junior Maine Guide certification.

Sponsored by Maine Summer Camps and the Maine State Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Junior Maine Guide certification is a long-established wilderness camping skills program, designed to foster enjoyable, safe and healthy outdoor living experiences for youth ages 9 to 18.

To be successful in completing the Junior Maine Guide, candidates are encouraged to first complete the Junior Maine Woodsman and Maine Woodsman programs (or equivalent outdoor-based programs), which are all offered at Camp Natarswi.

The JMG program allows participants to practice 21 specific outdoor skills over three weeks. These skills include axemanship, canoeing, shelter building, first aid, cooking, encampment, hiking and backpacking and Leave No Trace.

The final test takes place during a rigorous five-day encampment at the Stephen Phillips Preserve in Rangeley, where JMG candidates must demonstrate a high level of outdoor skills. They must also prove their knowledge of Maine wildlife, wilderness regulations and environmental concerns.

FMI: 888-922-4763, girlscoutsofmaine.org.

To earn the Junior Maine Guide certification, candidates must successfully complete a challenging five-day test camp in Rangeley, demonstrating near-perfect technique and knowledge of 21 specific outdoor skills. Many candidates apply, but only few actually complete the test. This summer, 10 Maine Girl Scouts attempted to complete the certification. Pictured are councelors with Girl Scouts, from left, Counselor Hannah Bartholomew, Payton Spearin, Mikayla R., Dorothy M., Lela L., Rayna S., Laura Dumas, Rachel Davis, Adeline D., Sammy D., Maddie S. and Counselor Courtney Jurson.