In 2003, the PWA formed a partnership with the Town of Bristol Parks & Recreation Commission to open Beachcombers’ Rest, a nature center located in the town pavilion at Pemaquid Beach Park. In addition to its displays and interactive exhibits, the Center serves as base of operations for a variety of multidisciplinary programs that draw upon beach resources. The overall intent is to foster awareness and appreciation for the local environment, thereby helping to ensure that this rare and remarkable beach will be enjoyed by future generations of beachgoers. Interested in volunteering at the Nature Center, click here to learn more. or Email:info@pemaquidwatershed.org

Directions: Click on the green arrow below for an interactive map to Beachcombers' Rest at Pemaquid Beach – or simply click here.

Beachcombers' Rest in the News

Maine Community Foundation Spotlight Grant, click here to learn more.

The Center will be open in 2011 from 10:30-3:30 p.m, Tuesdays through Saturdays, from July 19 to September 3 (weather permitting). Please join us for our weekly interpretive beach walks and hands-on activities, including visits from a marine animal touch tank, art classes, tide pool explorations, and more. A complete schedule of events is posted at the start of each season. The BRNC programs are fun,
educational, and free (unless stated otherwise), although each visitor is required to pay the nominal admission charge to enter the Pemaquid Beach Park.

Read the column at right for more details about our current season.

Founders at the Beachcombers' Rest Nature Center Joan Lyford (left) and Diane Perry (right)

Beachcombers' Rest is open Tuesdays through Saturdays July 19–September 3, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weather permitting. The 2011 Schedule is listed below, and also is available here as a pdf file (with additional details) for easy reference and printing.
    After you browse these events at the Nature Center, be sure to check out other happenings with PWA at the Event Calendar.

Program Information:

The nature center will have TOUCH TANKS on Tuesdays July 19 to August 30, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

2011 Workshops: Space is limited. To pre-register, please call PWA at 207-563-2196 at least two days in advance of the event. Programs are free unless otherwise indicated, but donations are gladly accepted. Please arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the workshop and gather in the community room on the right side of the pavilion.
    Nature Center visitors and program participants must pay the Town of Bristol admission fee to Pemaquid Beach Park. Programs are cancelled if weather is inclement as Pemaquid Beach Park closes on bad-weather days. For Park information call 207-677-2754.

• Friday, July 22 @ 10:30: Sea Glass Crafts. Tenley Seiders, local artist and owner of WildeFlower Designs in South Bristol, will instruct participants on how to make many different creations, from delicately wire-wrapped sea glass pendants to sea glass picture frames and mobiles.
• Friday, July 29 @ 10:30: Seabirds Here and There. Come join Susan Schubel, a.k.a. Seabird Sue, to learn about the seabirds in the area.
• Friday, August 5 @ 10:30: Tide Pool Prowl with Jean McAlice. Discover the tidal pools teeming with life, from mussels, crabs, worms, snails and barnacles to periwinkles, lichen, seaweed, rock weed, and maybe even sea lettuce. Come learn fascinating facts, like how barnacles, which are crustaceans, define the upper tide line, are dormant during the lower tides, feed when wet, that they shed their skin in late winter or early spring, and build limestone houses for themselves. This program is for ages 13 and up.
• Saturday, August 6 @ 9: Under The Sea. Have you ever wondered what was under the sea off the coast of Maine? Come join us at 9:00 a.m. as local diver, Brian Boone, shows us the beauty under the sea and talks about the sport of scuba diving. He will dive and bring up some sea life for you to examine. Bring your wet shoes and prepare for an exciting time! All ages are welcome. Children under 8 should be accompanied by an adult.
• Friday, August 12 @ 10:30: Whales with Diane Perry. Many whales migrate to the Gulf of Maine for the summer. But, how can someone claim to have a whale in their backyard? Local author/illustrator Diane “Dee” Perry has published a children's book that is based on actual events. Her book, A Whale in My Backyard, tells how a humpback whale is discovered off the coast of Maine, brought to the mainland, and, eventually, its bones are reconstructed for a museum display. There will be a collection of bones from whales and other marine mammals at the workshop, and participants will be encouraged to handle and compare the bones, both small and very large. Signed books will be available for sale. Whale lovers of all ages will come away with some new information about whales off the coast of Maine. This workshop is best for children ages 7 and up, and children under 7 who do attend should be accompanied by an adult.
• Thursday, August 18 4:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. BBQ at the Beach. This is a family-friendly fundraiser for the Pemaquid Watershed Association. Call 563-2196 for tickets.
• Friday, August 19 @ 10:30: The Gulf of Maine. Come find out about this very special sea within the sea. Where it is, how it works, why there are so many fish there, why the tides are so big and any other questions you have always wanted to ask. This is a participatory program for all ages presented by Phil Averill of Ocean Adventure!
• Friday, August 26 @ 10:30: Coastal Creative Writing. Life-long teacher and poet, Sally Woolf-Wade, will lead this workshop that aims to enable participants to express their observations and felings about the Maine Coast in their own prose and poetry. Participants will examine and describe some of the artifacts washed up by the sea, such as shells, sand, stones, seaglass, driftwood, and seaweed, and they will read some literary examples by famous and amateur adult and children writers. Participants will briefly explore Pemaquid Beach to collect a few of their own souvenirs from the shore and then will spend some solitary time writing about thoughts as poems, essays, memoirs, or descriptive prose, according to individual comfort zones. Ultimately, participants may choose to share rough drafts of whatever they have written. This program is for ages 10 and up.
• Friday, September 2 @ 10:30: Rocks, Sand, and Geologic History of Pemaquid Beach. Educator/geologist David Pope will lead participants on a beach stroll to explore and discuss the shimmering sand, streaks of reddish brown sand dunes, and more. Families and all ages are welcome.

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