Crossing a bog is like walking on the moon. The ground is alive with mosses and strange carnivorous plants, and it gently undulates with every footfall. In a moment, the spongy land can open up and suck a hiker’s foot into eons-old muck – an equal tragedy for the soggy hiker and for the sensitive bog ecosystem.

To protect Orono Bog, an area that has been designated as a national natural landmark by the United States Department of the Interior, volunteers are working to construct a 4,000-foot boardwalk.

The boardwalk will stretch from the Bangor City Forest to the University of Maine, offering public access to the unique bog environment. Eventually, organizers hope to add information stations to teach visitors about the bog ecosystem and its inhabitants.

AmeriCorps workers and local volunteers will transport materials to the site, assemble the boardwalk and clear trees and brush from the trail route through the bog. Volunteers of all levels of physical strength can benefit the project, coordinators said.

Work days are scheduled for Saturday July 13, Sunday, July 14, Saturday, July 27, Sunday, July 28, Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25.

For more information about volunteering, contact Christy Monroe of the Maine Conservation Corps at 287-4398 or christy.monroe@state.me.us, or Sally Jacobs of the Orono Land Trust at 866-4520.

Butterfly Afternoon

The local chapter of the Maine Audubon Society will lead educational walks through its butterfly garden at from 3 p.m., Saturday, July 13 and Sunday, July 14. The walks, led by garden designer Pat Snyder, are timed to coincide with the annual butterfly count.

This Saturday, volunteers in the towns of Bangor, Brewer, Veazie, Hampden, Orrington, Dedham, Holden and Eddington will record the butterfly abundance and species diversity within their own backyards. Anyone may participate, then report their data to Snyder at either butterfly walk.

For more information, contact the Fields Pond Nature Center at 989-2591.

Lobster Ride

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine has promised that the famed Lobster Bike – a giant tricycle disguised as a lobster – may make an appearance at an upcoming celebration of the group’s 10th birthday.

The 2002 Lobster Ride will take place on Saturday, July 27, starting at Rockland High School and continuing along the coast. Participants choose between three rides, the 100-mile Lobster Haul, which begins at 8 a.m., the 50-mile Lobster Ride, which begins at 8:30 a.m., or the 25-mile Lobster Cruise, which begins at 9 a.m.

Registration for the event costs $80 for the general public, $75 for members of the coalition, $50 for riders between the ages of 6 and 15, and it’s free for children under age 5. Participants who register by Monday, July 15 will receive a $10 discount.

To register, or for more information, contact the coalition at 623-4511 or info@BikeMaine.org.

Tree Towns

Nine applicants, including the towns of Bangor, Van Buren and Fort Kent, have been awarded federal grant money to plant trees. The Maine Conservation Corps and the Department of Transportation will also begin statewide efforts at planting trees with funding from the 2002 National Tree Trust Community Tree Planting Grant. The recipients aim to plant a total of 7,500 new seedlings in Maine this summer.

Misty Edgecomb covers outdoor recreation for the NEWS. Items for publication in the Outdoor Notebook may be submitted to her at medgecomb@bangordailynews.net.