The Merryspring Nature Center in Camden is staging a pair of events that may be of interest to a variety of outdoors enthusiasts.

On Jan. 29, Merryspring will hold a Lyme disease panel discussion at 7 p.m.

According to Merryspring, Maine is ranked 10th in the nation for incidence of Lyme disease as a percentage of the population. In 2005 there were 247 cases of Lyme reported in the state, and the Center for Disease Control estimates that the actual number of cases was closer to 2,470.

The panel discussion is free for Merryspring members, and admission is $5 for nonmembers. Children get in free.

On Feb. 2, Midcoast Audubon and Merryspring will gather for the annual Winter Ecological Festival. The event will run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. This year’s theme is “Embrace the Winter.”

Indoor and outdoor activities are planned for people of all ages. A digiscoping workshop will be held at 10 a.m. and noon, and people who want to take part should bring their digital cameras. At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., live owls will be the focus of discussion. Winter camping techniques, solar scopes and Maine mammals will also be featured, and kids will have the chance to make their own pinecone bird feeders. A winter tree ID walk is scheduled for 2 p.m.

For more information, call 236-2239, send e-mail to sschubel@tidewater.net or check the Web site at www.merryspring.org.

Dog sled race scheduled

The 100 Mile Wilderness Sled Dog Race will be held on Feb. 9 in Greenville.

More than 20 teams will race up Moosehead Lake and through the 100 Mile Wilderness to Brownville Junction.

Dogs will then take a mandatory two-hour layover and race back to Greenville.

There are viewing sites at both ends of the trail, as well as in other areas accessible by snowmobile, snowshoes or skis.

A full day of activities, programs and workshops will be held at the Historical Society Community House in Greenville.

A musher’s breakfast will be held at the Greenville American Legion Hall on Feb. 10. Admission is $6.

For more information, go to 100milewildernessrace.org or call the Moosehead Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce at 696-2702.

St. George carnival set

The St. George Regional Park Winter Carnival and Ice Fishing Derby is set for Feb. 2 in Skowhegan.

A sled box derby race will be held, as will a marshmallow roast, a baked bean competition, an ice rescue demonstration, kick sled demos, and skiing and snowboarding on groomed and ungroomed trails.

For more information, call Jeff at 474-1292.

To submit an item for publication in the Outdoor Notebook, send e-mail to jholyoke@bangordailynews.net, fax to 990-8092 or mail information to Outdoor Notebook, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329.