Save The Date! We will continue to add details as we get closer to each event date. We hope to see you at our programming this year!
LGBTQIA+ Events In 2024
Grow Together Heart Circle & Gardening Workshop
Join Queerly ME and Portland Recovery Community Center as we encourage recovery and growth through connection with each other and the earth! The first half of this program will be dedicated to an outdoor LGBTQIA+ Heart Circle, a community practice rooted in mindfulness and radical empathy led by The Heart Farmer, Jake Krueger. The second half of this program will be dedicated to gardening in an urban environment with Primal Blossoms’s Owner Hedda Campbell, learning how to grow healthy, edible, and usable plants in raised garden beds.
This event is for LGBTQIA+ individuals who wish to recover from the weight of the world alongside fellow community members while engaging in activities that encourage grounding and connection.
Primal Blossoms’s Hedda Campbell will lead the urban gardening workshop 1pm-2pm. Primal Blossoms is a Landcrafting & Plant Care business in Southern Maine founded by Hedda Campbell. From window box to wilderness, she takes an integrative approach that blends the needs of local ecology with site specific preferences to give natural spaces the freedom to thrive creatively.
The Heart Farmer, Jake Kruegar, will lead the LGBTQIA+ Heart Circle 12pm-1pm. To find out more about heart circles and Jake’s practice, please visit https://www.theheartfarmer.com/heart-circles.
Queerly ME is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to creating and increasing LGBTQIA+ visibility, resource accessibility, and Queer centered outdoor programming encouraging long lasting community connections in Maine. For more information, please visit https://www.queerlyme.org/.
As a recovery community organization, PRCC’s mission is to provide support, education, resources, and advocacy for people recovering from and affected by addiction, and to spread the message of hope throughout the state of Maine and beyond. https://portlandrecovery.org/
Flagstaff Lake Cabin Weekend
Join Queerly ME over the holiday weekend at Flagstaff Hut! All attendees must be LGBTQIA+, 21+, Maine Residents, and COVID vaccinated. Our cabin trip offers a large, heated communal cabin with an industrial kitchen, indoor restrooms and showers, as well as a series of separate bunk houses divided into several smaller sleeping quarters. These off the grid cabins overlook Flagstaff Lake and beautiful woods! There are many activities planned throughout the weekend for attendees to take part in, such as a plant identification walk, a fishing demo, and nature walks.
Filling out a form does not guarantee a spot on the trip, as these camping trips are curated to match each campers' preferences, comfortabilities, and needs in a larger camping group. For our selection process, we will be prioritizing spots for those in rural areas of Maine, LGBTQIA+ BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ individuals who have not been able to attend a Queerly ME trip yet. That being said, we had enough space for everyone who filled out a pre-registration form last summer to attend!
The LGBTQIA+ Cabin Weekend is a donation based trip. There is no set cost to attend if you are confirmed as a camper, but we will encourage confirmed campers to donate on a sliding scale from $40-$100 to support Queerly ME's future programming and development. For this cabin trip, we are organizing some light group activities such as Plant Identification, Fishing, and Nature Walks.
All attendees must hike 2.2 miles to Flagstaff Hut from the parking lot. For those with mobility limitations, we have a few available spots for folks to be driven in instead. Please inform us in your form if you will need transportation to and from the cabin. The cabin and a few bunkhouses do have outlets, although we ask that electricity be used sparingly or on a need-basis such as for using a CPAP machine overnight.
Food and item sharing is optional and will be in a shared excel sheet for easy accessibility once groups are confirmed, but all campers are expected to bring the food and supplies they need for the weekend. Basic amenities (first aid supplies, bug spray, sunscreen, flashlights, card games and art supplies, to name a few) are provided by Queerly ME. Campers are expected to attend one short information session over Zoom to go over camping details and ground rules so that everyone is informed and aware of expectations regarding respect and consent in group settings, as well as the campground's policies and expectations. Animals are not permitted at this campground. Each person interested must fill out this pre-registration form to be considered--there are no +1s allowed.
Flower Crown Workshop
Join Queerly ME and Primal Blossoms's Owner, Hedda Campbell, for a flower crown workshop June 2nd 9am to 10am, right before Lewiston Pride! Materials will be provided at the location, Simard-Payne Memorial Park. Registered attendees will receive exact coordinates for the event a week prior to the date!
This event is a LGBTQIA+ affinity space. Please register individually to give us an accurate headcount and keep our numbers manageable; forms filled out for more than one person will not be considered legitimate.
French Mountain Hike
Join Queerly ME and 7 Lakes Alliance for an LGBTQIA+ hike up French Mountain!
More information coming soon.
Mushroom Foraging
Join Queerly ME and Rachel Criswell from Baraban Farm to learn how to forage and identify different wild mushrooms! This workshop is LGBTQIA+ centered.
More information coming soon.
Flagstaff Lake Cabin Weekend
Join Queerly ME over the holiday weekend for a two night, three day trip to Flagstaff Hut! Our cabin trip for LGBTQIA+ adults offers a large, heated communal cabin with an industrial kitchen and indoor restrooms and showers, as well as a series of separate bunk houses divided into several smaller sleeping quarters. These off the grid cabins overlook Flagstaff Lake! There are many activities planned throughout the weekend for attendees to take part in.
Pre-Registration required. More information coming soon.
Community Harvest Day
Join Queerly ME and Maine Coast Heritage Trust for a LGBTQIA+ community harvest day and farm tour!
More information coming soon.
Autumn Potluck
Join Queerly ME and Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust for an Autumn LGBTQIA+ Potluck!
More information coming soon.
Queer Farmer 101
Learn how to start your own farm as a Queer Farmer in Maine. Guided and hosted by Angela Baglione of Seek No Further Farm with Bo Dennis of Dandy Ram Farm.
More information coming soon!
LGBTQIA+ Trail Mixer
Join Queerly ME and Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust for our seasonal Trail Mixer series!
More information coming soon.
LGBTQIA+ Trail Mixer
Join Queerly ME and Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust for our seasonal Trail Mixer series! More information coming soon.
LGBTQIA+ Trail Mixer
Join Queerly ME and Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust for our seasonal Trail Mixer series!
More information coming soon.
LGBTQIA+ Trail Mixer
Each month, Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust and Queerly ME host casual, outdoor meet-ups at 1:00pm on the second Sunday of the month from March-May at a BTLT property. After each walk, we'll be gathering at Wild Oats around 2:15pm to hold more space and time for connecting and socializing. As an added bonus, our friends at Wild Oats have generously given us coupons for attendees to use after our walks to be used on a drink or snack of their choice!
No guided tour, no cost, no registration required. Just an open invitation for Queer/LGBTQIA+ folks (and allies) of all ages and backgrounds, to gather in a natural safe space, connect with one another, and spend time outside! (And then at Wild Oats afterwards!)
March 10th - 1:00pm - Crystal Spring Farm (South) - Farmers' Market parking lot
April 14th - 1:00pm - Crystal Spring Farm (North) - Community Garden parking lot
May 12th - 1:00pm - Androscoggin Woods
Some things to keep in mind:
Please plan to arrive 5-10 minutes early! We will be leaving for our walk from the trailhead at 1:05pm to maximize our walk time.
We highly encourage carpooling!
There is no registration, you can just show up.
Bringing a dog? Please make sure they are leashed at all times and that you clean up after them.
Bringing some kiddos? Please make sure they (and you!) are dressed for the weather and terrain.
Bringing a camera? Fantastic! Just make sure you have consent if taking photos of other people.
All properties, events, and programs managed by BTLT are open to everyone. However, as part of BTLT's mission to connect people to nature by providing recreational opportunities, we acknowledge that the outdoors have historically not been a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community. In partnership with Queerly ME, this event series aims to provide intergenerational safe spaces for connection, community building, and outdoor exploration amongst the LGBTQIA+ community.
Vernal Pool Exploration
RESCHEDULED FOR APRIL 28TH 11AM-1PM!
Join Queerly ME, Master Naturalist Samaa Abdurraqib and Katrina Cornish for an LGBTQIA+ Vernal Pool Exploration! Learn about Vernal Pool environments and examine eggs and indicator species. Learn how to track amphibian migration for Maine Big Night, an annual statewide project where you can help collect important data on the Spring migration of frogs and salamanders in Maine through observing habitats right in your hometown!
Prior registration required. Spots limited.
LGBTQIA+ Trail Mixer
Each month, Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust and Queerly ME host casual, outdoor meet-ups at 1:00pm on the second Sunday of the month from March-May at a BTLT property. After each walk, we'll be gathering at Wild Oats around 2:15pm to hold more space and time for connecting and socializing. As an added bonus, our friends at Wild Oats have generously given us coupons for attendees to use after our walks to be used on a drink or snack of their choice!
No guided tour, no cost, no registration required. Just an open invitation for Queer/LGBTQIA+ folks (and allies) of all ages and backgrounds, to gather in a natural safe space, connect with one another, and spend time outside! (And then at Wild Oats afterwards!)
March 10th - 1:00pm - Crystal Spring Farm (South) - Farmers' Market parking lot
April 14th - 1:00pm - Crystal Spring Farm (North) - Community Garden parking lot
May 12th - 1:00pm - Androscoggin Woods
Some things to keep in mind:
Please plan to arrive 5-10 minutes early! We will be leaving for our walk from the trailhead at 1:05pm to maximize our walk time.
We highly encourage carpooling!
There is no registration, you can just show up.
Bringing a dog? Please make sure they are leashed at all times and that you clean up after them.
Bringing some kiddos? Please make sure they (and you!) are dressed for the weather and terrain.
Bringing a camera? Fantastic! Just make sure you have consent if taking photos of other people.
All properties, events, and programs managed by BTLT are open to everyone. However, as part of BTLT's mission to connect people to nature by providing recreational opportunities, we acknowledge that the outdoors have historically not been a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community. In partnership with Queerly ME, this event series aims to provide intergenerational safe spaces for connection, community building, and outdoor exploration amongst the LGBTQIA+ community.
Birdwatching Walk
Join Queerly ME with Samaa Abdurraqib, a Master Naturalist in Maine, for a LGBTQIA+ birding gathering at Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary in Lewiston, ME, bright and early at 7:30AM.
Don’t have binoculars and/or never went birding before? No worries, we’ll have binoculars for you to borrow, and all experience levels are welcome.
Spots and equipment are limited, so please register for each individual interested.
LGBTQIA+ Trail Mixer
Each month, Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust and Queerly ME host casual, outdoor meet-ups at 1:00pm on the second Sunday of the month from March-May at a BTLT property. After each walk, we'll be gathering at Wild Oats around 2:15pm to hold more space and time for connecting and socializing. As an added bonus, our friends at Wild Oats have generously given us coupons for attendees to use after our walks to be used on a drink or snack of their choice!
No guided tour, no cost, no registration required. Just an open invitation for Queer/LGBTQIA+ folks (and allies) of all ages and backgrounds, to gather in a natural safe space, connect with one another, and spend time outside! (And then at Wild Oats afterwards!)
March 10th - 1:00pm - Crystal Spring Farm (South) - Farmers' Market parking lot
April 14th - 1:00pm - Crystal Spring Farm (North) - Community Garden parking lot
May 12th - 1:00pm - Androscoggin Woods
Some things to keep in mind:
Please plan to arrive 5-10 minutes early! We will be leaving for our walk from the trailhead at 1:05pm to maximize our walk time.
We highly encourage carpooling!
There is no registration, you can just show up.
Bringing a dog? Please make sure they are leashed at all times and that you clean up after them.
Bringing some kiddos? Please make sure they (and you!) are dressed for the weather and terrain.
Bringing a camera? Fantastic! Just make sure you have consent if taking photos of other people.
All properties, events, and programs managed by BTLT are open to everyone. However, as part of BTLT's mission to connect people to nature by providing recreational opportunities, we acknowledge that the outdoors have historically not been a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community. In partnership with Queerly ME, this event series aims to provide intergenerational safe spaces for connection, community building, and outdoor exploration amongst the LGBTQIA+ community.
Snowshoeing Walk & Social
Join Queerly ME and Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust for a wintery gathering at Neptune Woods. Cross your fingers for lots of snow, we’re breaking out the gear! Bring your snowshoes and/or boot grips as we enjoy the forest at Brunswick Landing. Afterwards, we’ll convene nearby at the outdoor deck of the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust office for some hot cocoa to warm up.
Don’t have snowshoes and/or never snowshoed before? No worries, we’ll have a few pairs for you to borrow, and all experience levels are welcome.
Spots and equipment are limited, so please register for each individual interested.
LGBTQIA+ Walk: Winter Plant Identification
Join Queerly ME and Master Naturalist Samaa Abdurraqib on an LGBTQIA+ Winter Walk through Hamilton Audubon Sanctuary to examine and identify plants, namely trees, in winter! No registration or costs included. Folks are encouraged to bring their favorite nature guides along. Remember to dress warm and bring some winter boots.