Mabel Loomis Todd and David Todd Purchase Land On Hog Island

David and Mabel Loomis Todd purchase 257 acres on Hog Island, where the following year they establish a vacation camp and begin near-annual summer visits.

1908

Mabel Loomis Todd Bans Hunting on Hog Island

1910

Closure of the Point Breeze Inn and Bungalows

The largest tract of land on Hog Island not owned by the Todd Family belonged to the operators of the Point Breeze Inn and Bungalows, a summer retreat for vacationers. In 1919, Point Breeze closed, leaving Mabel Todd, David Todd, and their daughter Millicent Todd Bingham as the only permanent occupants of the island. Several Point Breeze buildings and cabins would later be used in the Audubon Camp.

1919

Mabel Loomis Todd Passes Away

In the midst of preparations to leave Hog Island for the winter season, Mabel Loomis Todd passed away on October 14, 1932, leaving Millicent Todd Bingham as the sole owner of the majority of Hog Island.

Oct 14th, 1932

Millicent Todd Bingham Searches for a Buyer

After Mabel Loomis Todd's death, the owners of the Point Breeze Inn and Bungalows expressed interest in selling their land but agreed to wait while Millicent Todd Bingham looked for a buyer who would commit to the island's conservation.

1933 - 1934

Millicent Todd Bingham, John Baker, and James Todd Agree to Establish the Audubon Camp in Maine

In 1935, James Todd, a friend of Millicent Todd Bingham, agreed to purchase the Point Breeze land and donate it to an organization that would commit to its upkeep. Bingham met with John Baker, the newly appointed executive director of the National Association of Audubon Societies, and the two developed a plan to establish an environmental education camp for teachers.

1935

Establishment of Audubon Camp

1936

Campers Begin Fundraising to Construct a Well on Hog Island

1937

Josiah Lowe Joins Staff as Plant Life Instructor

1938

Elmer Osier Hired as Boatman and Caretaker

Elmer Osier was hired as the head boatman for the Audubon Camp in Maine in 1939. He served as caretaker of the camp over the winter season and during its World War II years of closure, finally retiring in 1966.

1939

Fish House Built

Recognizing the need for a new building with a fireplace for campers to gather, four campers - Ruth Steele, Edna Byrne, Gertrude Clark, and Gertrude Gold - created a committee to fundraise for a new camp building. That building, which became the Fish House, was constructed in 1941.

1941

Closure of the Camp During World War II

Due to the impact of World War II, the Audubon Camp in Maine was closed for the 1943, 1944, and 1945 summer seasons. During the war, many staff members enlisted in various branches of the armed forces, and wartime rationing severely restricted the availability of supplies. The camp reopened for the summer of 1946.

1943 - 1946

Audubon Camp Bell Purchased

In 1946, the Audubon Camp in Maine purchased the camp bell from a second-hand dealer in Rockland. The bell had been cast by George H. Holbrook of the Holbrook Bell Foundry in Massachusetts in 1846. A local carpenter built the wooden frame for the bell, which was modeled after the bell frame of the lighthouse on Matinicus Rock.

1946

Farida Wiley Joins Staff as Plant Life Instructor

Farida Wiley taught at the Audubon Camp in Maine for twenty years, retiring after the summer of 1967.

1947

B. Bartram Cadbury Joins the Camp Faculty as the Marine Life Course Instructor

In 1958, Bartram Cadbury was promoted to Camp Director, a position he held through 1968.

1948

Marine Life Aquarium Tanks Constructed in the Queen Mary

1950

Maine Audubon Society Deeds Western Egg Rock to National Audubon Society

In 1951, Maine Audubon Society President Barbara Corning approached Carl Buchheister about the possibility of deeding ownership of Western Egg Rock, an island in Muscongus Bay that was home to a significant seabird population, to the National Audubon Society, to ensure its conservation and to allow its use as a site for camp field trips. Buchheister and John Baker agreed, and the deed was transferred on September 18th.

Sep 18th, 1951

Audubon Camp Homecoming Day for Visiting Alumni

Jul 11th, 1953

Hog Island Sustains Damage From Hurricanes Carol and Edna

In 1954, two different hurricanes, Hurricane Carol and Hurricane Edna, caused significant damage on Hog Island. In response, Carl Buchheister launched an appeal fund, which swiftly raised over $10,000 to cover repairs.

1954

Audubon Camp in Maine Celebrates Its 20th Birthday

1956

B. Bartram Cadbury Becomes Camp Director

In 1958, Bartram Cadbury was promoted to Camp Director, a position he held through 1968.

1958

Carl Buchheister Becomes President of National Audubon Society

1959

Arthur Borror Hired as Marine Life Course Instructor

1960

Audubon Camp Kitchen Renovated

1964

B. Bartram Cadbury and Arthur Borror Publish Research on Dredging Results at the Audubon Camp of Maine

From 1949 to 1963, the Audubon Camp in Maine conducted over 900 marine dredge hauls, many with campers. Arthur Borror and B. Bartram Cadbury compiled these results and published them in this long-term study of ecological communities in Muscongus Bay.

Jun 1966

John H. Baker Scholarship Fund for Conservation Education Established

Launched in 1968 to commemorate former National Audubon Society President John Baker's long career in conservation work, the John H. Baker Scholarship Fund for Conservation Education provided scholarship assistance for prospective attendees of the Audubon camps, including the Audubon Camp in Maine. Preference for the scholarship funds were given to those who had completed a naturalist training program run by the National Audubon Society and who would go on to work in nature centers across the United States.

1968

Herbert Houston Becomes Camp Director

1969

Duryea Morton Becomes Camp Director

Duryea Morton started at Hog Island as a kitchen helper shortly after the end of World War II. He later became second boatman before finally becoming camp director in 1971.

1971

Project Puffin Effort Launched

In 1973, Dr. Stephen Kress launched Project Puffin, an effort to reestablish a puffin colony on Eastern Egg Rock. Prior to this effort, no puffin colony had been recorded on the island since 1906. To reestablish the puffin population, Kress led a group of ornithologists based on Hog Island to transport chicks from an island in Newfoundland. The group reared chicks in burrows they constructed, before releasing the puffins in hopes that they would return to the island to rear their own chicks.

1973

Joe Johansen Hired as Warden and Head Boatman

Joe Johansen was hired as the warden and boatman for the Audubon Camp in 1974. In this position, he lived on the mainland and took care of the island year round.

1974

Allan Cruickshank Wildlife Sanctuary on Eastern Egg Rock Dedicated

Allan Cruickshank passed away on October 11, 1974. On July 9, 1976, the Allan Cruickshank Wildlife Sanctuary on Eastern Egg Rock was dedicated in memory of his vital work in the fields of photography, ornithology, and conservation. The site of many Audubon Camp in Maine field trips to study and photograph nesting seabirds, Eastern Egg Rock continues to provide a nesting habitat for puffins and guillemots. The island is owned by the Maine Bureau of Land Management, and Allan Cruickshank Wildlife Sanctuary remains under the management of the National Audubon Society.

Jul 9th, 1976

National Audubon Society Receives Conservation Easement From Elizabeth Noyce

Having witnessed the important conservation work being done on Hog Island, a local landowner, Elizabeth Noyce, granted Lincoln Audubon Society, and by extension the National Audubon Society, conservation easements to her properties on Bremen Long Island and Louds Island.

1977

Michael Shannon Becomes Camp Director

1978

Duryea Morton Audubon Sanctuary on Harbor Island Dedicated

In honor of his long association with the Audubon Camp in Maine, a portion of Harbor Island, a frequent field trip destination, was named the Duryea Morton Audubon Sanctuary.

1979

Peter Salmansohn Joins the Faculty

1980

Stephen Kress Becomes Camp Director

1982

First Youth Camp Sessions Offered

1983

Eugene Beckham Becomes Camp Director

Eugene Beckham, who served as the director of the Audubon Camp in Maine for two summers, worked on the collection and study of fish and shellfish samples in the Gulf of Mexico for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. A known wildlife artist, Beckham also contributed artwork for books on fish and wildlife, including the Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America.

1987

Robert Dorrance Becomes Camp Director

1989

Michael Shannon Serves a Second Term as Camp Director

1992

Donald Burgess Becomes Camp Director

1993

Samuel Hands Becomes Camp Director

1996

First Naturalizing by Kayak Session Offered

In 1998, the Audubon Camp in Maine began offering a specialized kayaking camp called Naturalizing by Kayak, in which campers studied ecology while learning kayaking techniques and exploring Muscongus Bay. Camp instructor Eric Ylagan led the first session.

1998

Seth Benz Becomes Camp Director

1999

First Friends of Hog Island Work and Learn Session Held

In conjunction with the 2001 Annual Meeting, Friends of Hog Island held a work and learn session to allow volunteers to give back to the camp.

2001

Audubon Camp in Maine Holds Its 70th Anniversary Reunion

Jul 24th, 2006 - Jul 26th, 2006

Hog Island Audubon Camp Closes

Ongoing economic losses force Maine Audubon to close Hog Island Camp in June 2008 and return ownership to National Audubon. Faced with National Audubon’s transfer of the camp’s ownership to a local camp in December 2010, Friends of Hog Island disbands in 2009.

2009

Camp Reopens

National Audubon’s Project Puffin/Seabird Restoration Program opens Hog Island with four sessions.

May 2010

New Way Forward

National Audubon accepts FOHI’s proposal retaining ownership and placing camp operation permanently under Project Puffin/ Seabird Restoration Program. Camp sessions increase from four in 2010 to twelve in 2019.

Apr 30th, 2011

A Sense of Wonder Performance

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and celebrate the success of its fundraising efforts to create an endowment for the camp, Friends of Hog Island put on a performance of a play called "A Sense of Wonder," based on Rachel Carson's life and work.

Jul 28th, 2012