Hog Island Scholarships

The June Ficker Hog Island Scholarship for Educators (August 10-15, 2025)

Departing on dory from Harbor Island. By Stephen Kress.

Departing on a dory from Harbor Island

The June Ficker Hog Island scholarship assists an educator or community leader who wishes to participate in a one-week summer program on famed Hog Island. We seek a participant who will benefit from the Hog Island opportunity and use the experience to teach others in York County. The YCA scholarship will pay 80% of the recipient’s cost for program tuition, room, and board.  The application deadline is Wednesday, February 19th, 2025.  The scholarship was re-named in 2014 to honor June Ficker, who served on the York County Audubon Board and as its Education Chair from 1979 till 2014, and led the bird banding program at the Wells Reserve for over twenty years.

The Maine Young Birders Club (MYBC) Hog Island Scholarship for Teens (June 15-20, 2025)

MYBC, in conjunction with York County Audubon and Friends of Hog Island, is sponsoring a scholarship for Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens.  This intensive 6-day, 5-night program on Hog Island allows enthusiastic young birders to work with some of the country’s best-known birders and ornithologists on field identification, bird ecology and conservation. This program includes the unique opportunity to see Audubon’s seabird restoration work in action, and visit Eastern Egg Rock during the puffin breeding season (weather and sea conditions permitting). The program runs from June 15th – 20th, 2025.

The scholarship will pay 100% of the recipient’s cost for program tuition, room and board.   Applicants must be 14-17 years old to attend.  The application deadline is Wednesday, February 19th, 2025.