FBC Explorer Backpacks are a rental service designed to inspire self-guided exploration for families at FBC preserves and around Maine. The backpacks are available at the Tidal Falls Preserve in Hancock and can be rented for a week at a time. Whether you’re a year-round resident looking for a new way to explore, or a first-time visitor to the area, these backpacks are for you!

Each backpack rental comes with an FBC Explorer Notebook that you get to keep for future field notes and observations.

The kits are designed to include all the materials used in the Intertidal Exploration with Maine Outdoor School and the Ecosystem Exploration with Maine Outdoor School videos, which are a great resource for getting started.

How to reserve & use your FBC Explorers Backpack:

1. Reserve a Backpack by emailing Jane, FBC’s Outreach Coordinator, to coordinate a pickup time. Email jane@frenchmanbay.org with the subject line, “Backpack Request.”
2. Stop by the blue self-serve kiosk to the right of the garage at Tidal Falls Preserve in Hancock to grab a backpack! Jot down your name and the date you picked up your backpack on the sign-out sheet.
3. Learn & explore with your backpack for one whole week from pickup! Inside you’ll find instructions for using the tools in your backpack, as well as two different scavenger hunt bingo cards!
4. Return your backpack to the Tidal Falls Preserve kiosk, placing it in the plastic bin to be sanitized before it goes out to the next family.