They represent an exceptional value in education because they are efficient and intensive in focus. This is largely possible because instructors are leading authorities in their fields and because all participants are keenly interested in the subject of a given seminar. With a limited number of participants, instructors can individualize the instructional program for the week. Participants have the opportunity to let instructors know ahead of time what their special interests are. The programs are of particular interest, because they focus on the classical natural history of one of North America's most spectacular and pristine natural areas, the coast of eastern Maine from Acadia National Park to Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge and beyond.
Many programs focus on a particular group of organisms or a particular habitat.
Others present a broad conceptual overview of a subject. Seminars and workshops generally meet all-day from Monday through Friday. They generally combine intensive field studies and follow-up work in the lab with lectures, discussions, and a review of the current literature. Meals are relaxed settings for informal discussions.