Ferry Beach Ecology School was founded in 1998 as an independent educational nonprofit teaching the science and practice of ecology through experiential programs and publications. Each school year more than 7,000 students (grades 3-8) from schools across New England attend FBES for hands-on learning in the eight ecosystems within walking distance of the school’s campus on Ferry Beach in Saco, as well as school assembly programs. In 2006, FBES published a 240-page book of lesson plans for teachers, “The ABCs of Ecology®: An Educator’s Guide to Learning Outside.” FBES also publishes the highly acclaimed book “The Ferry Beach Field Guide to Ecosystems.” Both publications draw heavily upon FBES’s tried and true teaching methods and innovative experiential curriculum.