FALMOUTH

Anglers asked to help with brook trout survey

Maine Audubon, along with its partners, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Trout Unlimited, is seeking volunteers to identify previously undocumented wild brook trout populations in remote Maine ponds.

Anglers can choose one or more of 187 ponds in western Maine to find and fish.

“There are no records of past stocking in any these ponds, so any brook trout found in them are native, wild fish,” said Jeff Reardon of Trout Unlimited. “Our goal is to collect information to help inform future management. Maine brook trout are a special resource, and we need to know where they are before we can protect and manage them appropriately.”

“None of these ponds have been surveyed by Maine fisheries biologists,” said Joe Dembeck, fisheries management supervisor for Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Maine contains 97 percent of all the wild or native brook trout ponds remaining in the country, and has been designated as the last true stronghold for wild brook trout in the eastern U.S. Brook trout are symbolic of healthy ponds that provide habitat for other wildlife as well, including large aquatic insects, smaller fish and fish-eating birds like kingfishers and osprey.

Maine Audubon and its partners will provide anglers with maps, photos, data sheets and instructions for how to survey each pond.

Volunteers should be enthusiastic about fishing for brook trout and be comfortable in remote settings. Surveys can be done any time before Sept. 30, but preferably in June and July.

Please contact Emily Bastian at 781-6180, ext. 207, or ebastian@ maineaudubon.org to learn more.

TOPSHAM

Cathance class to teach basics of geocaching

Michael Robinson of the Nature Conservancy will give a class on geocaching at the Cathance River Education Alliance’s Ecology Center at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

The class will cover everything from basic GPS use to going out and locating geocaches in the Cathance River Preserve.

Robinson and others will talk about some of the basics of geocaching, including GPS use, compass use, hiking safety and common etiquette.

This cost is $15 for members of the Cathance River Education Alliance; $20 for non-members. Sign up by emailing eric@creamaine.org.

FREEPORT

Bird-friendly coffee will be discussed in author’s talk

Author and naturalist Scott Weidensaul will give a presentation and sign books at 6 p.m. Friday at Freeport Wild Bird Supply on Route 1.

Weidensaul is a staunch advocate of “bird-friendly” coffee growing as a means to protect the wintering habitat of many migratory birds. Studies have shown that shade-grown coffee plantations, which retain a high diversity of tree species, support almost as many bird species as undisturbed rainforest.

In his free talk, “Birds and Beans: Simple Ways to Save Migratory Birds,” Weidensaul will discuss simple ways to help preserve migratory birds, “from what we plant in our gardens to what we pour into our morning mug.”

Weidensaul has authored more than two dozen books on natural history.

See www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com for more information.

HINCKLEY

Museum offers programs on night life, pollination

The L.C. Bates Night at the Museum program will feature noctunal animals from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The program will guide children and families as they hunt for nocturnal animals in the museum and in the fields outside. Children will learn about animals that love the night, including bats, owls, skunks, porcupines, moths and fishers.

The museum will host Pollination Day from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Families will discover the amazing process of pollination and unique lives of pollinators. In partnership with Barrels Market in Waterville the museum will offer honey tasting.

For more information, call 238-4250 or email lcbates@gwh.org. The museum is on Route 201 on the Good Will-Hinckley campus and is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children.

 

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