Among the most amazing creatures in the world, more than 40 species of birds-of-paradise live in New Guinea’s Indo-Pacific rainforest, one of the largest intact tropical forested areas on earth.

York County Audubon will host Edwin Scholes, who will describe the creatures, and the efforts to preserve their threatened habitat. The online program is scheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, march 16. For more information, visit www.birdsofparadiseproject.org.

According to a York County Audubon press release, “The stars of the show in National Geographic and PBS Nature TV documentaries, the birds-of-paradise have become icons of New Guinea’s rainforests. Their extraordinary beauty is unlike that of any other birds on earth, but it’s their wide range of bizarre breeding behaviors that captivates audiences — from elaborate dancing and flaring their elegant plumes to shape-shifting displays that make these exotic species seem like avian transformers.”

Scholes is the founder and leader of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Birds-of-Paradise Project, and has been studying and documenting them since his first trip to New Guinea in 1999. It was in 1997 as an undergraduate biology student that he first saw the BBC documentary film “Attenborough in Paradise.” The film, which was the result of Sir David Attenborough’s lifelong passion for the birds-of-paradise, was the first to capture these birds’ wonder and beauty in any depth. The film inspired Scholes to devote his career to their study and protection.

York County Audubon will present this program online and free of charge. Advance registration is required. To register, visit yorkcountyaudubon.org, and click on the link that. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the program.

207 Prime Properties opens office in Kennebunk

207 Prime Properties is expanding its footprint and opening a new office at 37 Western Ave. in Kennebunk. The woman-owned brokerage will have office spaces in Kennebunk, Ogunquit and Portland as it continues to serve Maine and New Hampshire.

Although the local real estate group is growing, it doesn’t mean there isn’t room for others. Owner Jennifer Walker said it’s just the opposite.

“We have a good time at work and at play,” Walker said in a written statement. “We can always use new people who understand that a work/life balance means you can make a lot of money while still enjoying the way life should be.”

With business booming, 207 Prime Properties is looking for experienced brokers to join the team as it continues working alongside other local brokerages to best serve their clients.

207 Prime Properties, headquartered in Ogunquit, is a woman-owned independent real estate agency.

“With 14 brokers serving both Maine and New Hampshire, we are constantly striving to create an inclusive and insightful culture while being fierce advocates for our clients,” Walker said in an email. “207 Prime Properties makes real estate in the seacoast region personal, because your next home starts here.”

For more information, contact Tyler Robichaud at 207-251-8722 or tyler@207prime.com.

Women Build Week at Habitat for Humanity York County

Habitat for Humanity’s International Women Build Week is an annual weeklong event created by Habitat’s Women Build program in partnership with Lowe’s and is held March 8-15, leading up to International Women’s Day.

Habitat for Humanity York County will join the Women Build Week celebration. As part of the week, and because of restrictions due to COVID-19, Habitat for Humanity York County will host a week of virtual programming and use it as a peer-to-peer fundraising effort for the upcoming Saco Build.

The theme of the week will be Women Building Up Women. The schedule includes a virtual event to which registrants will have access to a week of Women Building Up Women events including meet the homeowner, keynote speakers, including a message from Gov. Janet Mills, a special Zoom advocacy event, Zoom yoga, Green building and more how-to videos from women of Maine.

According to a press release, “Habitat for Humanity advocates to change policies and systems to eliminate barriers to adequate, affordable housing. Its vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Building is part of the solution, but the less visible aspects of housing like laws, regulations, systems and rules about land and the built environment are critical components, too. Sustainable and inclusive policies and systems can promote access to decent housing, while others can create barriers. And those barriers make it harder to find land for construction, build a home or be able to afford a place to live.”

For more information, visit www.habitatyorkcounty.org/.

Kennebunk Savings announces promotions

Kennebunk Savings is creating several roles aimed at enhancing the customer experience, and announced the familiar faces who will step into them. Judy DesMeules of the Wells branch, Mark Ross of the Kennebunk branches, and Carlos Maldonado of the Portsmouth and Hampton New Hampshire, branches have been promoted to retail experience managers for the Seacoast, Southwest, and Southern districts, respectively. In their new roles, they will continue to manage their existing branch offices, but will also serve as team leaders overseeing the other branch managers in their assigned districts.

“Judy, Mark and Carlos have distinguished themselves through their strong leadership and their commitment to excellent customer experiences,” said Al Giobbie, vice president, senior retail experience manager, in a written statement. “All three have demonstrated an innate ability to

provide creative, thoughtful solutions to customer needs and have developed that mindset in their teams.”

According to the press release, “In January, the bank announced a wave of promotions aimed at promoting a new generation of leadership. 2021 is Kennebunk Savings’ 150th year of operation, and a yearlong celebration centers on the theme of “Celebrating our past, driving our future.”

“Judy, Mark and Carlos are being moved into these new roles precisely because they’re the kind of people we need driving our future,” said Bradford C. Paige, president and CEO, in an email. “They’re already pillars of the community and pillars of our organization, and the new title and new responsibilities reflect that.”

“Kennebunk Savings has long taken pride in providing the best customer experience possible,” Giobbie said. “The retail experience manager position will enable us to accomplish this at an even higher level by focusing on a more consistent approach to service, and through sharing of best practices with our teams across the branch system. The retail experience managers will help us to view all actions and activities throughout the bank through that all-important lens of customer experience.”

Registration open for 24th Edition Road Race

Registration for the 24th Edition Kennebunk Free Library Road Race is open. The first 200 registrants receive one of the event’s well-known goodie bags, including a road race T-shirt.

This year, the library is hoping for the best of both worlds – virtual and in-person.

The library will hold a virtual road race from June 21 to July 7. Participants can run their own course – or follow the traditional route – whenever it’s convenient. Organizers are also planning for an in-person race on July 9 in the hopes that outdoor events may be possible at that time. Registration can be used for either the virtual or in-person events. A decision isn’t necessary until July.

To register for for more information, visit https://kennebunklibrary.org/roadrace.asp.

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