Join the Androscoggin Land Trust and Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary as they team up for a morning of tracking wildlife in the Garcelon Bog.

On Saturday, February 11, Susan Hayward, Thorncrag environmental educator, and Mike Auger, ALT’s stewardship director, will lead a snowshoe along the boardwalk in Garcelon Bog to look for signs and tracks of the animals that call the bog their home.

Fresh snow will give up its secrets as the tracks and signs from the previous night are identified. Meet at 9 a.m. at the cul-de-sac at the end of Russell Street. This event is free and open to the public. Please dress for the weather and bring snowshoes (may not be necessary), as well as snacks and water. The program that will end around 10:30 a.m.

The Garcelon Bog, owned by the City of Lewiston and with a conservation easement held by Androscoggin Land Trust, protects over 100 acres of ecologically significant wetland in the heart of Lewiston. It is a unique ecological feature in the city and contains a variety of natural habitat types, including forested, open and emergent wetlands that support a wide variety of plant and animal species.

There is a boardwalk at the end of Russell Street Extension and a trail into the bog available for environmental educational purposes and recreation to highlight the ecological importance of this natural gem within the second largest urban area in Maine. The project was a partnership between the land trust and the city in its effort to seek permits for the construction of the Gendron Business Park II off Alfred Plourde Parkway.

While the city will retain day-to-day responsibilities for the property, the land trust is legally responsible and committed to making sure the conservation easement is upheld, thus protecting the bog from development in perpetuity.

The Stanton Bird Club, owner and manager of Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary, is pleased to be a partner with the Androscoggin Land Trust. Thorncrag and Garcelon Bog are linked as part of the largest watershed in Lewiston and the continuity of habitat is important for the community to understand and explore.

The plants and animals of both of these significant natural areas in Lewiston have much in common. This winter hike into Garcelon Bog will reveal evidence of and highlight this important relationship.

For further information contact Margi Huber at the Androscoggin Land Trust at 782-2302 or by email at mhuber@androscogginlandtrust.org.

The Androscoggin Land Trust protects important natural areas, traditional landscapes and outdoor experiences within the Androscoggin River watershed by promoting stewardship and supporting a network of public and privately held conservation land. ALT conserves nearly 4,850 acres of land, including over 10 miles of riverfront along the Androscoggin River.