March 3-Androscoggin Riverlands State Park Snowshoe Hike-Winter Wildlife in the Park
March 3, 2012
The last in a three part series of snowshoes that will take place in the Riverlands State Park, Maine’s newest state park, will highlight the wildlife of this park. Joe Wiley from Maine’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife department will lead groups along the Homestead Trail and discuss the wildlife that lives in the park and how the animals survive the winter. We will look for animal tracks and other signs of their presence. The hike begins at 10 a.m. and will return to the parking lot by 1 p.m. Please bring your own snowshoes, snacks and water; and dress appropriately for the weather. Free and open to the public. For more information contact Margi Huber, Outreach Coordinator at ALT at 782-2302 or email at mhuber@androscogginlandtrust.org
Directions: We will meet at the main entrance of the park, off Center Bridge Road in Turner.
http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/programs/planning/andro/androindex.shtml
SNOWSHOE EXPLORATION WITH ANDROSCOGGIN LAND TRUST AT ANDROSCOGGIN RIVERLANDS
Snowshoe in Maine’s fifth largest state park during the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend with the Androscoggin Land Trust learning about its natural and cultural history
The Androscoggin Land Trust will host a snowshoe hike at the Androscoggin Riverlands in Turner on Saturday, March 3, as part of the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend organized by the newly formed Maine Outdoor Coalition, a group of organizations and companies working together to connect Mainers to the outdoors.
Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Biologist, Joe Wiley, will join us to show how animals survive in winter and how to identify tracks in the snow. The snowshoe hike will begin at 10 a.m. and travel along the historic Homestead Trail and will return to the parking lot at approximately 1 p.m. The gently graded trail is a two-mile loop. Trail maps will be available for participants. Please bring a pair of snowshoes, water and snacks for the journey. Meet at the main entrance to the park on Center Road in Turner:
http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/programs/planning/andro/androindex.shtml
The biologists have suggested that the presence of dogs would not enhance this experience.
The Androscoggin Riverlands is state-owned land along the Androscoggin River just north of the Lewiston-Auburn area, and encompasses nearly 2,600 acres in Turner and Leeds that was initially conserved by a group of local citizens concerned that the rivershore views and traditional recreation uses would be lost to residential development when the former timberland went up for sale. Upon successfully conserving this land, the Riverlands group and others formed the Androscoggin Land Trust in 1989.
“There is always something to do outside in Maine,” said Jonathan LaBonte, Executive Director of the Androscoggin Land Trust. “You just have to know where to find it. This coalition and weekend will help bring attention to what organizations like ours have to offer for outdoor recreation in our own backyards.”
Great Maine Outdoor Weekend events will take place in every county throughout Maine and offer a mix of traditional and unconventional winter activities – most of which are free and at an introductory level. Participants can enjoy snowshoeing, winter hiking, cross-country skiing and ice fishing, or try their hand at something a bit more out of the ordinary such as snowmobile golf, an air-rifle biathlon, digging for winter steamers, or spending an evening with owls. www.greatmaineoutdoorweekend.org.
For further information contact Margi Huber at the Androscoggin Land Trust at (207)-782-2302 or by email 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. We currently conserve nearly 4,850 acres of land, including over ten miles of riverfront along the Androscoggin River.