SALMON ECOLOGY WALK ON THE DUCKTRAP RIVER

Lincolnville, Maine - Coastal Mountains Land Trust invites the community to join fisheries biologist Peter Ruksznis on a salmon ecology walk on Tuesday, October 30 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm along the Ducktrap River.

The Ducktrap River’s pristine and undisturbed corridor makes it one of only eight rivers in the United States that supports a wild Atlantic salmon population. Peter Ruksznis, a fisheries biologist with the Department of Marine Resources, will lead a walk on the river  to explain Atlantic salmon ecology and biology and hopefully find salmon redds, the depressions in the riverbed where female salmon lay their eggs. Participants should meet at the Tanglewood parking lot, and group size is limited to 15, so please reserve your place by calling (207) 236-7091 or emailing info@coastalmountains.org.

For more than a decade the Land Trust has been working to conserve the Ducktrap River and its watershed, in large part to protect the habitat of these endangered fish. To date, 84% of the land on the river has been permanently conserved, including the 1,136-acre Ducktrap River Preserve owned and managed by the Land Trust.

Coastal Mountains Land Trust permanently conserves land to benefit the natural and human communities of western Penobscot Bay.  In its 26th year, the 9,129 acres of land conserved by the Land Trust host 30 miles of trails and protect biological diversity, water resources, productive farms and forests, and scenic landscapes, all of which are essential to sustaining our quality of place.  To learn more about the Land Trust or its conservation work on the Ducktrap River, visit www.coastalmountains.org or call (207) 236-7091.

Spring Bird Walk along the Ducktrap River

Spring Bird Walk along the Ducktrap River


Lincolnville, Maine - Coastal Mountains Land Trust and the Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition will co-host a spring bird walk on the Ducktrap River Preserve in Lincolnville on May 16. Cloe Chunn of the Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition and Kristen Lindquist, Development Director for the Land Trust, will lead the walk, which is free and open to the public. Because of the anticipated group size, Cloe will hit the trail with the "early birds" at 6:00 a.m., and Kristen will follow behind with a group at 6:30 a.m.

Birders of all levels are welcome on this outing in search of spring migrants, particularly warblers and finches. The combination of riparian and various forest habitats along a one-mile stretch of the trail promises good viewing opportunities, from winter wren and waterthrushes along the river, to Blackburnian warbler and barred owl in the mature hemlock grove.

Please bring your own binoculars; bug repellent is highly recommended. While the trail is easy-going, be prepared for muddy terrain. This event will take place even in light rain. Participants should meet on the north side of Route 52 where it crosses the Ducktrap River, about 3.5 miles north of Lincolnville Center. The Ducktrap River Preserve is part of Coastal Mountain Land Trust’s system of conservation lands, protecting natural and scenic resources in western Penobscot Bay.

This walk coincides with a series of bird outings featured as part of the Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition’s Bird Week. For more information on Bird Week visit www.belfastbaywatershed.org.

Coastal Mountains Land Trust has worked since 1986 to permanently conserve land to benefit the natural and human communities of the western Penobscot Bay. The Land Trust has protected over 9,000 acres to date, including more than 1,200 acres in the Ducktrap River Watershed. For more information about this event, the Land Trust, or the Ducktrap River Preserve, please call (207) 236-7091 or visit www.coastalmountains.org.