The public is invited to attend the Member Gathering and Annual Meeting of the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT) on April 7 at 5:30 p.m. at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. Join land trust staff, board of directors, and friends as we celebrate the land trust's progress with a special focus on fish passage restoration in Woolwich and Arrowsic. Presentations include never seen before, professional videos and time lapse photography documenting the work at each restoration site!

Alewives are anadromous fish (they spend a majority of their adult lives in the ocean but return to fresh water to spawn) and serve as a vital link in the Gulf of Maine food web. Two fresh water locations in the Kennebec Estuary, Nequasset Lake in Woolwich and Sewall Pond in Arrowsic, act as spawning grounds for these little but ecologically crucial fish. The renovation of the fish ladder at the Nequasset Dam and the replacement of the Route 127 culvert at Sewall Pond enables alewives to more effectively reach spawning waters and produce the next generation.

KELT is pleased to welcome Nate Gray, Marine Resources Scientist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources, to set the stage for the fish passage project presentations. He will share the essential role that alewives play in the coastal ecosystem and why restoration efforts like those at Nequasset Dam and Sewall Pond are significant. Next Alicia Heyburn, project manager for the Nequasset Fish Ladder Project, will share information about the beginnings and successful overhaul of the fish ladder. Finally, Karen Robbins and Erin Witham, the project leaders for the Sewall Pond Alewife Restoration Project, will share information and a video detailing the restoration at Sewall Pond with a one-of-a-kind wildlife culvert.

This is the perfect occasion to learn more about the land trust's work and get an update on the lands acquired in 2014. A social gathering for members will include hors d'oeuvres and a wine and beer tasting by Now You're Cooking and Mariner Beverages.

Please RSVP to this event by contacting Becky Kolak at bkolak@kennebecestuary.org or calling 207-442-8400. The Maine Maritime Museum is located at 243 Washington Street in Bath.

For more information, visit www.kennebecestuary.org.