Spring arrives on March 20 and staff from the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association will be leading a search along the trails of the Marsh River Preserve on Thursday, March 26 at 10 a.m. to find evidence that spring is truly around the corner. SVCA’s Program Manager and naturalist, Lynne Flaccus, will lead participants along the trails to the Marsh exploring the early signs of spring and sharing information about ways citizen scientists can become involved in documenting seasonal changes or phenology - periodic biological phenomena (such as bird migration or plant flowering) that are correlated with climatic conditions.

The 70-acre Marsh River Preserve located off the Osprey Point Road in Newcastle includes upland forest, including 5,500 feet of frontage on Marsh River and a large area of salt marsh north of Route 1. The river and marshes provide important shorebird feeding and roosting habitat, as well as providing the northern most habitat for native oysters. The Marsh River Preserve was purchased in 2003 with funding from Land for Maine’s Future and private foundations, and is part of the River~Link Project, a partnership of SVCA, Damariscotta River Association, Boothbay Region Land Trust, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, the state and surrounding towns, to link the Damariscotta and Sheepscot Rivers by way of wildlife corridors and walking trails.

For more information visit our website at www.sheepscot.org or call the office at 207-586-5616.