A piece of the North Maine Woods is coming to Hidden Valley Nature Center (HVNC) in Jefferson on Friday, Feb. 6 at 4:30 p.m. Paul Johnson from Maine Woods Forever will give a presentation about the Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail.

The Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail is a project initiated by Maine Woods Forever. It consists of traditional Wabanaki canoe routes and portages in Maine’s Kennebec and Penobscot River drainages over which Henry David Thoreau traveled in his three excursions into the Maine Woods, his last two with Penobscot Indian guides.  Along these waterways Thoreau’s ideas about nature and conservation were shaped through his observations, experiences, and through the Penobscots’ philosophy imparted by his guides Joseph Attean and Joseph Polis. 

Paul Johnson is a member of Maine Woods Forever. Prior to retiring in 2005 he worked as a fishery biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in the Moosehead Lake Region, where he had the opportunity to become familiar with the woods and waters visited by Thoreau. His program will highlight places that Thoreau visited, and things he observed, many of which can be seen today just as Thoreau saw them more than 150 years ago.

For more information, and to register please visit www.hvnc.org/registration. There is a $5 fee for this event. Feel free to bring something to snack on, but we’ll be serving hot chocolate, tea, and something sweet.

More information available online at www.hvnc.org, info@hvnc.org, or call 207-200-8840.