ARI to hold informational walk at Masse Sawmill

The Masse Sawmill site on Rte. 32, in East Vassalboro. Contributed photo

The Alewife Restoration Initiative has announced the successful completion of the first of six dam projects on China Lake Outlet Stream. To celebrate, they welcome the public to an informational nature walk at the Masse Sawmill site, in Vassalboro. Please join them for a short afternoon stroll along the restored section of Outlet Stream, while learning about the many ecological processes that are beginning to return the stream to natural habitat.

They will start the walk at 1 p.m., on Saturday, November 11, and expect it to last around an hour. The following experts in fields related to the project will give informal presentations and answer questions:

• Nate Gray is a fisheries biologist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources and a longtime advocate for restoration of alewives in the Sebasticook River watershed. Nate will discuss alewives, eels, mussels, and many other aquatic critters that will benefit from the improved connectivity of Outlet Stream.
• Brandon Kulik is a Senior Fisheries Scientist at Kleinschmidt Associates and a board member with the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust. Brandon will discuss the re-establishment of a healthy stream channel, and how this creates habitat for fish, aquatic insects, and the whole community of organisms that live in Maine streams and rivers.
• Daniel Hill is a wildlife technician and natural resource manager for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and a board member with the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust. Dan will discuss native plant species that will re-populate the former impoundment, how they benefit birds and animals living along the stream corridor, and the importance of controlling invasive plants.

The event will take place on Saturday, November 11, beginning at 1 p.m., at the Masse Sawmille, 373 Main St., Vassalboro. Dress for the weather, and for easy trail walking. The distance covered will be short (1/4 mile to 1/2 mile), and the walking easy, but there will be no indoor shelter or bathrooms available. Prepare to be outdoors for an hour or so. Event will be held rain or shine, barring very severe weather.

For more information, email or call Matt Streeter, mstreeter212@gmail.com, 207-337-2611.