DRA Trustee and conservation and avian ecologist Peter McKinley will lead a tour of the Dodge Point Public Reserve to highlight the important role of this and similar conservation areas to our region’s biodiversity. The walk will be held Saturday, December 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at Dodge Point Public Reserve, River Road, Newcastle.
All public and private land parcels, and the way that they are managed, have an impact on regional biodiversity that goes well beyond individual parcel boundaries. For example, mature forests can provide habitat for wildlife that may not occur in surrounding tracts of more intensively harvested and younger forest.
McKinley, who has his PhD in ecology and is a research ecologist and conservation planner with The Wilderness Society explains, “The entire land management spectrum is important so the take home will be the total ‘landscape’ perspective and the role that conserved lands can play. While the migratory songbirds are by now safely in central and northern South America by now, I will discuss the bird species that I have encountered here over the years in relation to the forest age, structure, and composition that will be observed on the walk. And we will have our eyes open for year-round resident birds too and perhaps a few waterfowl migrants out on the river.”
DRA is a local partner with the State of Maine in the conservation and stewardship of Dodge Point and, with many partners, was instrumental in securing the property’s conservation.
This program is free of charge but preregistration by 3:00 p.m. December 4 is required so that in the unlikely event of cancellation participants can be notified. To register, call 207-563-1393 or email dra@damariscottariver.org. Families are encouraged to attend and children are welcome. Binoculars will be provided to participants who wish to borrow them for this program.
