All are invited to join Midcoast Conservancy Executive Director Pete Nichols, Waldo SWCD Technical Director Aleta McKeage, and Midcoast Conservancy board member Buck O’Herin for a walk and talk about the role of wildlands in maintaining forest health, as well as their importance for species diversity and sequestering carbon. Only about 4% of Maine’s forests are protected as wild (no forestry, no development) and yet conservation science indicates that much more is needed in the near future for the health of natural and human communities. The walk will be on Nov. 6, on the Whitten Hill Trail in Montville, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The rain date is Nov. 7.

McKeage is an ecologist and project manager who has completed work for municipalities, land trusts, state and federal governments. She specializes in ecological land stewardship and restoration integrated with outreach and community building, and is an expert in invasive plant ecology and control as well as in native plant communities.

O’Herin has worked in the education and conservation fields for more than 35 years. He is a founder of the Waldo County Trails Coalition (WCTC) that in 2016 completed the 46-mile Hills to Sea Trail from Belfast to Unity and he is currently the part-time coordinator.

To learn more, and to register, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/events/woodlands-walk-talk/.

Midcoast Conservancy is a vibrant regional land trust that works to protect vital lands and waters on a scale that matters and to inspire wonder and action on behalf of all species and the Earth. The organization works throughout the Sheepscot River, Medomak River, and Damariscotta Lake watersheds. Midcoast Conservancy manages over 13,000 acres in 55 preserves and 95 miles of trails, including Hidden Valley, a preserve with cabin and outdoor recreation equipment rentals and a low-impact forestry program. Community members can get involved in the organization’s work as volunteers with water quality monitoring, habitat restoration, fish passage projects, forestry and oyster farming or outdoor recreation and education. For more information, go to www.midcoastconservancy.org or call (207) 389-5150.