Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association’s Executive Director Steve Patton had a pleasant duty recently. He was asked to taste a new flavor of ice cream created especially to help celebrate SVCA’s 45th anniversary year.

Called Sheepscot Valley Conservation Crunch (Conservation Crunch for short), the treat is available at Lears Old Fashioned Ice Cream, located on Water Street in Wiscasset on the Sheepscot River next to Red’s Eats.

Pam Lear, ice cream maker and co-owner of the shop with her husband Ron, welcomed the opportunity to design a new flavor.

“I have a vision of exactly what it should be,” she said. “When I think of a flavor for SVCA, I think of earthy, crunchy and nutty.”

Conservation Crunch was still a work in progress when Steve Patton had his taste, but he thought it was excellent. Pam explained that she included sea salted caramel for earthiness and peanut brittle for crunch. She had an idea that she might include chocolate chips in the next batch. Lears Ice Cream is open every day from 1 to 8 p.m. serving 40 gourmet flavors of homemade, old-fashioned ice cream as well as soft serve.

On August 3, Lears is sponsoring SVCA’s Ice Cream Social from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Harriet Bird SVCA headquarters on Sheepscot Road in Newcastle. The event will highlight Conservation Crunch and several other Lears ice cream flavors, plus everybody’s favorite toppings and whipped cream. There will be activities for kids, including races around the ball field so save the date for good family fun.

The Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association is a member organization caring for Maine’s 58-mile Sheepscot River since 1969. For more information, call the office at 207-586-5616, visit www.sheepscot.org or like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/sheepscot.