March 14

SOUTH CHINA — Community members are encouraged to attend an informational meeting about the China Lake Alewife Restoration Initiative at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at the South China Community Church, 246 Village St.

A collaborative project of the China Lake Association, China Region Lakes Alliance, Maine Rivers, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Sebasticook Regional Land Trust and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Initiative seeks to restore access to China Lake for alewives and other migratory fish, according to a news release from the Land Trust. This broad coalition has partnered with dam owners on China Lake Outlet Stream to establish fish passage past the dams.

By re-opening more than 3,800 acres of habitat, the Initiative seeks to bring an annual run of nearly one million alewives to China Lake. A native fish known as the “fish that feed all,” alewives are a key component in a healthy ecosystem. Additional benefits include local income from alewife harvesting, and potential water quality improvement in China Lake. Juvenile alewives take phosphorus — a contributor to the Lake’s degraded water quality — with them when they return to the ocean in late summer.

Nate Gray, from the Department of Marine Resources, will provide an overview of the project, and project partners will be on hand to answer questions. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Jennifer Irving at 948-3766 or jennifer@sebasticookrlt.org.