“Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument,” a presentation by Oakland resident Paul Johnson, is set for 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, at Oakland Public Library, 18 Church St., in Oakland.

For the past eight years Johnson has spent a few days each summer working on a campsite and portage trail stewardship project on the East Branch of the Penobscot River below Matagamon Lake. This has allowed him to experience and appreciate the area’s natural resources and learn about its cultural history.

This program will highlight some of the features of Maine’s new National Monument, especially along the East Branch, and some of the opportunities available to enjoy them.

The national monument offers 78,000 acres for solitude and opportunities to experience the woods, rivers, trails and scenic vistas.

The monument, which has no entry fees, is an opportunity for hiking, fishing, kayaking, canoing, cross county skiing, snowshoeing and hunting and snowmobiling in limited areas.

From 1969 to 2005 Johnson worked as a fishery biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in the Moosehead Lake Region. Working out of the Greenville headquarters, he was responsible for surveying and managing fisheries in the lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams that comprise the headwaters of the Kennebec, Penobscot, and St. John rivers.

While in Greenville, he served on the town’s planning board and school board. He was a founding member of the Natural Resource Education Center at Moosehead.

In retirement, he remains committed to efforts to conserve Maine’s natural resources and to maintain their traditional uses. Currently he serves on the board of directors of Maine Woods Forever and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation.

For more information, call 465-7533.