BOWDOINHAM — The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust and the town of Bowdoinham will host the grand opening of Red Rose Preserve at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, near 66 Ridge Road.

Attendees can join KELT staff and supporters for a free guided tour of the property’s trails and learn the land’s conservation story.

The preserve will be the land trust’s first public preserve in Bowdoinham and was protected because of donations from local landowners. This summer, the land trust staff and volunteers have been constructing an approximately one-mile long loop visiting different parts of the property. The trail following the rolling landscape through the woods can be enjoyed by a variety of preserve users, including hikers, birders and walkers with leashed pets.

Red Rose Preserve, a former fairy farm, includes two hayfields, mixed forest with a perennial stream, and scrub-shrub habitat. This new preserve boasts sloping ravines, a variety of birds, and a plethora of plants and wildlife to discover. The preserve, located near town and school property, is great for nature lovers of all ages, and will be open dawn to dusk, year round.

A light-rain or shine event, those who plan to attend should RSVP online at kennebecestuary.org or call 442-8400.

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust is a membership supported organization dedicated to protecting the land, water and wildlife of the Kennebec Estuary. It maintains 12 preserves for public enjoyment and has protected 3,700-plus acres of land since founding in 1989.

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