Eastern screech owl (Photo courtesy Midcoast Conservany)
Midcoast Conservancy is hosting a workshop at its Hidden Valley Nature Center on critters of the night on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 10-11:30 a.m. Attendees will join Luanne and Dan Weekes, of Pollination Station in Alna, as they discuss these and other questions to build a new appreciation of Maine’s nocturnal wildlife.
This family-friendly PowerPoint presentation will look at common nocturnal species, including bats, owls, skunks, and a relative newcomer to Maine, the Virginia opossum.
The highlight will be a meet-and-greet with Willow, an Eastern screech owl who spent nearly six months at a Maryland raptor center recovering from an unfortunate impact with a car.
Willow needed to have an eye surgically removed and although owls with one eye can successfully be released, Willow also had an injury involving an ear. Owls hunt by both sight and sound, so the partial loss of these two senses deemed Willow unreleasable by her caretakers so she joined Pollination Station during summer 2015 and has become a popular wildlife ambassador in the local community.
There will be plenty of time for Q&A after the presentation. To learn more about the workshop and to register, go to midcoastconservancy.org.
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 15,000 acres, including 55 preserves and 100 miles of trails; and 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 midcoastconservancy.org or call 389-5150.
