CASCO/BRIDGTON — Join Loon Echo Land Trust for a busy Earth Day filled with 25th anniversary celebratory events. From Hacker’s Hill to Bald Pate Mountain, Loon Echo will celebrate its silver anniversary in style.
The fun will begin at 12:30 a.m. Sunday, April 22, with a Lyrids meteor shower viewing party atop Hacker’s Hill, followed by a hawk migration event, also atop Hacker’s Hill at 9 a.m. The annual Bald Pate Mountain/Bray’s Brew Pub Earth Day celebration hike will begin at 3 p.m.
Loon Echo will open the gate at Hacker’s Hill for an early morning meteor gazing gala, from 12:30 to 3 a.m. Conditions for viewing the Lyrids this year are perfect as they fall during the new moon. An on-site telescope for constellation viewing will be donated by the Raymond Public Library. Coffee and snacks will be provided; participants should bring a reclining chair or thick blanket. The gate will be open and there is ample parking at the top of the hill.
Dick Anderson, former director of Maine Audubon, will lead a spring hawk migration event from the summit of Hacker’s Hill. Bring a chair and binoculars. The event will begin at 9 a.m. and run through noon. Although some hawks have likely started their migration early due to warm temperatures, the third week in April is the estimated peak of the spring migration. For more information check www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com.
With the campaign to purchase and protect Hacker’s Hill nearing its end Loon Echo has raised more than $615,000 of the $800,000 goal. Both events are geared towards building awareness of the special spot and the efforts to preserve it as public open space. Donations welcome; all proceeds go to the purchase of Hacker’s Hill.
Hacker’s Hill is off of Quaker Ridge Road in Casco, accessible by Route 11, approximately one mile away, or Route 302, approximately four miles away. A steep, paved road leads from Quaker Ridge Road to the top of the hill where parking is available.
The annual Earth Day celebration will feature a moderate hike up Bald Pate Mountain in South Bridgton, where participants are invited to bring music, poetry or food to share. Meet at the main parking area at 3 p.m. in South Bridgton, just past Five Fields Farm on Route 107. The group will convene at Bray’s Brew Pub in Naples from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. for a mug of Bald Pate Celebration Ale and the sounds of the Highland String Trio. There will be a silent auction to benefit Hacker’s Hill and partial proceeds from the sale of the Bald Pate Ale will benefit stewardship efforts at Bald Pate Mountain.
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