NORWAY — Members of the Western Foothills Land Trust will keep their fingers crossed for sun and clear skies Saturday, July 27, as they prepare to host a guided walk-and-talk through the Witt Swamp Preserve.
Led by forester Fred Huntress of Poland, the walk-and-talk tour is from 9 to 11 a.m., beginning from the west side of Pleasant Street. Executive Director Lee Dassler said that the tour will give residents a chance to learn about the hemlock and cedar forest that makes up the Witt Swamp Preserve.
“Fred is one of our area experts and an all-around woodsperson,” Dassler said. “He started walking the trails of Witt Swamp last year and became enamored of them. He ended up identifying at least 18 species of trees to mention on the tour.”
Dassler added that one of the draws to the tour of Witt Swamp is that the “forest is mature,” which will allow Huntress to discuss the variety of trees, along with their life cycles.
“I’ve been joking that any people who come along for the tour should seek chiropractic services after, because they’re going to be craning their necks and looking up a lot,” Dassler said, laughing.
The rain date is set for Sunday, July 28, though Dassler said she hopes that the weather will hold out long enough for the tour.
“Some of the weather we’ve been having has made it really hard for our volunteers and workers to work on trail-building,” Dassler said. “We’ve already had to move some things around so it’s been pretty tricky to schedule things.”
Dassler also had one final piece of advice for those who were interested in attending the tour: “Be prepared for bugs.”
The Witt Swamp Preserve is a 141-acre preserve named after Benjamin Witt, one of the founders of Norway, that the Western Foothills Land Trust purchased in 2004.
For more information, call 739-2124 or visit www.wfltmaine.org.
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