The Kennebec Land Trust has announced the schedule of events in its 12th Lyceum series, “Birds, Fish, and Butterflies: The Breeding and Foraging Habitats of Some Maine Migrants.” All programs are free and open to the public and are held at the Ladd Recreation Center in Wayne. The snow date for any canceled program is Thursday, April 10.

Lyceum Programs:

• “The Ecology of Maine Migratory Butterflies” will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Herb Wilson, Leslie B. Arey professor of biosciences, population and community ecologist, and coordinator of the ongoing Maine Butterfly Atlas, will discuss the importance of butterfly migration in Maine and beyond, and the diversity of the life histories of Maine butterflies.

• “Ecological Recovery in the Kennebec Watershed: Fish passage and Habitat Recovery” will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27. John Lichter, ecosystem ecologist, and director of environmental studies at Bowdoin College, will discuss Kennebec River restoration from a historical ecology viewpoint; current obstacles to ecological recovery; and benefits Maine communities may realize from ecological recovery.

• “Birdlife in the Gulf of Maine: What are the Challenges Facing Birds in our Region?” will be offered from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3. Rebecca Holberton, professor of biology and director of Laboratory of Avian Biology, School of Biology and Ecology, at the University of Maine, Orono, will focus on bird movements in the Gulf of Maine region; new technologies about bird behavior and ecology; the challenges birds face in our region; and the role the public can play in helping protect resources critical for bird survival.

Lyceum Field Trips:

• The Benton Alewife Festival will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17, at Benton Family Fun Park, 269 Neck Road, Benton. A number of free activities that focus on the Maine outdoors will be offered, as well as information about the importance of the alewife to the Maine ecosystem. For more information, email antlori@myfairpoint.net

• “Loons and Eagles on Cobbossee Lake” will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 18. Participants will meet at Lakeside Motel and Cottages in East Winthrop for a short loon and eagle natural history program, and then head out on pontoon boats for the two-hour tour. This program is presented in partnership with Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed and will be instructed by Lisa Kane, wildlife educator with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Participants should bring water and binoculars. The cost is $15 adults, $5 for children 8-18 and free for children 7 and younger. Space is limited; to register, call 377-2848 or email glamarche@tklt.org.

• A butterfly field trip will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 19, at the Small-Burnham Conservation Area in Litchfield. Bob Gobeil, a former biology professor who specializes in butterflies, will lead participants in a butterfly exploration at the reclaimed gravel pit area (ponds). Participants are encouraged to bring cameras and butterfly nets. Rain date will be 10 a.m.-noon Sunday, July 20. Space is limited; to register, call 377-2848 or email glamarche@tklt.org.

The series is also sponsored by Colby College’s Biology Department and Environmental Studies Program. For more information, call the Kennebec Land Trust office at 377-2848.

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