Maine Audubon is celebrating its 50th year at Scarborough Marsh with activities for the entire family. Contributed /Maine Audubon

The Maine Audubon Center at Scarborough Marsh is celebrating its 50th anniversary with several special activities this summer.

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife owns and manages the 3,200-acre marsh, the state’s largest salt marsh and Maine Audubon has maintained a center at 92 Pine Point Road at the marsh for a half-century.

Audubon oversees guided tours, nature trails, a nature store and other activities, including canoe and kayak rentals.

Scarborough Marsh affords trails and bird- watching opportunities like this snowy egret. Contributed / Maine Audubon

A special Audubon event to celebrate its silver anniversary with food and fun is set for 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, July 21, at The Landing at Pine Point, 353 Pine Point Road, Scarborough. Tickets, $50 per person, can be purchased online by visiting maineaudubon.org/marsh50/celebrate.

Guests will include Maine environmentalist Richard Anderson, Maine Commissioner of the
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Judy Camuso, and Linda Woodard, director
of Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, along with many volunteers.

The center is also hosting a birthday party Aug. 6. “We’ll have fun for all ages,” Melissa Kim, Audubon marketing and communications director, said.

The birthday party kicks off with a bird walk at 7 a.m. Participants will meet at the nature center before going to different birding locations, Kim said.

The shindig includes a canoe parade, nature crafts, a used book sale, nature walks and a program for children, but the birthday party schedule had not been finalized as of June 17.

The fun doesn’t stop there. The celebration includes a Labor Day extravaganza with exhibits, crafts and raffles.

A favorite spot for birders, the marsh is a feeding, breeding, nesting, and resting area for a variety of birds. “Bald Eagles are showing up more and more,” Kim said.

The marsh also provides a stopover for migratory birds. “It’s a highly productive habitat,” Kim said.

Wildlife seen at the marsh include deer and even the occasional moose.

Kim said the freshwater rivers Dunstan, Libby and Nonsuch contribute to the Scarborough River that drains into the marsh along with tidal water. It’s a fishing ground for striped bass.

Every day, Kim said, the marsh looks different and said attracts many tourists and repeat visitors.

The trail area at the marsh is open daily from dawn to dusk with no cost to walk. Kim said visitors can walk their dogs on the trails because they are state-owned, but Audubon discourages the practice.

The nature center is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily and parking is free.

Daily canoe rentals are available, but reservations are required for weekends. Dogs are not allowed in canoes, Kim said.

Summer programs include early morning, sunset and full moon canoe tours along with bird walk tours at 7 a.m. Wednesdays for a $5 fee.

For a schedule of weekly and special programs, visit maineaudubon.org.

A visit to Scarborough Marsh provides as much fun as it does education. In early times, farmers harvested salt hay at the marsh and provided indigenous people with hunting, fishing and clamming grounds.