The Phippsburg Land Trust will offer two property tours as part of the campaign for newly conserved lands in Phippsburg. The two new preserves were acquired this year and PLT is raising funds to assist with the purchase. This tour is the first opportunity for the public to view these important acquisitions.

The property tour will be open to the general public, held Saturday, Nov. 5, and guided by PLT board members Dan Dowd and Dot Kelly. Meeting time is 10:00 a.m., and parking is along the roadside across from 1048 Parker Head Road (near the southern intersection of Parker Head Road and Route 209).

The tour begins with the future McDonald Marsh Preserve, exploring the 19.6 acres recently conserved and explaining the ongoing fundraising campaign. Attendees will then carpool to the second property, Morse River Marsh Preserve, which totals about 26 acres. These parcels contain magnificent old forest areas, state-rare pitch pine woodlands, unique ledge outcroppings and historic stone walls. Each parcel protects or buffers part of the wetlands feeding into the Morse River.

There are no trails yet constructed on these properties, so some of the tour’s hiking will be steep and not recommended for the inexperienced hiker. All participants are encouraged to wear blaze orange.

Information about the properties and the fundraising campaign is also available from the Phippsburg Land Trust website: www.phippsburglandtrust.org.

For questions or to RSVP for the tour, please call Dan Dowd at 207-389-2689.

The Phippsburg Land Trust is a membership-supported organization dedicated to protecting special wild and natural places in the town of Phippsburg. It holds conservation easements on private land and maintains eight preserves with trails open to the public.