Courtesy Photo/Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center

SCARBOROUGH — Earth Day is around the corner and the Audubon Center has several events going on for the 50th Anniversary Season of the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center. 

The Audubon Center is hosting a spring clean-up day on the Scarborough Marsh on April 23 from 9 a.m. to noon. Residents and volunteers can join the Maine Audubon, the Friends of Scarborough Marsh, the Eastern Trail Alliance, and the Scarborough Community to help keep Scarborough beaches and marsh clean. The marsh is located at 92 Pine Point Road.

“We are having an Earth Day Clean-up at Scarborough Marsh,” said Linda Woodard, Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center director. “We will be spreading out and cleaning up the marsh and surrounding beaches. We are also getting the nature center ready for our 50th season. People are meeting at the Nature Center at 9 a.m. and we will disperse from there. We will serve refreshments.”

To celebrate the 50th anniversary, the center is hosting unique events and commemoration of this historical season. The 50th Anniversary Celebration will take place at The Landing at Pine Point on July 21. Business sponsorship for the 50th Anniversary is also available starting at $250.  

On May 30, the center is having their 15th Annual Memorial Day Snowy Egret 5K Road Race and Fun Run. This is an in-person event, and the virtual run will take place on May 21 through June 4. In August, residents can join the center for a Snowy Egret Family Fun Day and a Season Ending Cleanup will take place at the end of the summer. The center is looking for volunteers throughout the season.  

The Audubon Center has offered a lot of programming over the last 50 years. It has provided hands-on, experimental nature programs to over 8,000 students a year since 1972. The center has promoted public awareness of lake ecology issues, and provided a variety of naturalist guided and self-guided tours. The center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. beginning on June 18 and open on weekends beginning on Memorial Day weekend. At the center, people can rent a canoe or kayak and take a self-guided tour of the Dunstan River. Rentals will be available starting May 28, reserve to rent on weekends but weekdays are drop-ins only. 

“Since 1972, the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center has provided an idyllic spot for birders and nature lovers from Scarborough and beyond,” Woodard said. “While offering canoe and kayak tours, the Center also welcomes schoolchildren from across the state, including all third graders in Scarborough, to learn about the ecosystem of the marsh and the wildlife that live there.”

For those volunteering on Earth Day, refreshments, bags, and gloves will be provided, and groups are welcome. For more information contact the Scarborough March Audubon center at smac@maineaudubon.org or at (207) 781-2330 extension 213. The center is partnering with Project G.R.A.C.E to collect food for those in need. Bring some nonperishable food or a store gift card to the cleanup. 

Stay updated on the activities by checking out the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center website at https://maineaudubon.org/