Upcoming Events

Friday, February 13th, 2026 | 9:00 - 11:00 am

Location: Yarmouth History Center in the William D. Hamill Room, 118 East Elm Street, Yarmouth‍

Parking is available at the Yarmouth History Center and across the street at Royal River Park.

Join Royal River Conservation Trust and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) for a free, hands-on workshop on the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) - an invasive pest threatening Maine’s hemlock forests.

HWA is a tiny, aphid-like insect that feeds on sap from hemlock branches, killing them over time. The insects cover themselves in a white, waxy secretion that looks like little cotton balls on the underside of needles.

GMRI will introduce Project Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, a community science initiative to monitor local forests. You’ll learn how to identify eastern hemlock trees, spot signs of HWA infestation, and report your findings. After an indoor introduction, we’ll head outside to Royal River Park to practice field identification and collect data together.

Register Here!

Wednesday, Februrary 25, 2026 | 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Location: Mèmak Preserve, 78 Lufkin Road, North Yarmouth

Curriculum:  We will observe different kinds of evergreen and deciduous trees and learn how to distinguish among trees in these categories.

Naturalists: Beth Sturtevant, Mary Brandes

Rain or Shine | No Cost Event

Get Out! Nature Walks are volunteer-led regular trips with trained master naturalists. Join us for a well-planned, no cost, guided adventure. Monthly on the fourth Wednesday; always free; rain, snow, or shine. Jointly offered by both Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust and Royal River Conservation Trust, the walks take place at preserves in the towns of Chebeague Island, Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Pownal, New Gloucester, and Durham. Our curriculum is targeted at adults and engaged youth. Because the purpose is nature observation, we ask that dogs do not join us. Email CCLT with any questions.

*Photography and Filming Note: Your attendance at RRCT events may be photographed or filmed and your attendance indicates consent to have any images or footage featuring you at the event to be used for RRCT-related materials and outreach. Should images or footage appear in marketing materials that you don’t wish to be featured in, you must notify RRCT at info@RRCT.org and RRCT will cease to further use your image or footage for any new materials going forward.

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Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 | 4:00-6:00 PM

Location: Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Office, 15 Game Farm Road, Gray, ME

Join us for an update on the Royal River Restoration Action Plan, a collaborative effort to identify and prioritize opportunities to improve fish passage, reduce flood risk, and increase the resilience of road-stream crossings across the watershed. This meeting will include a brief project update sharing the goals, approach, and early results of the crossing prioritization work, followed by a panel discussion with municipal practitioners who have firsthand experience designing and implementing StreamSmart culvert projects in our watershed.

Please Register Here to Reserve Your Spot!

Why attend?

- Learn about the Yarmouth dam removal project, including recent funding progress and next steps.

- Hear a project update on the Royal River Restoration Action Plan, including initial restoration priorities informed by watershed-wide culvert surveys and IFW biological data.

- Participate in a facilitated panel discussion with municipal practitioners who have designed, built, and maintained StreamSmart culverts, focusing on real-world costs, construction, maintenance, safety, and performance.

- Contribute your town’s perspective to shaping a watershed-scale action plan that depends on coordinated municipal participation.

Featured panelists include:

- Clark Baston, Road Commissioner Director, North Yarmouth

- Steve Johnson, PE, Town Engineer, Yarmouth

- Matt Streeter, Restoration Project Manager

- Alex Abbott, StreamSmart Specialist

Register HERE

Thursday, March 12th | 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Location: Merrill Memorial Library, Lewis Hall (3rd Floor) 215 Main Street, Yarmouth

Many of Maine's most valued lands are family-owned and deeply cherished. Planning for the long-term future of these beloved properties can be a challenge.

Join us to learn about ways to plan wisely for your family's current and future ownership - preserving your legacy, reducing taxes, and conserving treasured resources.

Our speaker, Jerry Bley of Creative Conservation, LLC, has worked for decades with Maine families as they navigate the complex decisions around what to do with lands owned within the family. Whether you are a child who has (or may) inherit land from a parent, or a landowner wanting to determine what will happen with your land when you are no longer around, this gathering is designed to help you navigate these important decisions.

This free event is offered in coordination with the Town of Yarmouth’s Climate Action Committee. Yarmouth residency is not required.

Registration is appreciated help us plan our evening and enable us to contact you with any updates.

RSVP here!

Wednesday, March 25, 2025 | 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Location: Watson Woods, Cumberland

Curriculum:  We will learn about the fascinating and mysterious world of moss and lichen. The area along Mill Brook will provide an ideal habitat for our explorations.

Naturalist: Karen Massey & Margaret Reimann

Rain or Shine | No Cost Event

Get Out! Nature Walks are volunteer-led regular trips with trained master naturalists. Join us for a well-planned, no cost, guided adventure. Monthly on the fourth Wednesday; always free; rain, snow, or shine. Jointly offered by both Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust and Royal River Conservation Trust, the walks take place at preserves in the towns of Chebeague Island, Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Pownal, New Gloucester, and Durham. Our curriculum is targeted at adults and engaged youth. Because the purpose is nature observation, we ask that dogs do not join us. Email CCLT with any questions.

*Photography and Filming Note: Your attendance at RRCT events may be photographed or filmed and your attendance indicates consent to have any images or footage featuring you at the event to be used for RRCT-related materials and outreach. Should images or footage appear in marketing materials that you don’t wish to be featured in, you must notify RRCT at info@RRCT.org and RRCT will cease to further use your image or footage for any new materials going forward.

Saturday, March 28th, 2026 | 6:30 - 8:30 pm

USM Hannaford Hall, Portland

RRCT is partnering with nine other Portland-area land trusts and trail organizations to host a screening of the World Trails Film Festival. This family-friendly film festival features 90 minutes of films that transport you around the world to meet trail builders, explore new trails, and see why trails matter.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students, and $5 for children under 12. We don't want cost to be a barrier to attendance, so there are also free community tickets available if you need them. Tickets can be purchased HERE.

Doors will open at 6:30 pm, and the film will begin at 7:00 pm. Come early to talk to your local land trusts about their plans for enhancing local trail systems!

Our cohosts are: Portland Trails, Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, Falmouth Land Trust, Freeport Conservation Trust, Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, Scarborough Land Trust, Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust, South Portland Land Trust, and the Maine Land Trust Network.

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Location: Riverfront Woods Preserve, Yarmouth

Curriculum: When you notice the unmistakable chorus of spring peepers signaling that days and nights are finally warming, it’s a sign that vernal pools are coming alive. These temporary bodies of water are home to wood frogs, spotted salamanders, fairy shrimp, and other amphibians. We will get a close-up look at egg masses and other evidence of amphibians in three temporary and isolated wetlands. The walk will be about two miles over relatively flat terrain.

Naturalist: Beth Sturtevant & Karen Bruder Howe

Rain or Shine | No Cost Event

Get Out! Nature Walks are volunteer-led regular trips with trained master naturalists. Join us for a well-planned, no cost, guided adventure. Monthly on the fourth Wednesday; always free; rain, snow, or shine. Jointly offered by both Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust and Royal River Conservation Trust, the walks take place at preserves in the towns of Chebeague Island, Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Pownal, New Gloucester, and Durham. Our curriculum is targeted at adults and engaged youth. Because the purpose is nature observation, we ask that dogs do not join us. Email CCLT with any questions.

*Photography and Filming Note: Your attendance at RRCT events may be photographed or filmed and your attendance indicates consent to have any images or footage featuring you at the event to be used for RRCT-related materials and outreach. Should images or footage appear in marketing materials that you don’t wish to be featured in, you must notify RRCT at info@RRCT.org and RRCT will cease to further use your image or footage for any new materials going forward.