Learn about Maine’s living fossils – sturgeon! A lecture on Tuesday, June 26 at the Bath Freight Shed will focus on some of Maine’s most interesting fish. Although you may have seen or heard sturgeon leap and splash in Maine’s Kennebec and Sheepscot rivers, these large bony fish are rare along much of the North American coast and are included on the endangered species list. This free lecture starts at 6:30 p.m.

The Tuesday evening lecture will feature Dr. Gayle Zydlewski, a professor at the University of Maine who has carried out research on sturgeon in Maine’s rivers for more than 10 years. Dr. Zydlewski will present about where sturgeon can be found along Maine’s coast, how they live, and what recent research in Maine has found out about them.

The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust and the Midcoast Conservancy are collaborating to host a summer lecture series focused on fish that migrate through Maine’s estuaries and rivers. The June 26th sturgeon lecture is the first of the series. On Tuesday, July 24, University of Southern Maine Professors Karen Wilson and Theo Willis will speak at the Sheepscot General Store in Whitefield about alewives, their population and migration, and their interactions with other species in the Gulf of Maine.  On Wednesday, Aug. 29, John Burrows from the Atlantic Salmon Federation and Paul Christman from the Maine Department of Marine Resources will be presenting about the state of Atlantic salmon in Maine and restoration projects in the Kennebec, Androscoggin, and Sheepscot rivers.

The Bath Freight Shed is located at 27 Commercial Street in Bath. Parking is available along the street or in the lot to the south of the building. Preregistration for the lecture is not required, but it is appreciated for help with program planning. For more information or to sign-up, visit KELT’s website at www.kennebecestuary.org or call (207) 442-8400.