KELT staff and volunteers during an invasive plant removal. Courtesy of Kennebec Estuary Land Trust

Kennebec Estuary Land Trust invites community members to attend its Annual Meeting and Membership Celebration at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, at the Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington St., Bath.

To begin the evening, KELT will invite guests to enjoy refreshments and camaraderie with a view of the Kennebec River in the Maritime Museum’s Long Reach Hall. Guests will have the opportunity to talk with staff and volunteers about various accomplishments from the previous year, goals for the upcoming season and KELT’s 2024 Interim Strategic Plan. KELT will also be launching its 2024 Online Auction showcasing unique experiences in the estuary with all proceeds supporting the land trust’s mission-driven work.

Nancy Olmstead of The Nature Conservancy. Courtesy of Kennebec Estuary Land Trust

There will be a short business meeting at 6:30 p.m. led by members of KELT’s Board of Directors, during which time KELT members will vote to elect new and returning board members. Immediately following, KELT will welcome Nancy Olmstead, a conservation ecologist with The Nature Conservancy and former manager of Maine’s terrestrial and wetland invasive plant program at the Maine Natural Areas Program. Olmstead will present an overview of invasive species, one of the top threats to biodiversity and habitats across the globe. She will discuss the status and management of invasive species in Maine and outline key actions to take to stop the spread and minimize the impacts. KELT staff members will then showcase three ongoing projects uniquely designed to mitigate the effects of three different invasive species immediately impacting KELT properties located in Bath and Georgetown.

RSVP to this event by visiting kennebecestuary.org/upcoming-events/annual-meeting2024 or calling 442-8400.