GORHAM, N.H. – A 20-day paddle of the 173-mile-long Androscoggin River from its source in Umbagog Lake to the Atlantic Ocean begins next month.

The ninth annual Androscoggin River Source to the Sea Canoe Trek – from Monday, July 5, through Saturday, July 24 – is open to anyone who wants to go paddling, learn about the river and have fun, say organizers with the Androscoggin River Watershed Council in Gorham, N.H.

The trek is organized as a series of day trips along the river from the Magalloway River north of Lake Umbagog in New Hampshire to Fort Popham in Phippsburg, Maine.

Along the way, participants can learn about cultural and environmental history, flyfishing, water quality, pollution prevention, Abenaki legends of the river, and what can be done to protect the significant resource for future generations. Preregistration is required for logistical and safety reasons.

Contact the section leader or contact number for desired paddling sections listed on the event’s schedule at www.avcnet.org/arwc/schedule.html.

Trek participants are to arrive in Maine on Saturday, July 10, after a 9.5-mile trip from Shelburne, N.H., to the Gilead Bridge that begins at 9 a.m.Some of the many educational presentations planned, include:

• Birding on the Shelburne to Gilead trip.

• The integration of wildlife and forest management on public lands.

• A walking tour of Hastings Island in Bethel, followed by a social and potluck barbecue.

• Ways to keep a watershed healthy.

• A wooden boat show.

• Smallmouth bass fishing with a registered Maine guide and master art fly casting instructor.

• Hydropower and the Androscoggin.