NORWAY – The Western Foothills Land Trust will hold its second annual autumn paddle into Witt Bog on Lake Pennesseewassee at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3.

A $25 contribution toward the Witt Swamp purchase is requested. The land trust will provide hot cider, baked goods and expertise. The land trust director and ornithologist John Gunn will accompany the flotilla to elaborate upon bog habitat, waterfowl and bog flora. Anyone interested should bring their kayak or canoe, paddle, personal flotation device, and binoculars. Parking and boat launch are along the Crockett Ridge Road Causeway on Pennesseewassee. To preregister at 743-7620. Rain date will be Oct. 10.

The land trust bought the 141-acre Witt Swamp property last July but still has some fund raising to do to repay loans and complete the project’s $75,000 goal.

All money raised at the Oct. 3 event will go toward the Witt fund. The trust intends to preserve the extensive first-growth cedar swamp, to protect wading bird habitat, to preserve carnivorous plant habitat, and to preserve a natural shoreland view. from Lake Pennesseewassee, Crockett Ridge Road and Pleasant Street in Norway.

The land trust has been quietly working toward a Witt Swamp project for years, due to its ecological, historical and educational value. The property, comprised of white cedar swamp and forested uplands with massive hemlock and pine, provides and protects an extensive wildlife and botanical habitat for wading birds, mammals, woodlands plants and carnivorous bog plants.

The land trust has an overall goal of raising $75,000. That amount includes $55,000 for the purchase of the Witt Swamp and money for property taxes, maintenance and other stewardship costs associated with the purchase. Anyone interested in additional information or in making a tax-deductible contribution may call campaign manager Russ Florenz at 743-9019, or send a check payable to: The Witt Swamp Campaign, Western Foothills Land Trust, P.O. Box 107, Norway, ME 04268.