WAYNE – The Kennebec Land Trust’s 2007 Lyceum series, “Wetlands Ecology and Conservation,” will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays, March 8, 15 and 22, at the Ladd Recreation Center, Gott Road. The series is being co-sponsored by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The trust winter lectures are modeled after the early New England lyceums that began in 1826 in Massachusetts. For many years, New England lyceums hosted lectures, debates and concerts for the public. Programs are free for trust members, with a $5 suggested donation for non members.

The topic on March 8 will be “Good Things Come to Those Who Wade: A Survey of Aquatic Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Projects at Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.” Phillip deMaynadier, PhD, reptile, amphibian and invertebrate group leader, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, will be the presenter.

Topics will include patterns of endangerment in freshwater fauna, state tools for protecting and recovering nongame and endangered species, species project case studies from vernal pools, peatlands, rivers and ponds and an update on nongame funding at MDIFW.

“Beaver Management and Ecology” will be the topic on March 15. Skip Lisle, wildlife biologist and owner, Beaver Deceivers International, will discuss the history of beavers and landscape changes that accompany the rise and fall of their population, the ecological value of beaver-engineered habitats and modern beaver management.

Aram Calhoun, PhD, associate professor of wetlands ecology, University of Maine, will discuss “Vernal Pool Ecology and Conservation” on March 22. Topics will include vernal pool ecology, science and research, implications for conservation at the local level and regulations.

Andrew Fisk, PhD, director, Maine Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Land and Water Quality, will give an overview of laws on wetlands and wildlife habitat, turning science into law and analysis of existing political opposition to future laws.

The Kennebec Land Trust is dedicated to protecting the landscape of the Kennebec River and Lakes Region. For more information, call 377-2848, or e-mail kennebeclt@fairpoint.net, or visit www.tklt.org.