LEWISTON – The Stanton Bird Club has announced that the new gateway to Thorncrag Nature Sanctuary on Montello Street is open for public use during the regular sanctuary hours of dawn to dusk.

The new entrance road and parking area mean safe access to the sanctuary for vehicles, especially school buses. Those arriving at the sanctuary on a bike should use the bike rack and walk up to the trailhead.

Thorncrag is open free of charge, trail maps are available at the trailhead, and the wonders of the forest, fields and wetlands are there for all to discover in all seasons.

Following years of planning and engineering work, the Stanton Bird Club has successfully raised the funds needed to complete the first portion of the gateway.

Fundraising efforts this winter will support the installation next year of bathrooms, an interpretive information kiosk, wildlife friendly landscaping, a gazebo shelter, universally accessible walkways, a bridge, trails and an endowment.

The Stanton Bird Club is a conservation organization offering monthly natural history programs, and field trips throughout the state free. It welcomes new members, whose dues help to support land stewardship at three sanctuaries owned and managed by the club in Lewiston and Monmouth.

For more information, call 782-5238 or visit www.stantonbirdclub.org.