AUBURN — The Androscoggin Land Trust and the Androscoggin River Watershed Council have announced paddling trips for canoeists and kayakers.

A trip on Saturday, July 30, will include the section of Gulf Island Pond, a term for the Androscoggin River in the impoundment north of the Gulf Island Dam. This paddling trip will follow the shoreline of the newly designated Androscoggin Riverlands State Park, a property first conserved in the early 1990s by local conservationists that played a role in creating ALT. State Park staff will join the group to provide an overview of ongoing efforts of this nearly 2,600 acre park. The paddle will start at Center Bridge Road in Turner and end at Switzerland Road, Lewiston. Participants should meet at 9 a.m. and bring their own lunch.

Sunday, July 31 will include a short round trip from the North River Road boat access in Auburn north to the ALT-owned David Rancourt River Preserve in Lewiston and back. This trip will be led by longtime ALT board member Judy Marden and will include conversations about ongoing land trail planning in Lewiston and a guided walk of the Rancourt Preserve before heading back downstream. Participants should meet at 9 a.m. and bring their own snacks.

ALT and ARWC will team up with the Young Professionals of the Lewiston-Auburn Area to host a Paddle After Hours on Thursday, Aug. 4. The event is intended to be a convenient way for paddlers to get together after work, enjoy a short paddle around the historic millscapes and canals of the cities, and end up with some refreshments and live music from Gritty McDuff’s on the riverfront in Auburn. Last year’s event, which drew more than 60 paddlers, had Main Street filled with kayak- and canoe-topped cars and trucks.

For for more information, contact the Androscoggin Land Trust at 782-2302 or the Androscoggin River Watershed Council at 754-8158.