CAMDEN — The Camden Public Library announces a new series of nature programs in partnership with the Maine-based nonprofit Center for Wildlife Studies.

The first program in the CWS “Wild Maine” Series will be held on Tuesday, March 29, at 6:30 p.m. The online program will be hosted by Greg LeClair, project coordinator for Maine Big Night, and will explore amphibian migration in Maine.

Register and receive a Zoom link to attend by visiting the “What’s Happening” adult events calendar at librarycamden.org.

On warm rainy nights in spring, frogs and salamanders migrate from their wintering shelters to their breeding ponds throughout New England. While these events, known as “big nights,” are an exciting sign of spring, significant numbers of amphibians are killed on roadways during these migrations. Maine Big Night (MBN) is a statewide community science project focused on collecting data on where amphibians cross roads, and where crossings are particularly deadly. This talk will discuss road ecology, amphibians, and how to participate in MBN as a volunteer scientist this spring.

Presenter Greg LeClair is a Ph.D candidate at the University of Maine where he studies ecology and environmental science.

LeClair grew up in central Maine, moving frogs and salamanders out of roads as a child.

LeClair has continued his annual salamander-chauffeuring, starting the Maine Big Night: Amphibian Migration Monitoring project as a senior at Unity College in 2018. Learn more about Maine Big Night by visiting their Facebook Page.

Learn more about the Center for Wildlife Studies, centerforwildlifestudies.org.