RICHMOND -- A tour featuring the history and nature of Swan Island is planned Saturday.

The event, organized by the Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, is open to the public. Registration and a $5 access fee are required.

Bruce Tremblay of Friends of Swan Island will lead a two-hour tour of the unique, traffic-free nature preserve managed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in the Kennebec River.

Known for its abundant bald eagles, deer, turkey and other wildlife, the four-mile island is on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the late 1800s, a small community on the island, Perkins Township, earned a living by farming, fishing, lumbering, shipbuilding, brick manufacturing and ice making. Several historic houses remain. The island was last inhabited year-round 60 years ago.

The event Saturday is 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Participants will meet at the state ferry landing just north of the Richmond boat launch. Organizers suggest participants bring a pair of walking shoes and a refreshment, and be prepared to walk about three miles on a dirt road.

To register, call 582-5608, or e-mail fomb@gwi.net.