Ipswich/Essex, Massachusetts - The Trustees of Reservations will host Choate Island Day on Saturday, September 13, (rain date Saturday September 20) from 10am until 3pm. Visit Choate Island, part of The Crane Wildlife Refuge in Essex Bay and talk to Trustees naturalists about the ecological and historic resources on and around the Island. Guided walking tours will be offered or visitors can explore the Island on their own. Cost is $10 for Adults, $5 for children; members of The Trustees of Reservations are $8 for adults and $4 for children. Price includes shuttle boat transportation to and from the Island. Once on the island, visitors should plan on walking a minimum of 1-mile and are encouraged to explore further on foot. This event is not recommended for small children. Reservations can be made by calling 978/356-4351.

Trustees' naturalists will be on hand to talk about the historical and ecological aspects of the island and to offer informal walking tours throughout the day. The first floor of The Choate family home, built on the island in the early 1700s will be open for viewing.  Refreshments and cookies will be provided and visitors are encouraged to bring their own picnics.

The largest of the Refuge's islands, the 135-acre Choate Island supports myriad birds and mammals including deer, fisher, coyote, and otter. Crane Wildlife Refuge was once part of the vast early 20th-century summer estate of Chicago industrialist Richard T. Crane, Jr. The Refuge is a patchwork of coastal and island habitats that includes a portion of Castle Neck and seven islands in the Essex River Estuary (Choate, Long, Dean, Dilly, Pine, Patterson, and Round). Surrounding the Crane Wildlife Refuge is the Great Marsh, the largest contiguous salt marsh in New England, covering more than 25,000 acres from Hampton Harbor, NH to Gloucester.

Well before the arrival of European settlers, the Agawam tribe of Native Americans established semi-permanent agricultural villages here, harvesting shellfish in and around the islands in the warmer months. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Choate Island and Long Island, connected by a causeway, comprised a prosperous farming community. The c.1778 Proctor Barn on Long Island and the c.1725-40 Choate family homestead stand as reminders of this agricultural past.

For more information, or to register, please call 978/356-4351.

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