FALMOUTH — While the primary mission of the Falmouth Land Trust is to conserve land, an increasing amount of time is now also spent offering different ways to connect people to the town’s open space.

To that end, the land trust is partnering with Maine Audubon to offer a free family snowshoe event during the upcoming Great Maine Outdoor Weekend. The snowshoe hike will take place Saturday, Feb. 9, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at Audubon’s Gilsland Farm property off U.S. Route 1.

While a limited number of snowshoes will be available, the land trust suggests that participants bring their own pair if possible. The hike is specifically designed for those age 6 and up and attendees are encouraged to dress in layers and wear waterproof boots.

The hike will be about 40 minutes in length and will include an introduction to winter tracks made by various wildlife, as well as an overview of the history of the property. In addition, participants will get a chance to warm up with some hot chocolate, according to Jenny Grimm, executive director of the land trust.

The hike will be led by Kate Nicoll, the education and outreach coordinator for the land trust, and trust volunteers will also be on hand to assist with fitting snowshoes and answering questions.

Overall, Grimm said the snowshoe hike is a way for the land trust to “connect people with nature and introduce them to (our) conserved lands.”

Since it was founded in 1981, the land trust has preserved more than 1,300 acres of open space in Falmouth. Much of that land is available for public recreation, including about 50 miles of trails.

“We (like to) offer events … that allow families to learn about our open space properties, the history of them, and the important ecological features that contribute to our quality of life,” Grimm said.

She called the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend, “a fabulous statewide effort to get people outside (and) snowshoeing is of particular interest because it is a traditional outdoor sport that is easily accessible.”

Grimm said snowshoeing is a great way to take a winter walk, especially when there’s a lot of soft snow. “The history of snowshoes is also fascinating,” she added, with Native American tribes originally modeling their shoes after animal prints such as bear paws or beaver tails.

Grimm said the land trust and Maine Audubon have had a fruitful partnership for more than 40 years, so it only makes sense to work together to provide a local event to celebrate the annual outdoor weekend.

Jeremy Cluchey, the Audubon spokesman, agreed.

“We have a great relationship with FLT, going all the way back to our collaboration over 40 years ago to conserve the Gilsland Farm property,” he said. And “(we) always love to join with our peers in support of the Great Maine Outdoor Weekend.”

This story was updated to indicate who was leading the hike.

Kate Irish Collins can be reached at 780-9097 or kcollins@theforecaster.net. Follow Kate on Twitter: @KIrishCollins.

Snowshoeing is a great, easy way to take a winter walk. The Falmouth Land Trust and Maine Audubon are offering a free family snowshoe hike at Gilsland Farm on Feb. 9.