The Merrimack River is an extraordinary place and home to an incredible variety of birds. Join Northern Essex Community College’s Life Long Learning Program as David Larson from Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center presents “Merrimack River Birds,” on Thursday, April 19 at 2 p.m. in the David Hartleb Technology Center, Haverhill Campus, 100 Elliott St. Admission is $2.

Larson will discuss the avian life of the Merrimack River and how it’s gone from a waste dump to a vibrant ecosystem that deserves to be cherished and protected.

Larson holds a PhD in zoology, is the director of Massachusetts Audubon’s Birder’s Certificate Program, and the education coordinator for Massachusetts Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport, where he designs and leads educational programs and field trips for participants of all ages. He has birded and led expeditions throughout North America, and in the Caribbean, Trinidad, Belize, Panama, Brazil, Botswana, and Japan.

Life Long Learning is a program of lectures, study groups, and trips for adults. All programs are open to the public.

For more information or to receive a free calendar of upcoming Life Long Learning events, contact Charlene Boucher, Life Long Learning coordinator, at 978-556-3825, or cboucher@necc.mass.edu.