Above: Laura and Vanessa Shields-Haas with their daughter outside their home in Damariscotta. The couple’s updated conservation easement represents the final legal permission needed for the mile-long extension of the accessible Rhoda and Lee Cohen River Trail.
Coastal Rivers is one big step closer to bringing the shared community vision of a fully accessible, mile-long trail connecting Round Top Farm to Salt Bay Farm in Damariscotta to fruition, thanks to the update of a conservation easement owned by Laura and Vanessa Shields-Haas in early November. After more than twenty-five years of dreaming and planning, permanent legal access is now in place along the entire route of the planned trail.
Trail construction is taking place in three phases, the first of which was completed in 2018. That original section of trail begins at Coastal Rivers’ Round Top Farm and crosses the Pete Noyes Preserve to Whaleback Shell Midden State Historic Site, stretching a third of a mile.
The accessible trail’s gentle grade, 8-foot width, and firm stone dust surface make it suitable for wheelchairs, strollers, and bicycles, as well as those on foot. Coastal Rivers’ addition of a crosswalk and a section of sidewalk connecting the trail to Great Salt Bay Community school makes it possible for students to safely cross Business Route 1 to reach the shell middens, Damariscotta Farmers’ Market, and Round Top Farm.
In October, thanks to a grant from Bangor Savings Bank, we completed an additional section of accessible trail going the opposite direction, connecting the Round Top Campus to the east end of Church Street across from Sullivan Tire.
The final phase of trail construction will pick up from the existing accessible trail at Whaleback Shell Midden State Historic Site, owned by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, and extend north along the Upper Damariscotta River to Salt Bay Farm on Belvedere Road. Along the way, it crosses seven additional properties and passes underneath State Route 1.
Legal permission for public access had previously been granted by the owners of four of those properties – Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and Riverwalk Condominiums.
Last spring, Coastal Rivers obtained a license from the Maine Department of Transportation for the trail to pass underneath Route 1 at the bridge. This past June, we purchased a fifth property and received the sixth as a gift from what is now MaineHealth.
Now, with the Shields-Haas’ amended conservation easement allowing permanent public access for the trail along one edge of their property, the stage is set for the third, and largest, phase of the accessible River Trail construction.
“We’re thrilled to play a small role in facilitating access for the community,” Vanessa told us. Laura added, “We can’t wait to be able ride our bikes into town!”
The final hurdle before trail construction begins will be to raise funds. “The accessible trail is heavily engineered, built to withstand heavy use over many years,” commented Executive Director Steven Hufnagel. “The route includes multiple bridges in addition to the underpass below Route 1. We’re extremely grateful to the partners and supporters who have gotten us to this point. We anticipate being able to start construction in the summer of 2026 once fundraising is complete. It will take broad community participation to reach that goal!”
