Essential Roseate tern habitat and part of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Little Thrumcap is a traditional day trip destination with a great beach and wide ocean views. Please observe seasonal closures for nesting birds. Managing organizations: Owned by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, with support from Coastal Rivers Trail Description: A short trail crosses from the beach to the south side of the island. Most of the island is brushy with few trees, offering panoramic views of the mouth of the Damariscotta River to the west, Johns Bay to the north and east, and the open ocean …
Witch Island Preserve
Witch Island was privately owned until Jane Sewall donated it to the Maine Audubon Society in 1986, which in turn transferred it to Coastal Rivers (then DRA) in 2009. (Sewall also donated Library Park to the DRA.) Previously known as Davis Island, the island was owned from 1897 to 1916 by Grace Courtland Chittenden, who liked to refer to herself as the “Witch of Wall Street”, hence the name Witch Island. When Sewall bought the island in 1964, the existing summer home and a boathouse had been vandalized. She had them both burned and built a small cottage, which still …
John and Peg Sproul Preserve
Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description: On the east side of Old County Road (across from the parking area), a gentle 0.2 mile loop winds along the northwest shore of Ross Pond and through mature forest. At the north end of the loop is a stream where resident beavers have built dams, forming ponds. On the west side of the road a second loop trail, 0.5 miles long, leads down to a small sandy beach at the southern end of Boyd Pond. Parts of the trail are steep and feature lovely moss and fern covered rock ledges. This is prime …
Cosima’s Preserve
A gift from Scott Long in 2016, the 44.5-acre Cosima’s Preserve sits on the west side of the Pemaquid River near the southern end of Biscay Pond. The property has 1,100 feet of frontage along the Pemaquid River, as well as 1,950 feet along Campbell’s Swamp Brook along the western edge. Along with the Brackett easement property to the west, and the Keyes Woods Preserve beyond that, these three adjacent properties create a 240-acre habitat block with about 4,000 feet of shoreline along the Pemaquid River. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description: Cosima’s Preserve has much to offer: a variety …
Pemaquid Pond Preserve
Pemaquid Pond Preserve consists of a 29-acre preserve as well as a 1.9-acre island on the shore of Pemaquid Pond in Bremen. The preserve was donated to PWA by the Stock-Moody family in 2015, with the intent to allow public enjoyment of this land on the shores of Pemaquid Pond while maintaining its natural state. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description: A gentle woodland walk of just over a quarter-mile brings you to the Pemaquid Pond shoreline, boasting broad vistas, rocky outcrops, sandy beaches and wooded shores. Along the shoreline, notice the prime examples of native vegetation that prevents erosion …
Doyle Preserve
A gift from the Doyle-Finnegan family to PWA in 1994, the Doyle Preserve provides public access to 1,200 ft on Pemaquid Pond and just over a mile of trails. The forested woodland provides habitat for a variety of wildlife such as pileated woodpeckers, red fox, and red squirrels. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description: From the trailhead, the blue loop trail descends a half mile through forested woodlands to join with a short spur (white trail) that leads to the scenic shore of Pemaquid Pond. Directions to Trailhead: From Damariscotta, take Biscay Road (intersects with Bus. Rte 1 at McDonald’s) …
Hatchtown Preserve
Hatchtown Preserve in Bristol was donated to PWA by the Pangilinan-Borromeo family in 2015. The intent is to keep this land along the Pemaquid River in a natural state, allow public enjoyment of the area, and to provide access to the river by non-motorized kayak and canoe. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Trail Abstract: This preserve consists of 35 acres along the west side of the Pemaquid River from south of the Hatchtown Bridge on the Lower Round Pond Rd down to the inlet into Boyd Pond. The primary conservation value is the undisturbed habitat along the shore of the …
Salt Bay Farm
One of few intact saltwater farms in the Midcoast, this 146-acre wildlife preserve was acquired in several pieces starting in 1994 with the help of generous members, neighbors, and donors, including Betty Noyce. LEARN MORE ABOUT SALT BAY FARM Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description: A variety of habitats in close proximity make the Farm a regional birding destination. Other highlights of the property include Twin Villages Foodbank Farm, a popular sledding hill, salt and restored freshwater wetlands with an observation platform, and trails through forest and meadow along Great Salt Bay, Maine’s first Marine Protected Area. Directions to Trailhead: …
Crooked Farm
The Crooked Farm Preserve was established in 2002, as a result of a community partnership among Crook family, the Carpenter’s Boat Shop, the Pemaquid Watershed Association, and the Damariscotta River Association, along with the financial support of the local community and funding from the Land for Maine’s Future Program in collaboration with the Maine Department of Conservation. Managing organization: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust Description: Crooked Farm Preserve is open to the public for walking, boating, hunting and fishing with nearly 130 acres of forest, wetlands, and open fields, complete with high knolls and ravines. Its gravel streambeds are spawning habitat for …
Whaleback Shell Midden State Historic Site
Whaleback is an 11 acre property owned by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands and operated cooperatively with Coastal Rivers. Managing organizations: Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust/Partner Owned Description: The site once contained a massive oyster shell heap or midden formed over a period of more than 1,000 years by Native Americans. The shells were processed for chicken feed in the late 1800’s, leaving behind just a fraction of the original mounds. Interpretive storyboards relate the history of the middens, their accumulation and destruction, and also share stories of the Upper Damariscotta River. A swinging bench by the shore affords an …
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