110 Belvedere Road, Damariscotta
One of the Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust’s most exciting and beautiful protected lands is the 115-acre farm on the Great Salt Bay in Damariscotta.
Generous Donors. Thanks to a generous personal gift from the late Mrs. Elizabeth Noyce and a substantial grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, DRA (now Coastal Rivers) was able to purchase Salt Bay Farm in 1994.
A Range of Habitats. The farm includes over one mile of shorefront, extensive wetlands providing both fresh and saltwater habitats, and rolling fields that have been worked for 200 years. It is home to a wide variety of plants and wildlife and affords spectacular views across the bay.
All-Season Enjoyment. Salt Bay Farm has become a community destination and education center with numerous physical and programmatic enhancements. Locals and visitors alike make use of the Farm year-round for walking, skiing, nature observation, and sledding, and more than 1,000 students of all ages take part annually in our education programs based there. Birdwatchers seek out the property for its exceptional waterfowl, wading birds, and grassland birds, among others.
Open for Use. The property is open to the public for pedestrian use daily from dawn to dusk. Dogs must be leashed at all times in all seasons except on Oyster Creek Trail (note that the field across the street is under agricultural production, so dogs must be leashed there for health concerns.) Motorized and wheeled vehicles are prohibited because of the sensitive habitat areas, however, snowmobiles may pass through the property along the designated spur trail. Please use caution as children are often present.
Amenities at Salt Bay Farm:
Nature Center
The original 18th century farmhouse serves as Coastal Rivers’ Nature Center, a visitor center with interpretive displays about the natural history of the area. Mounts of local birds and mammals, a salt water fish tank with local species from the estuary, touch tables and more help provide a fuller sense of the estuary and its denizens.
The Nature Center’s conference room is also often available for non-profit meeting space. Call 207-563-1393 or email info@coastlrivers.org for more information. While we welcome small donations to defray cleaning costs, we make the facility available free of charge.
Now that Coastal Rivers’ headquarters has moved to Round Top Farm in Damariscotta, the Nature Center is open weekdays by chance or appointment. Find the Nature Center at 110 Belvedere Road in Damariscotta.
Wetland Restoration
Plans for restoration of freshwater wetlands at Salt Bay Farm were realized in the summer of 1997. In earlier days, when this was a working farm, a large freshwater marsh below the farm house was ditched and drained to increase the acreage available for growing crops. However, removal of much of the water greatly diminished the value of the wetland as wildlife habitat.
A naturally shaped berm was built separating the remnants of the freshwater wetland from an adjoining tidal salt marsh. This had the effect of raising fresh water levels to increase both the depth and size of the wetland. Beneficiaries include many species of birds and waterfowl, including Great Blue Heron, American Bittern, Virginia Rail, several species of ducks including Black Duck, Wood Duck, and Hooded Merganser, as well as migrating shorebirds and Red-winged Blackbirds. The marsh is now a birder’s paradise and groups from Audubon are regular visitors.
Financial support for this restoration project was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, and DRA members. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife contributed technical assistance and helped develop a management plan for the rejuvenated wetland and its wildlife.
Observation Platform
In order to take advantage of new wildlife viewing opportunities afforded by the restored freshwater wetland at Salt Bay Farm, Coastal Rivers created a wetland observation platform set back from the marsh edge among low trees. Now visitors to the farm will have the opportunity to observe wildlife in the wetland from a semi-blind vantage point. The platform provides clear and intimate views and a stable base for spotting scopes and tripods.
Many thanks to Garrett Grant, who replaced the steps and repaired the platform in 2017 as part of his Eagle Scout project. Garrett also cleaned up the approach to the platform, to make it safer and more accessible.
Education Programs
Salt Bay Farm is the base for most of Coastal Rivers’ educational programs for youth and adults, ranging from Camp Mummichog summer day camp to multi-week Oyster Gardening courses, after-school programs to birding trips led by Tom Arter or Kenn Kaufmann.
See “EVENTS & PROGRAMS” for more information.
Native American Village
Each year in October student groups taking part in Coastal Rivers’ Wabanaki Living Skills and Culture Program help to construct dwellings made of local natural materials based on traditional designs. Weather takes its toll, but the temporary structures may often be viewed down toward the Salt Bay for some time after the programs take place. Notably, this area is known to have been the location of an actual Wabanaki summer encampment more than 1,000 years ago, and oyster shell middens on the property are among the more visible signs of native settlement.
