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Located at the northern end of Crawford Pond in Union (see map), 100-Acre Island is comprised almost entirely of an undisturbed hemlock forest. In 1999, three families - the Tappans, LaFarges and Birds - donated their undivided interests to the Georges River Land Trust to ensure the island would remain undeveloped and accessible to the community. A small point, known as Wedding Point, on the southeastern shore is still owned by one of the families - a place where they have traditionally gathered under the majestic hemlocks for family events. Picnic sites are designated along the shoreline for day use and a modest trail system exists along the southern shore. It is otherwise a wilderness island, allowing the Hemlock forest to grow and mature in its natural state.

Public Access: The 100-Acre Island Preserve is open to the public for day-use only; no hunting or overnight camping is allowed. The island is only accessible by water and there is no public boat launch on Crawford Pond. Our suggestion is to camp at Mic Mac Cove Campground off Route 17 in Union, where you can rent a canoe or kayak and paddle across the pond to 100-Acre Island.

The 124-acre Appleton Preserve was acquired by GRLT in 2006 with assistance from the Land for Maine’s Future Program. The Appleton Preserve boasts high quality wildlife habitats along the St. George River and amongst its floodplain forest, forested and open wetlands, and upland conifer forests. Most of the preserve consists of deep glaciomarine deposits of silt loam with relatively few boulders. This has allowed the natural shaping of oxbows, ravines, and gullies found throughout the property.

There are more than 200 species of vascular plants in seven different community types. The community type that occupies the largest area on the property is the Hemlock Forest, which includes small patches of Red Maple Sensitive Fern Swamp in low-lying areas mostly associated with the riparian zone. The plant diversity at Appleton Preserve is particularly high because of the mesic soils, heterogeneity of habitats, and contrast in disturbance patterns, from spring flooding to agriculture to topsoil removal. Overall the vegetation is intact, native, and represents exemplary natural communities. Download the Appleton Preserve brochure.

Public Access: The Appleton Preserve is open to the public for day-use only; no overnight camping is allowed. Hunting is permitted with written permission. A single trail/woods road takes visitors along the length of the property. From the intersection of Routes 131 and 105 (Camden Road) in Appleton, go east on Route 105 for ½ mile. Parking for the Appleton Preserve is available at the ME Inland Fisheries & Wildlife gravel lot on the right, just before the bridge across the St. George River (see map).

The Brown Preserve is in South Thomaston (see map)and comprises about 20 acres on a peninsula near the mouth of the Weskeag River. James and Constance Baum donated the property to the land trust in 2001 to establish the Alfred and Avis Brown Family Preserve. The Baums transferred the property with covenants to keep it in a “primitive and forever wild.” The property is mostly wet woodlands and therefore is well suited as bird and small mammal habitat.

Public Access: The Brown Family Preserve remains significantly wet year-round and is managed as a forever-wild property. There is no appropriate area for parking. For these reasons, active public use is discouraged at this time.

In 2005, the Georges River Land Trust acquired the 66-acre Eagle’s Way Preserve from the Carroll Family. The family had a strong interest in the natural world and traditionally used the property for hunting, timber, and nature exploration. Surrounded on three sides by water, local fishermen continue to use it today. The preserve contains an amazing assemblage of natural features including forested wetlands, rare plant species, two feeder streams, and a stunning hardwood floodplain forest. The name “Eagle’s Way,” chosen by the Carroll Family, is in honor of the many eagles that fly over the property and travel the corridor of the St. George River.

Public Access: Eagle’s Way Preserve is open to the public for day-use only; no overnight camping is allowed. Hunting is permitted with written permission. The property currently does not have a dedicated parking area or trails. From the intersection of Route 90 and Western Road in Warren, head north on Western Road for 2.5 miles; the preserve is on your right. There is a small lot on the opposite (left) side of the road that can accommodate one or two vehicles. It is used by fishermen and duck hunters to access North Pond and is not owned or maintained by the land trust (see map).

Thanks to a generous gift from Charles Dana Gibson and Kay Gibson in 1999, the land trust owns and manages the Gibson Preserve, 124 wild acres on the St. George River in Searsmont. The preserve has a three-mile trail network with great summer hiking and winter cross-country skiing and snowshoeing opportunities. The property supports spruce-fir forest, meadows, and fields and has over one mile of frontage on the St. George River. The forest here is relatively even-aged and is estimated to be about 40-50 years old. The large softwood stumps are evidence of past harvesting. A natural resources inventory found five amphibians, three reptiles, 59 birds, and 14 mammal species. The Gibson Preserve is managed for high quality wildlife habitat. Download the Gibson Preserve brochure.

Public Access: The Gibson Preserve is open to the public for day-use only; no hunting or overnight camping is allowed. The property has three miles of trails and provides great views of the upper St. George River. From the center of Searsmont (Fraternity Village Store), head west on Route 173. Travel 2 miles to Ripley Corner Road on the left (see map). Parking is on the shoulder of Ripley Corner Road and visitors must walk in to the Gibson Preserve via an old woods road. Once parked, proceed down the road toward the river and cross the wood/concrete bridge. Take your first right onto the overgrown woods road and walk approximately ¼ mile to the Gibson Preserve entrance on the right. The kiosk is somewhat hidden off the road, so be on the lookout for a footpath that leads into the property and the kiosk.

Marion Hall donated two parcels of property in 1994 as a memorial to her late husband, George. One parcel, Eastman Meadow, is on the east shore of the St. George River north of Sennebec Pond and the other, Newbert Meadow, is on the east shore of Sennebec Pond at the mouth of Allen Brook. Together, they total 15 acres with 950 feet of waterfront.

Eastman Meadow contains a silver maple floodplain forest, unusual for this part of the coast. A bluejoint meadow community occupies most of the area on this parcel. This community type is considered rare in Maine and this example is unique due to the presence of sweetflag as a co-dominant with bluejoint.

Newbert Meadow is of special interest due to the wildlife it harbors: beaver and loons. The protected stream bank of the brook and the shallow reed beds at the mouth of the stream, make it an ideal location for loons to nest. In this basin wetland, buttonbush and red osier dogwood flourish as well as ferns and aquatic species. Red oak, maple, aspen, and birch grow in the upland portion with hazelnut growing in the shrub layer and herbs near the edge of the woodland.

Public Access: Both parcels of the Hall Preserve are predominantly wetland and are only accessible via Sennebec Pond. Therefore, active public use of the properties is discouraged at this time.

The Georges River Land Trust acquired the 18-acre Jack Baker Woods in 2000. This property primarily serves as a trailhead for two sections of the Georges Highland Path: the 3.5-mile Thomaston Town Forest trail and the 6.5-mile Oyster River Bog trail. The preserve is named in appreciation of Jack Baker, an avid supporter of the Georges Highland Path.

Public Access: Jack Baker Woods is open to the public for day-use only; no overnight camping is allowed. Hunting is permitted with written permission. From the Route 1 stoplight in the center of Thomaston, head north on Beechwood Street for two miles. The Jack Baker Woods parking lot is on the left at the Georges Highland Path trailhead sign (see map).

A group of 25 families donated the 65-acre Pleasant Point Nature Preserve to GRLT in 2008. The families worked for a dozen years to purchase and protect 65 acres of mixed woodland and wetland on the Cushing peninsula. Nestled between Pleasant Point Road and Stones Point Road, the woodland had been heavily cutover and the neighbors were concerned that it would be sold and developed.

The land trust is currently developing a management plan to support conservation of the resources and to help guide appropriate public use.

Public Access: The Pleasant Point Nature Preserve is open to the public for day-use only; no hunting or overnight camping is allowed. Currently, there are no trails on the property, but we expect to have a trail system in place by late Summer 2010. From Route 1 in Thomaston, head south on Route 97 toward Cushing. Travel for 6.8 miles and turn left onto Salt Pond Road. Continue for 1.4 miles and turn right onto Pleasant Point Road. After 2.2 miles, turn left onto Stone’s Point Road. (Ignore the first sign for Stone’s Point Road. It is a loop that intersects with Pleasant Point Road twice. You want the lower intersection.) Parking is available in a small, grassy area on the left on Stone’s Point Road, just after turning off from Pleasant Point Road (see map.)

The Pool is a little three-acre gem on a wild section of the St. George River. The Georges River Land Trust acquired a section of the property in 2001, when Joe Sawyer and Larry Gleason, two local entrepreneurs, sold their property to the land trust at a bargain price after decided it would not fit their needs for a planned hydropower project. Prior to their use, Central Maine Power owned the property and remnants of their aged generating equipment are still visible. Remains of the historic Georges River Canal, dating back to the 1800’s, can also be seen from The Pool.

The land trust received the second section of The Pool property from the Sennebec Lake Association in 2002. The association removed a 100-year old dam that they had been maintaining and donated the site to the land trust. A new rock-crib dam was constructed further up the river at the outlet of Sennebec Pond. Together, these two parcels create an interesting slice of history.

Public Access: The Pool Preserve is open to the public for day use; no overnight camping is allowed. Hunting is permitted with written permission. From Route 17 in Union, travel one mile to a dirt road on the left (see map). The dirt road is chained, so please park on the shoulder. Walk past the chain and proceed down the dirt road to The Pool.

In December 2004, Stephen and Marcie Porter donated 13 acres of land with 1,600 feet of frontage on the St. George River in Searsmont to the land trust. This generous gift added valuable acreage to protected land in the Wilderness Loop, a conservation focus area of the land trust, and is just upriver from the Gibson Preserve. The property features a birch-beech-maple forest, old fields, alder shrub thickets along the riverbank, and marsh habitats. Osprey nest in the area, and if you are quiet you might see a snowshoe hare. The Porter Preserve is managed to protect wildlife habitat and maintain natural communities.

Public Access The Porter Preserve is open to the public for day-use only; no overnight camping is allowed. Hunting is permitted with written permission. A short trail on the western side of the property leads to the banks of the St. George River. From the center of Searsmont (Fraternity Village Store), head west on Route 173. Travel 3.8 miles to the Porter Preserve on the left. Park on the shoulder of Peters Road, a dirt road across from the property (see map).

The 18-acre Riverview Hayfields Preserve is prominently located on the shore of the St. George River. The property was used for grazing and hay production for the much of the past 40 years. Its name recognizes the adjacent Riverview Farm of former owners, Ed and Mary St. Charles.

More than half of the property is classified as wetlands and the vegetation today reflects this condition with a variety of wetland shrubs and grasses. There is also a small cattail pond located along the southern boundary that is home to multiple red-winged blackbirds. Two streams cross the property, one from the hayfields on the east side of Route 131 and a second smaller stream originating from the north. The 900 feet of frontage on the St. George River protects important mudflats that are used by clammers and feeding shorebirds.

Public Access The Riverview Hayfields Preserve remains significantly wet year-round, provides important bird habitat, and does not have trails or an appropriate area for parking. For these reasons, active public use of the property is discouraged at this time. The preserve, however, may be enjoyed by those driving along Route 131 in South Thomaston. To view the property, follow Route 131 south from Route 1 in Thomaston, toward South Thomaston and St. George. Drive 1 mile and the Riverview Hayfields Preserve can be seen on the right (see map).

Rebecca Stickney donated 14 acres on the summit of Barrett Hill in Union (see map) to the Georges River Land Trust in 1998, knowing the property would be best managed as a forever wild preserve. The entire property has been cleared in the past, but it is now grown in as a northern red oak forest with associated American beech, bigtooth aspen, white pine and American hornbeam. Surrounding the property on the southern slope of Barrett Hill are blueberry barrens. Both the barrens and wooded hilltop can be seen from the Union Town Common.

Public Access The Stickney Preserve is not accessible by road, has no trails, and no area appropriate for parking. For these reasons, active public use of the property is discouraged at this time.

Tommy’s Island is a one-acre island situated in Long Cove in St. George (see map), across from the former Great Eastern Mussel Company. Numerous non-native grass species occur on the island, evidence of historical sheep grazing. Scattered paper birch, red spruce, quaking aspen and white spruce occur throughout this mostly open island. The herb layer consists of lowbush blueberry, wild oatgrass, and several types of salt marsh vegetation that surround the island.

Tommy’s Island has a lack of wildlife diversity, a result of the its small size and limited cover. However, many common marine birds feed on and around the island, including Herring gulls, Great black-backed gulls, Double-crested cormorants, and osprey.

Public Access Tommy’s Island is open to the public for day-use only; no hunting or overnight camping is allowed. The island is only accessible by water. Our suggestion is to launch your boat at the Tenants Harbor public landing and motor, sail, or paddle the 2.5 miles up to Long Cove.