Phippsburg Land Trust Mission

The Phippsburg Land Trust preserves, protects and stewards special wild and natural places in Phippsburg for the benefit and education of our children, grandchildren and future generations.

The properties of Phippsburg Land Trust are open to all, year round, free of admission from dawn to dusk.

Hunting Season is here

PLT supports traditional uses of its fee owned lands, and hunting is permitted at the Cooley Preserve at Center Pond, Ridgewell Preserve, Sprague Pond Preserve, McKay Farm Preserve, Duley Farm Preserve, Morse River Marsh Preserve and portions of the MacDonald Marsh Preserve. Some Land Trust preserves are either too small or too close to abutting houses or roads to allow hunting, including Noble Hill, Gamble Preserve at West Point, Dromore Overlook, the McDonald Sanctuary and the north portion of the McDonald Marsh Preserve.

Hunters: If you plan to hunt at the Sprague Pond Preserve, note that this preserve is bisected by a portion of the Basin Preserve, which owned by the Nature Conservancy. Please contact the Nature Conservancy directly to verify whether hunting is permitted on their lands. Prospective hunters with questions about PLT preserves should call 207 406 0748. You must contact us for permission to trap or set up a deer stand on PLT properties.

The Greenleaf Preserve, Bijhouwer Forest, and Mary’s Woods are each privately owned; the Land Trust holds easements on these parcels. Please contact the property owners for permission to hunt or trap on these lands. Note that these preserves are relatively small, and hunting may be limited or impossible due to nearby buildings or roads as well.

As always, all state and local hunting regulations must be followed; and hunters need to be aware of the locations of adjacent properties. Hunters, please be aware that you may find hikers sharing the preserves with you when you are on our properties; know what you’re are aiming at.

Walkers: Be aware that hunters may be present at our larger preserves throughout deer season. If walking Monday through Saturday, be sure to wear blaze orange. We recommend that dogs wear blaze orange as well, and are kept on leash or under close control so that they are less likely to be mistaken for a deer. Many of our smallest preserves are not suitable for hunting, however, and this is a good time of year to visit these special places, including the Gamble Preserve at West Point, the Noble Hill Preserve, and the McDonald Sanctuary.

Deer Season 2023:

Firearms: October 30th through November 25th.
Muzzle loader season: November 27th to December 2nd.
Extended muzzle loader: (Phippsburg region) December 4th through December 9th.

Fall/Winter Hiking at PLT

Winter is upon us, the days are growing shorter, and markedly cooler. We encourage you to enjoy the Land Trust trails this time of year keeping in mind that our preserves are open dawn to dusk, and to remember that the woods may be cooler than your backyard, therefore mud/ice may persist in the shaded areas. Prepare carefully; sturdy, waterproof boots, with good traction are recommended again till spring arrives again. Hiking poles are a plus in the snowy icy weather. If conditions support it, we will try to groom select trails for snowshoeing and or cross country skiing.

If your hike is going to last more than 30 minutes, bring appropriate layers, remembering that weather can change quickly even at low elevations this time of year. Multiple layers that can be opened or removed or added as needed are best.

Please refrain from walking off the trail to avoid muddy/icy spots. Walking off the trail to avoid mud or water widens the trail, and in the long run will make the puddle/mud problems worse. If you find a section of trail that you think requires our immediate attention, please email us at Stewardship@phippsburglandtrust.org and we will asses the problem.

Questions can be directed to phone 443 5993 and we will be glad to get back to you.

Art in the Wild…

Artist Kevin Sudeith, a self-described “petroglyphist” has been working at various PLT preserves since being the speaker of our annual meeting in 2019. As petroglyph implies, his medium is the rock formations on the land which surrounds us. The artistic work integrates images of the world around us with the natural landscape itself; thereby creating a lasting record of the world as we see it now. Echoing the cave paintings of Lascaux and others, Sudeith’s work is perhaps the most permanent form of documentation, and centuries from now may inform the Phippsburg residents of the future of what we see today.

“Storytelling and documenting, in a lasting way, some of the cool stuff from our moment in time. My hope is that people see themselves in the images I carve and feel a place in history.” — Kevin Sudeith describing the purpose of his work.

One of the life sized petroglyphs in Center Pond

Sudeith has completed several petroglyphs already on the Cooley Preserver at Center Pond, and is near completion of a larger work at Ridgewell Preserve; and would like to complete further carvings. However says Sudeith, “the most memorable petroglyphs are those that are suggested by community members, images that speak directly to their image of the community, I can only get those ideas from community members.”

Kevin’s work can be found in person by following purple circular blazes at the above named preserves. In addition you can see more work at Petroglyphist.com , and if you would like to help Kevin cover his expenses and get rewarded for this volunteer work you can support it (tax deductible) here: Phippsburg Petroglyph project

Don’t forget about Ticks, they are present all year…

Many of us believe this is the best time for hiking the Maine woods, and Phippsburg is no exception – but remember the ticks are still out there, and this time of year looking for the meal that will hold them through winter. Do not beleive that cold temps will totally stop the ticks they are tollerant of lower tempuratures than we imagine, and we will not be ‘safe ‘ until several inches of snow coat the ground.

So some basic preventative measures will help:

Stay on the trails – Ticks are more likely to be found in the leaf layers and in thick undergrowth, less likely on the trail itself.

Tuck pant-legs into socks so that ticks can’t get to you, and wear light colors so it is easy to find and dispose of them.

If you have dedicated hiking shoes/pants etc. treat them with Pemetherin and wear them when hiking — Pemetherin spray can be found locally, and clothing with the Pemetherin already in it is available commercially from several outdoor retail providers. For your skin, Deet has been found to repel Ticks very reliably, Picaridin effectiveness has not been fully established, but does repel other insects well.

Check yourself/loved ones/pets carefully at the end of your hike… and don’t forget that the ticks could be in the backyard as well.

Know your ticks – see this link – the Black Legged or Deer Tick is the one that is the biggest problem- and also, if you do find yourself with an attached Tick, that does not mean you are going to be infected with Lyme. You have (according to recent studies from Connecticut) up to 72 hours before an infection can be passed from the Tick to you…

Visiting PLT properties, things to consider.

Outdoor spaces are a wonderful piece of free medicine at all times, but especially now, and as such PLT preserves will remain open to the public from dawn to dusk; overnight parking is prohibited at all of our preserves.

Our preserves tend to have small parking lots, which means if the lot is full, there may be no other safe parking area. To maintain safety for our visitors and those driving the roads, including first responders, we ask that if the parking area for the preserve you were planning to visit is full, consider a visit to a different preserve for this trip.
Many of our preserves are surrounded by private properties. Please be aware of this, and do not stray onto adjacent properties. Please keep dogs under control at all times, and prevent them from straying onto private property as well.
We adhere to CARRY IN – CARRY OUT principals; please help to keep our trails clear of human debris (and pet deposits) so all walkers can enjoy the outdoors at our preserves.
Trails are often narrow. If other walkers are approaching to pass from the opposite direction or overtaking your pace, please step off the trail to allow for safe physical distancing even outside.
As much as we might wish to, we cannot control the ticks, mosquitos, or blackflies on our preserves. So come prepared and exercise good tick control measures.
The Phippsburg Land Trust relies on volunteers to monitor and maintain our preserves. Please let us know if there is a problem with a trail (like a fallen tree, for example) so we can keep our trails accessible! Call 443-5993 or email stewardship@phippsburglandtrust.org

Please enjoy our preserves, and stay safe and healthy!

Paying Our Share — Thanks to Member Support

Dogs are Welcome on Land Trust Property

We get this question periodically, so to be clear about our policy – dogs are allowed on lands owned by the Phippsburg Land Trust. In accordance with Maine state statutes, and Phippsburg ordinances, all dogs must be under the control of their owners at all times. Many of our properties are adjacent to private property, and as well behaved our dogs may be off leash in our own yard; new sights and sounds may elicit a different response at a preserve. As such while in our parking lots, please keep your dog leashed. As with anything else, please use common sense: do not allow your dog to threaten or interfere with wildlife, and remember that dog owners share our preserves with other walkers, who may feel threatened by your dog’s enthusiasm, no matter how well-intentioned. Please keep your dog nearby, so that you are able to ensure others (wildlife, humans, or other pets) are not harmed. We also expect that you “carry out” any waste, especially when near a water body, including bogs, streams or vernal pools. Finally, be sure your pet wears orange during hunting seasons.

Be aware that for lands where the Land Trust holds an easement, landowner policies may differ. Some easements, such as Mary’s Woods, involve passing through a landowner’s yard and near their home. To preserve the privilege of bringing your pet to these lands, be sure your dog is a well-behaved guest.

Help us in 2023: Volunteer!

At this time, Volunteer events will be back in full in 2023, information on a Fall week long event, along with several other Stewardship workday events through the early summer. We will of course make every attempt to accommodate any safety needs required. The Land Trust is a volunteer organization. We rely on the volunteer help of interested members of our community like yourself! If you are willing to help please email us at volunteer@phippsburglandtrust.org . No experience is needed, check out our Volunteer page for more details, and to see our scheduled events!