The recent donation of 28 acres of woodland and a 1.9-acre island means the public will have its first access in Bremen to Pemaquid Pond, according to Steve Laurich, chair of the Pemaquid Watershed Association’s Lands Stewardship Committee.
The land, located along Turner Road and somewhat east of the causeway between Pemaquid and McCurdy ponds, was donated to the PWA on Feb. 17 by Tamara Stock and Robin Moody, according to Laurich.
The couple had reached out to PWA with interest in creating a conservation easement on the property, which borders land they have retained, but ended up donating it outright, Laurich said.
Stock said she and Moody came to Maine to summer for around 25 years, and to the Bremen area since the late 1990s. They eventually bought property; Stock lives in Bremen year-round and Moody lives there about 60 percent of the time, Stock said.
“When we bought the property, we wanted to be sure that there was no way that somebody would build lots of houses or next to us, or put up something we thought was inappropriate for a lake,” said Stock.
Stock later learned of the town’s interest in increasing access for people to canoe and kayak, and she and Moody found they could meet all their goals through the donation.
“We just thought it would be a good thing to do so more people could use it,” Stock said.
The donation satisfies needs identified in the town’s comprehensive plan and with the Bremen Conservation Commission (which Laurich is a member of), Laurich said.
The PWA will eventually create a parking area at the property and a path the public can use to portage canoes and kayaks over the roughly 1,830 feet to the pond, Laurich said.
The island, a short paddle from the 600 feet of frontage on Pemaquid Pond, is a popular spot with lots of big, flat rocks, Stock said.
The organization will also work with the conservation commission to get other ideas from the town on how to utilize the property, he said.
“We can’t do anything until the snow is gone, but this spring or real early summer we’ll start working on it, or we plan to anyway,” he said.
The project will include the construction of a wooden kiosk and a small bridge through a boggy area as part of the path.
The PWA is planning to pursue grants to fund the work, but donations would also be accepted, Laurich said.
For more information on the Pemaquid Watershed Association, visit www.pemaquidwatershed.org or call 563-2196.
