Griggs Preserve trail (Photo courtesy Midcoast Conservancy)
Maine Master Naturalist Susan Cottle will lead a Wednesday Wander at Griggs Preserve from 10 a.m. to noon on Sept. 20. Griggs Preserve is a 56-acre tract of wooded upland forest, with trails that pass by the Sheepscot River, an upland bog, an old porcupine den, and majestic eastern white pine trees. As you hop over the babbling spring and walk alongside the railroad tracks, keep an eye out for deer, turkeys, raptors, and pileated woodpeckers.
The preserve is just upstream of a very narrow point in the river, just north of Wiscasset, where all of the nutrients from the upper watershed get channeled down through this opening. Just offshore and a little upstream of Griggs Preserve, still in the Sheepscot’s intertidal zone, is Midcoast Conservancy’s Heafitz Oyster Farm.
Our Heafitz Farm Oysters are tended by Sheepscot River Watershed Manager Melissa Cote, and grown in collaboration with Glidden Point Oyster Farms. They are surface cultured and grown to around 3 inches in the Sheepscot River. The preserves and easements we have on the surrounding riverbanks mitigate pollution from entering the river, ensuring safe, healthy oysters for all to enjoy!
Griggs Preserve itself has a history of creative community collaboration, stretching back to 1988. Back then, the preserve was maintained by the Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association, now Midcoast Conservancy, and was the site of a fledgling partnership with the Wiscasset Schools. To minimize the impact of heavy school buses driving into the preserve, SVCA collaborated with some neighbors to move the parking area and reroute some of the trails. Now we all can access Griggs Preserve while maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem and surrounding community infrastructure!
The Griggs trailhead is on Trails End Road in Edgecomb, just off of Cochran Road. You will pass through an open gate and 0.2 miles down the dirt road before you see the kiosk. There is a small parking lot at the trailhead.
We’ll be gathering by the kiosk before heading down the trail. Please note that there are no restrooms at the preserve. The hike will be approximately one mile, with a gentle grade and a few muddy patches.
If you have any questions about the hike or about Midcoast Conservancy’s recreational programming, you can email landmcc@midcoastconservancy.org. See you on the trail!
(Midcoast Conservancy is an innovative conservation organization working to protect and restore vital lands and waters on a scale that matters. For more information, go to midcoastconservancy.org.)
