A ceremonial branch cutting was held for the official opening of River~Link at Boothbay Region Land Trust’s 101-acre Church property on McKay Road in Edgecomb on Monday.
The River~Link trail connects the BRLT’s Church family property with the Schmid Preserve in Edgecomb and extends through the 767-acre Schmid Preserve to the 506-acre Dodge Point in Newcastle on the Damariscotta River.
The Church property was acquired by BRLT in 2006 with a Land for Maine’s Futures grant. A new kiosk and parking area mark the start of the River~Link trail on McKay Road.
The trail is marked by River~Link signs, designed by Boothbay artist Mark Mellor. Another local artist, Jim Taliana, worked with Mellor, creating the lettering for the logo
River~Link from the Dodge Point Preserve to the Edgecomb owned Schmid Preserve was dedicated on Oct. 25, 2007. The Damariscotta River Association (DRA) will be constructing a bridge on Thurs., Sept. 16 to link Dodge Point to the Schmid Preserve. The trail from McKay Road to Dodge Point is ready for hikers, but be prepared to roll up your pants and bring water shoes for the brook crossings.
River~Link is a collaborative effort of three land trusts, including the DRA, Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association and BRLT, and the Schmid Land Preserve.
Supporting partners include the towns of Newcastle, Boothbay, and Edgecomb, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Dept. of Conservation, Dept. of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Land for Maine’s Future program. The project was funded by grants from the Land for Maine’s Future program, totaling $700,000, and other grants and donations of $300,000.
River~Link was also made possible by landowners who sold property, entered into trail agreements, or gave easements on their property.
The linking of the properties creates an important wildlife corridor in Lincoln County, protecting over 1500 acres of contiguous land. It also creates a three town recreational corridor between two of Maine’s most heavily used rivers.
“This has been a massive project from the very beginning. It is starting to come together. It has been a tremendous amount of hard work,” BRLT Executive Director Nick Ullo said at the branch cutting ceremony. “We have overlapped instead of being competitive,” Ullo added of the cooperative effort.
“At the beginning of the project Nick [Ullo] and I were land stewards of our respective land trusts,” DRA Executive Director Steve Hufnagel said. “At the time the project started in the late 1990s there was this sense that the core of the peninsula was still wild and needed protecting,” Hufnagel said. Land trusts and state agencies pulled together “to create the wildlife corridor and trail for larger animals.”
“Without the gifts of landowners, River~Link would not have been possible. “I’m really pleased to see an actual trail. The work of all these groups is really incredible. Land for Maine’s Future is one of the most important links. Supporting them in the fall [at the voting booth] is an important step to see more of these projects happen,” Hufnagel said.
State Rep. Jon McKane (R-Newcastle) attended the branch cutting ceremony. McKane spoke about a 1950s era movie with Elizabeth Taylor called “Elephant Walk” where Taylor moves to Africa to start a coffee plantation in the middle of an elephant walkway, despite protest from the native people. In the end, the elephants reclaim their territory. “There are repercussions for not thinking about wildlife,” McKane said.
McKane spoke of Gov. Percival Baxter and the creation of Baxter State Park. “He called it a sanctuary for birds and beasts. It is a jewel of this country, not just [of] Maine. It is still very much untouched. He would have enjoyed this. He had that kind of forward thinking we don’t see enough of, McKane said. “Thank you for all the people of Maine and for our grandchildren,” McKane added.
“I’d like to thank all our volunteers. Most all the work on the trail was done by volunteers,” Schmid Preserve Advisory Board member Bob Leone said. Leone and other volunteers worked tirelessly on the project, marking and cutting new trails. Volunteers spent the last couple of weeks building bridges over brooks to complete the trail work in the Schmid Preserve in time for the grand opening.
“The trail also benefits sportsmen, hunters, fishermen and trappers. We need a greater constituency than just hikers to protect land,” Leone added.
“I can’t thank Bob enough,” Ullo said.
Ullo read a letter from Land for Maine’s Future director Tim Glidden. In it Glidden wrote: “The River~Link Project, of which the Church parcel is an essential link, is one of the most innovative land conservation efforts of recent years. It started with a then-novel collaboration between five effective and well-established organizations.
“These partners offered a compelling vision of connecting two coastal rivers and a scattering of existing holdings into a substantial conservation and recreation corridor that would be an invaluable asset to Midcoast Maine.
“The wildlife habitat is substantial and the recreational value of the growing trail system is bound to emerge as a valuable economic asset for all the local tourism businesses as well as local residents.
“You have made amazing progress and it reflects very well on all the partners that you are still at it seven years after the original grant from the Land for Maine’s Future Program.
“As we all know in this work: stamina and perseverance are essential ingredients. I know that I speak for all LMF members, that we are proud to have been a part of this effort. We encourage you all to continue on to fully realize the River~Link vision even as you address the conservation needs of each town in the region. Thank you for making LMF a part of your success,” Ullo read.
“River~Link began as a concept and a plan to link the Damariscotta River with the Sheepscot River beginning at Dodge Point. The concept evolved from a simple foot path into an effort to not only accommodate hikers, but to include a corridor to support the diversity of wildlife which migrates from place to place, season to season, providing access to food, water, wintering grounds, and habitat in general.
“Without corridors allowing for such movements, we will in time lose the diversity of wildlife we all enjoy in this beautiful coastal area of Maine,” the DRA web article stated.
BRLT is working on the final link of the River~Link project, which will link Zak Preserve (200 acres) on Wildcat Creek in Boothbay (which leads into the Sheepscot River) to the Church property on the McKay Road.
It is estimated the distance of the River~Link Trail from McKay Road to Dodge Point is about five miles. “It could easily take three hours,” Leone said. When the link trail to the Zak Preserve is completed, it is estimated that it will take four and a half hours to hike from the Zak Preserve to Dodge Point. It is about eight miles river-to-river.
Eventually, River~Link will stretch to the Sherman Lake Marsh (95 acres) and Carolyn O’Brien (22 acre) Preserves in Newcastle and link to the Marsh River and the Sheepscot River beyond. “That is a few years down the road,” Leone said.
The River~Link trail can be accessed from McKay Road in Edgecomb (from River Road, turn onto the McKay Road and drive 1.2 miles and the parking area will be on the right, and from Rt. 27, turn onto the McKay Road and drive .5 miles and the parking area will be on the left); and can be accessed from Dodge Point, located on the River Road in Newcastle.
