Some people are aggravated by rules that tread on many years of traditional, unsupervised use. They’re not ready for restrictions like: don’t take your dog here or your horse there, no ATVs allowed on this or that trail, stop target practice at this area, don’t nail any deer stands to trees, no more partying at this particular spot, don’t use mountain bikes on these trails.
But other changes are appreciated, like the construction of a six-mile loop hiking trail completed last summer that connects to Phippsburg Land Trust’s Sprague Pond property, and another trail to Denny Reed Point that crosses an old mica mine, or permission granted to continue hunting on the preserve. Clam diggers appreciate access to traditional flats, and some trappers and coyote hunters have been granted permission to use the property. Teachers are happy that Nancy Sferra, who oversees stewardship of the preserve, encourages them to use the diverse ecology of the area for educational programs and has offered to come into the schools to share her expertise. Also, townspeople have benefitted when TNC obtained funding to replace some culverts on the preserve, including one on a town-owned road, and many people have expressed relief that TNC has eliminated the noise of target practice and has cleaned up massive amounts of garbage dumped in various areas throughout the property.
The latter has produced interesting situations that revealed that out-of-town folks were doing much of the dumping. In one, a large pile of trash left on the property included the box for a new cell phone with the number included. “All we had to do was to call up the owner,” says Doug Alexander, who is active in the Phippsburg Sportsmen’s Club, which is promoting good stewardship of the property.
Overall, Sferra is pleased with and gratified by the cooperative spirit she has encountered in Phippsburg. Town residents have helped out in many ways: clam diggers and members of the Sportsmen’s Club keep the Basin area clear of trash, and few people have resisted efforts to limit ATVs and curb shooting. A citizens’ group, Friends of the Basin, is working to ensure that yachters who stop over in the popular Basin anchorage use pumpout facilities available at several locations in Casco Bay.
There are still some problems, says Sferra, noting a couple of areas that attract dumping, some unauthorized digging in cellar holes, areas with excessive lead levels from lead shot, a fire on a trail last spring (fortunately, it did not cause extreme damage) and people removing rocks or taking moss, which they sell to nurseries.
A major benefit for Phippsburg that arrived with TNC is the Basin Preserve donor’s wish that 60 acres from the preserve would be deeded to the town. For the past four years, the Town Lands Management Committee chaired by Anna Varian has studied the question of which 60 acres should go to the town and for what uses. They tramped throughout the preserve, held numerous meetings to obtain resident input and considered several options before deciding on two plots. The largest is a 40-acre parcel in the Mill Dam area at the southern end of the Basin, and the remaining 20 acres are located behind Phippsburg Elementary School. The committee also requested a right-of-way over the New Meadows Trail and several conservation easements to continue traditional use.
Varian says the committee settled on the 40-acre parcel for several reasons, including the possibility that in the future, even though TNC insists it would never sell any of this land, something might change, and townspeople could be cut off from valuable access to the Basin’s waters. In contrast to the town’s two other access points on the New Meadows River, this spot would be wheelchair accessible and could be used for boating, swimming, fishing, clam digging, hiking, hunting, picnicking and nature watching. Varian adds that since a cross country ski program has been started for kids in the town, a loop trail might be included at the site.
“As a committee, were guided by the parcels’ merit to the town,” she says. “This is our only opportunity to get a big chunk of land at the Basin.”
The 20-acre parcel behind the school could be used for educational activities, hiking, parking for Basin Preserve access and possibly affordable housing if a suitable site could be found. A separate citizen committee, the Basin Preserve Initiative Study Group, had asked for a larger parcel behind the school to include more space for housing and extensive educational programs. Varian’s committee felt there was other town land that would be more suitable for housing, that the 20 acres was sufficient for the programs, and that it was more important to obtain the parcel at the Basin. Merry Chapin, who was active on the citizen committee, says she was disappointed, but that she supports the Lands Management Committee’s decision.
These recommendations were presented for a straw vote at a special Town Meeting on January 26, when some people did speak in favor of more land behind the school and others expressed frustration that the town wasn’t selling off some of the 60 acres so it would be added back to the tax rolls. Again, Varian says the committee believes the town owns other property that could be sold. Most of the approximately 60 people present approved the recommendations.
Sferra says she has no problem with any of the requests. Now, the two parcels need to be surveyed and deeds clarified, a job made more difficult by this winter’s heavy snowfall. Phippsburg Town Administrator Mike Young says it is highly unlikely he will have the information in time to include it in the warrant for the Town Meeting. Selectmen could vote to attach the question to the warrant and post the information seven days before the meeting, which Varian would prefer to holding a later, special meeting for the vote. “I don’t think it would be fair to the public to put it off,” she says. “They’ve been waiting patiently for this to come down the pipe.”
Once the 60 acres are transferred to the town, Sferra looks forward to developing trail brochures for the rest of the preserve, posting trail and parking signs, increasing the amount of parking space, and eventually, completing plant, bird and animal lists. Maps and other information will be posted on TNC web site. She is excited about a partnership with the Phippsburg, Brunswick and Topsham and Kennebec Estuary Land Trusts that makes it possible to pool funds for hiring seasonal field crews to work in all of the preserves. “This allows us to have more people out doing trail work than we normally would have,” she says, making it possible to complete another hiking trail this summer.
Muriel Hendrix is a freelance writer living in Bath.