Over the past decade, North Windham has become the commercial center of the Lakes Region. Development of the several-mile stretch seems endless. Just as one store opens up, so begins the construction of another closeby. However, right outside the heart of it all is an escape from the hustle and bustle: Chaffin Pond.
Chaffin Pond and the 123 acres surrounding it have been virtually untouched by the hand of commercial development. The Portland Water District and Windham Parks and Recreation Department are keeping it that way, and want to raise awareness of this verdant treasure in the town. The two organizations have teamed up and are now offering free guided tours of the area on several Wednesday mornings this summer.
The tour begins down a dirt road just next to Sherman Williams on Route 302, loops around the pond, and finishes where it started. The calls and songs of countless birds are there to greet you at the beginning of the hike. The pond looks like glass in the morning sun and a person can’t help but wonder how such a peaceful sight could be no more than a quarter mile from the busy highway.
Lynne Richard, an employee of the PWD for five years, was the guide on a hike around the pond Wednesday starting at 9 a.m. Richard possesses a wealth of knowledge of the plant and animal life of the area. She points out that the edge of the pond has the most diverse collection of ecosystems with life that either flourishes only on land, in water or both.
The path is lined with extensive plant life. Ferns abound along the path, sometimes with three different varieties within several feet of one another. The sweet fern, which flourishes in the sandy and gravely parts of the path, produces a lemon scent which, along with the pine and morning dew, makes the hike especially enjoyable. There are raspberry and blueberry bushes along the trail which make for a tasty snack stop. As you journey deeper into the woods, the temperature noticeably decreases. However, the sounds of construction can still be heard in the distance. One might think this would detract from the experience, however Richard disagrees.
“I like that juxtaposition in terms of a lesson for people,” she says.
As the hike continues, evidence of many different animal habitats appears – holes in the trees from hungry woodpeckers, flattened grass from a drowsy bear or moose and small trees gnawed to a point by busy beavers. There is an enormous beaver dam just off the trail. However it is currently invisible through the dense undergrowth.
Someday, Richard would like there to be public access to the dam. She also desires to inform people of the ten different ecosystems in the area. She explained, someday “I’d like there to be a sign or a kiosk describing each different (ecosystem).”
A great thing about the guided hikes is that there is no set schedule. Hikers can take time to stop and observe an animal in its habitat. Richard encourages traversing off the beaten path, perhaps to explore a bog or to get a better view of the pond. One fun sight is a red maple swamp. The swampy terrain did not accommodate several trees which have fallen and their massive root structures are now up in the air.
There are several points along the path where the ground becomes muddy and wet. This is a result from ATVs tearing up those portions of the trail. This is a major concern of the Portland Water District. Not only does it kill the plant life on the trail, Richards says, but it makes minerals and nutrients leak into the pond which causes a spike in algae growth, not to mention the inconvenience for those on foot. Ironically, it was likely ATV riders that created the path in the first place.
Toward the end of the hike lies one of the most amazing sights of all. An enormous tree stretches endlessly to the sky just near the edge of the pond. Richard explains that hundreds of years ago, that area may have been a sheep pasture. Farmers would plant just one or two trees for shade in the entire field, therefore there was no competition with other trees, and they could grow as far out and up as possible. Each limb of this “wolf pine” could be a mighty tree in itself. It is truly an amazing sight to behold. The trip ends where it began and lasts approximately an hour, although there is no restriction on its length.
The tours will continue through August and are scheduled for July 27 and Aug. 14 and 28 at 9 a.m. The path is open to the public in the fall and be accessed through the smaller gate located in the same place as where the tours begin. For more information, call the Windham Parks and Recreation Department at 892-1905.
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