The new walkway at Sprague Pond Preserve in Phippsburg. Contributed photo
After a year of planning and permitting, the Phippsburg Land Trust has replaced the wooden walkway across North Creek at the Sprague Pond Preserve in central Phippsburg and replaces it with a 200-foot-long 4-foot-wide raised boardwalk designed and constructed by the Great Northern Docks Co. of Naples.
Trails at the preserve, which had been closed for two weeks while construction was underway, have been reopened.
A news release from the trust states: “When the final portions of the walkway are installed in early August, the new path will benefit walkers by ensuring year-round, reliable access to Sprague Pond Preserve trails. The walkway also minimizes future upkeep needs for the volunteer staff of the Land Trust. The new crossing will have a much lower environmental impact on North Creek.
“Crossing North Creek is essential to reaching Sprague Pond, regularly visited by walkers, fishermen, and those seeking a place to cool off in summer. Sprague Pond is a spring-fed pond with no inlets and only a small seasonal outflow. The pond provides challenging year-round fishing and is a highlight of a loop trail crossing the Basin Preserve, held by The Nature Conservancy of Maine, and the Phippsburg Land Trust’s 110-acre Sprague Pond Preserve.”
The initial 46 acres of the Sprague Pond Preserve were donated to the Phippsburg Land Trust in 1995 by Bill Lowell and Bob and Mary Ellen Cummings, and included lands on the north end of Sprague Pond. In 2003-2004, with the help of a Land for Maine’s Future grant, 64 acres for the Sprague Pond Preserve was purchased from Truman and Gail Roberts on the southern side of Sprague Pond, along with the parking area on Route 209 and the access path to North Creek. A small addition to the parking lot was purchased from the Luedee family in 2006.
Funds raised for the Sprague Pond Preserve but not spent in the acquisition were set aside to be used for stewardship of the preserve and were used to support the new crossing.
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