Brunswick – Freeport Conservation Corridor

The broad corridor along Brunswick’s Pleasant Hill Road is important regionally for its large blocks of unfragmented forest and prime farmland. Our focus area includes much of the Bunganuc Stream watershed and many active and historic farms including Crystal Spring Farm, Granite Farm, Larrabee Farm, Milkweed Farm, and others.

Two notable ecological features of this focus area are a rare Sandplain Grassland and exceptionally productive soils. Encircled by Pleasant Hill, Maquoit, and Woodside Roads are over one hundred acres of Little Bluestem-Lowbush Blueberry Sandplain Grassland. Fewer than 20 occurrences of this community type remain intact in Maine.  It is one of Maine’s rarest and most threatened natural community types because its well-drained soils make it optimal for many human uses.

Much of the farmland soil in this focus area is considered the best farming soil in Maine. In addition, much of this land is open fields – some already in active agriculture – making it a valuable resource for reestablishing working farms in the region.

This area’s assets include hiking trails (Crystal Spring Farm, owned by the Land Trust, has over 5 miles of all-season recreational trails), cold water streams, and significant aquifer, historic and scenic features.