We are thrilled to announce that we have officially opened our Fuller Forest Preserve on Bartlett Road, marking the culmination of efforts to turn this 220-acre working forest into a publicly accessible nature preserve.
- For directions and a trail map, click here.
The property, which opened to visitors on December 19th, includes a 0.75-mile trail, vernal pools, streams, woodlands, a parking area and an educational kiosk. We plan to expand the trail system to extend more than 2 miles in the spring of 2021. We are eager to provide this new outlet for outdoor exploration, particularly given the rise in preserve visitation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are so pleased to be able to offer local residents a wonderful new preserve just in time for Christmas! I hope it will become a cherished community resource,” says Doreen MacGillis, Executive Director of York Land Trust.
In addition to offering public access to nature, the land continues to function as a working forest that is selectively harvested and managed to encourage a diversity of tree species and ages. We are also actively controlling invasive plant species to allow more native plants to grow, with the goal of improving the forest’s longterm health and enhancing habitat for birds and other wildlife.
This project has long been a conservation priority of the Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative (MtA2C), an effort to connect conserved lands in southern York County spanning from the Tatnic Hills in Wells to the coast of Kittery. The property abuts Kittery Land Trust’s (KLT) 170-acre Norton Preserve, which also neighbors KLT’s 50-acre Brave Boat Headwaters Preserve. Together, these properties link up with the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, and create a contiguous block of more than 1,300 acres of conserved land.
The Fuller Forest originally belonged to the late Henry Fuller and Marion Fuller Brown, who acquired it shortly after World War II along with Ram’s Head Farm on Southside Road. Marion was a co-founder of the York Land Trust in 1986 and worked as a member of the Maine House of Representatives and a leader in statewide, national and local conservation efforts until she passed away in 2011.
The project would not have been possible without generous support from the Fuller family, in addition to a $300,000 contribution from the Town of York and donations from other generous individuals and foundations. Due to Covid-19, we have postponed plans to host a celebratory public opening of the preserve until sometime in 2021 when it is safe to gather in larger groups.
Until then, we welcome you to check out the new Red Oak Trail and enjoy hiking at Fuller Forest Preserve!