RRCT Appoints Chris Franklin as Executive Director! Learn more here.

Protecting the Royal River for current and future generations

GET INVOLVED.

Protecting the Royal River for current and future generations

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO GET INVOLVED.

who we are

Royal River Conservation Trust (RRCT) is a Southern Maine land trust focused on conserving land across the communities of the watershed.

Founded in 1988, the Trust protects and stewards land through acquisition, conservation easements and other legal agreements, and collaboration with a wide range of conservation partners. RRCT's work is made possible almost exclusively by charitable gifts.

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OUR IMPACT

6,000+ ACRES OF LAND PROTECTED
7+ MILES OF RIVER SHORELINE MANAGED
25 MILES OF TRAILS STEWARDED

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Make a gift

Make a gift to protect our watershed

Your gift to Royal River Conservation Trust protects and stewards fields, forests, farmland, wetlands, and trails throughout the Royal River watershed.

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EXPLORE

Explore our watershed

All Royal River Conservation Trust preserves possess their own unique characteristics and are open to the public free of charge year-round.

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VOLUNTEER

Volunteer to protect our watershed

Volunteers established Royal River Conservation Trust in 1988 and continue to be vital to our operations. We are always looking for talented people to help advance our mission.

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Trails, preserves, and farms

Explore the waters and lands of the watershed.  

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Photo Credit Kristel Hayes

Interested in becoming a volunteer?

Volunteers established RRCT in 1988 and continue to be vital to its operations. From trail stewards and committee members, to special event supporters and Board Directors, the Trust welcomes community involvement and wants to hear from you.

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What’s new

Read more about our recent projects.

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Upcoming Events

Get Out! Nature Walk: Winter Wildlife Tracking
Feb 26, 2025

Wednesday, February 26, 2024 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Location: Farwell Forest, Cumberland. Please park at the very end of Greely Road Extension if there is room and be sure not to block driveways to houses. Since parking is limited, please carpool if possible. If this small parking area fills, we can shuttle some people from the main Knight’s Pond parking lot.

Curriculum: Animal signs and tracking/trailing

Have you been seeing animal tracks in the snow and been curious about what critter made them? Join us and a Maine Master Naturalist to explore this property adjacent to Knight’s Pond to learn how to identify signs of wildlife in our local forests. The snow should give us good opportunities to investigate animal tracks, trails, burrows, and other indicators of wild creatures.

“Never forget the trail, look ever for the track in the snow; it is the priceless, unimpeachable record of the creature’s life and thought, in the oldest writing known on the earth.” ~Ernest Thompson Seton

Naturalist: Karen Bruder

Get Out! Nature Walks

These Get Out! Nature Walks are volunteer-led regular trips with trained master naturalists. Join us for a well-planned, no-cost, guided adventure. Monthly on the fourth Wednesday; always free; rain, snow, or shine. Jointly offered by both RRCT and the Chebeague and Cumberland Land Trust, the walks take place at preserves in the towns of Chebeague Island, Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Pownal, New Gloucester, and Durham. Our curriculum is targeted at adults and engaged youth. Because the purpose is nature observation, we ask that dogs do not join us. Email CCLT with any questions.

*Photography and Filming Note: Your attendance at RRCT events may be photographed or filmed and your attendance indicates consent to have any images or footage featuring you at the event to be used for RRCT-related materials and outreach. Should images or footage appear in marketing materials that you don’t wish to be featured in, you must notify RRCT at Info@RRCT.org and RRCT will cease to further use your image or footage for any new materials going forward.

Get Out! Nature Walk: Signs of Spring

Spear Farm Estuary Preserve

445 Bayview Street, Yarmouth

Mar 26, 2025

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Location: Spear Farm Estuary Preserve, 445 Bayview Street, Yarmouth

Curriculum: Join us to search for signs of life after a long period of dormancy and hibernation.

Naturalist: Karen Massey

Get Out! Nature Walks

These Get Out! Nature Walks are volunteer-led regular trips with trained master naturalists. Join us for a well-planned, no-cost, guided adventure. Monthly on the fourth Wednesday; always free; rain, snow, or shine. Jointly offered by both RRCT and the Chebeague and Cumberland Land Trust, the walks take place at preserves in the towns of Chebeague Island, Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Pownal, New Gloucester, and Durham. Our curriculum is targeted at adults and engaged youth. Because the purpose is nature observation, we ask that dogs do not join us. Email CCLT with any questions.

*Photography and Filming Note: Your attendance at RRCT events may be photographed or filmed and your attendance indicates consent to have any images or footage featuring you at the event to be used for RRCT-related materials and outreach. Should images or footage appear in marketing materials that you don’t wish to be featured in, you must notify RRCT at Info@RRCT.org and RRCT will cease to further use your image or footage for any new materials going forward.

Get Out! Nature Walk: Vernal Pools

Riverfront Woods Preserve

At the end of Riverfront Drive, Yarmouth

Apr 23, 2025

April 23, 2025 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Location: Riverfront Woods Preserve, Yarmouth

Curriculum: Explore the magic of vernal pools—temporary bodies of water in the woods that provide critical habitat for a wealth of amphibian life. We will get a close-up look at egg masses and other evidence of frogs and salamanders.

Naturalist: Beth Sturtevant

Get Out! Nature Walks

These Get Out! Nature Walks are volunteer-led regular trips with trained master naturalists. Join us for a well-planned, no-cost, guided adventure. Monthly on the fourth Wednesday; always free; rain, snow, or shine. Jointly offered by both RRCT and the Chebeague and Cumberland Land Trust, the walks take place at preserves in the towns of Chebeague Island, Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, Pownal, New Gloucester, and Durham. Our curriculum is targeted at adults and engaged youth. Because the purpose is nature observation, we ask that dogs do not join us. Email CCLT with any questions.

*Photography and Filming Note: Your attendance at RRCT events may be photographed or filmed and your attendance indicates consent to have any images or footage featuring you at the event to be used for RRCT-related materials and outreach. Should images or footage appear in marketing materials that you don’t wish to be featured in, you must notify RRCT at Info@RRCT.org and RRCT will cease to further use your image or footage for any new materials going forward.

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