Mèmak Preserve
Description
The 46-acre Mèmak Preserve, established in 2020, is located amidst a mature woods filled with a diverse mix of red oak, mature white pine, hemlock, beech, red pine, birch, and maple trees that host woodpeckers, Pine Siskins, Red Crossbills, Nuthatches, Tufted Titmouses, and warblers. Few forest stands of this quality exist in Cumberland County.
78 Lufkin Road, North Yarmouth
1.0 mile
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Across the powerlines from the preserve is the Deer Brook parcel which is covered by an RRCT-held conservation easement. No trails exist to, or within, the majestic forest of the Deer Brook parcel. It is reserved for the adventurous seeking off-trail exploration after crossing the raspberries and brambles of the powerline.
From the 78 Lufkin Road parking lot, follow either the snowmobile trail or the hiking/biking trail. The trail network includes a one-mile “lollipop” loop trail (for walking and biking) with spurs connecting to neighborhoods, powerlines, and shorter loops.
The land comprising Mèmak Preserve was donated to RRCT in 2020 by the Ed and Joyce Gervais Family which acquired the land through the purchase of various parcels through time. The largest of these parcels was owned by Ursula and Lee Baier whose family has a deep relationship in North Yarmouth. The Baier Family granted the conservation easement governing the use of the Deer Brook parcel to one of RRCT’s predecessor organizations, the North Yarmouth Land Trust.
Permitted: Biking, foraging, hiking, hunting (with extreme caution due to growing number of nearby residences), and snowmobiling. Dogs (on leash or under voice control – leash only near parking, residences, and paved roads), leaving no evidence of their visit.
Not Permitted: Fires, hunting on the Deer Brook parcel (across the powerlines from Mèmak Preserve), and smoking.
Required: Wearing of orange during all hunting seasons and adherence to postings on private abutting land.
Royal River Conservation Trust protects and stewards properties, including Mèmak Preserve, located within the traditional homelands of the Wabanaki. We strive to ensure that our properties are inclusive and accessible and provide opportunities for healing, education, and respite.
The preserve derives its name from the Wabanaki word for Pileated Woodpeckers which are associated with luck and friendship.
The mature woods are surrounded by mossy stone walls with trails for family-friendly walking and mountain biking. Blueberries, mushrooms, and wildflowers are scattered on the forest floor. A snowmobile trail creates year-round connections to Route 115 near the Gray-North Yarmouth town line.
Habitat
The northern slopes of Walnut Hill, which host Mèmak Preserve, drain toward Deer Brook and thereafter to the Royal. The area’s ecology is unique to the watershed as underground gravel deposits provide excellent drainage thereby promoting one of the more diverse forests in the watershed. While the edges of the preserve were recently harvested, most of the preserve has had no timber harvest for more than fifty years, resulting in mature trees supporting a diversity of bird life and wildlife. Across the powerline, the Deer Brook parcel contains equally old, mature and diverse forests although with steeper slopes and wetter soils, thus dominated by hemlock and mature birch. The short stretch of Deer Brook hosts small quantities of mossy shoreline and wild trout, and is mapped (with various small tributaries) by Maine DIFW as Inland Wading Bird and Waterfowl Habitat.
Management Plan
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Mèmak Preserve
The 46-acre Mèmak Preserve, established in 2020, is located amidst a mature woods filled with a diverse mix of red oak, mature white pine, hemlock, beech, red pine, birch, and maple trees that host woodpeckers, Pine Siskins, Red Crossbills, Nuthatches, Tufted Titmouses, and warblers. Few forest stands of this quality exist in Cumberland County.