Menotomy Preserve

Preserve

Public Access
Trails
Trailhead

September 27, 2012

The Menotomy Preserve is a 90-acre forested preserve in Fryeburg at the end of Menotomy Road. The land was generously donated to USVLT by Laura Burt and Steven Burt of San Antonio Texas, on behalf of their father Howard Burt and his wife Penny Burt, on July 5th, 2022. Speaking on behalf of the family, Laura Burt said of the donation, "We are delighted with USVLT's plans for the property, the legacy of Howard and Penny Burt. They truly enjoyed their last 20 summers in Maine, where Howard loved wandering the woods and Penny thoroughly adored the Fryeburg Fair. This same property had previously been protected by a Conservation Easement that was acquired by USVLT on September 27, 2012, and that Conservation Easement remains in place. The 2012 Conservation Easement on the property is held by USVLT in partnership with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and the Maine Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. The preserve is located in Maine’s Upper Saco River Focus Area, an area of statewide ecological significance as designated by the State of Maine’s ‘Beginning with Habitat’ program, as well as within USVLT’s ‘Kezar Pond/Mt Tom’ Focus area, per the 2011 Strategic Conservation Plan.

Natural Resource Values

Thirty acres of Silver Maple Floodplain Forest, a state rare and exemplary natural ‘forested wetland’ community
Sixty acres of upland forest, a healthy second-growth mixed coniferous and hardwood forest
Approximately 2,833 feet of scenic, undeveloped riverbank along the Saco River. This protects habitat for rare, threatened, and endangered species as well as the water quality of the Saco River, which provides drinking water for roughly 250,000 people throughout its watershed
Approximately 3,000 feet of road frontage on Menotomy Road that provides scenic, undeveloped forested views to the public
A number of small, intermittent streams
Approximately 1 acre of Farmland Soils of Statewide Importance
Approximately 42.5 acres of soils in high productivity categories (Group 1) for forest products, as determined by the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Habitat for inland wading birds and waterfowl, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Habitat for beavers, moose, deer, turkey, and much more

Public Access

A downloadable map of the preserve is available HERE.
Access is open to the public for low impact outdoor recreation and nature study, such as hunting, fishing, foraging, and the quiet enjoyment of nature
No motorized vehicles, ATVs, or snowmobiles are permitted on the property
There are no trails on the property at this time, but we are working hard on a new trail for hiking, skiing, and/or snowshoeing
USVLT plans to build a small parking lot and trailhead on the north side of Menotomy Road at the location mapped below. Please be patient as we make these improvements

Directions

From Fryeburg village, head northeast on Main Street/Route 302 E toward Bridgton. After approximately 2 miles, turn left onto Menotomy Road. Continue 2.8 miles until the paved portion of Menotomy Road ends. A small parking area on the north side of the road is the best place to park. Local snowplows also use this parking area as a turnaround, so please be courteous and do not park here during snow events.