Martin Point Wildlife Reserve
The 50-acre Martin Point Wildlife Reserve in Friendship, Maine is open to the public year-round for hiking, bird watching, and cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.
The Story of the Land
The reserve features undeveloped forests as well as wetlands, and pond and ocean frontage. Crystal Pond – created in the 1800’s to harvest ice, which was then shipped south on sailing ships which pulled up to the nearby shore – and Muscongus Bay bracket the forested reserve, with a rich interior filled with ferns, mosses, and interesting ledges.
The Martin Point Wildlife Reserve was opened to the public in 2013, when landowners Bob and Judy Zeitlin placed a conservation easement on their property. The Zeitlins asked the Land Trust to help maintain the network of trails they had established over the years and open them to the public. Thanks to their foresight in donating a conservation easement and trail access, along with a subsequent donation by an adjacent landowner, the Martin Point Wildlife Reserve will remain protected and open to the public in perpetuity.
“While it was the ocean and sailing that initially brought us to Friendship many years ago, we soon discovered the magical attraction of the forest area behind our home. We are happy to invite the public to share in the quiet beauty of this wonderfully diverse, pristine environment.” - Bob Zeitlin
What You Might See
The Martin Point Wildlife Reserve hosts a great diversity of habitat, from pond to wetlands to spruce forest to rocky coast. Reminiscent of offshore islands, moss carpeted spruce-fir forest covers most of the property, interspersed with pine, hardwoods, and small open areas where wild blueberry, blackberry, bayberry, ferns and other low lying vegetation are found; you may even spot some rare orchids.
Along the eastern edge lies Crystal Pond, with pickerelweed, water lilies, fish, frogs, and other flora and fauna that thrive in a healthy pond environment, including an industrious beaver family. The interior of the property is home to deer, fox, and an occasional moose as well as many smaller mammals such as chipmunks and red squirrels. If you walk quietly, you may even see a fisher—a secretive member of the weasel family.
Rich in birdlife, a variety of warblers breed here, such as northern parula, chestnut-sided, magnolia, yellow-rumped, black-throated green, black-and-white, and others. During the breeding season, the haunting, flute-like song of the hermit thrush can be heard, as well as the remarkably long and complex song of the winter wren. In the pond you may see great blue herons and other wetland birds, and in the sky, ospreys and bald eagles.
The western extremity of the Reserve is bounded by the shore of Muscongus Bay. Rocky shoreline and pebble beach characterize this portion of the reserve. Please respect landowner privacy and remain on the path as the beach is not open to the public.
Directions:
Martin Point Wildlife Reserve
Martin Point Rd.
Friendship, ME 04547
From Waldoboro: From the intersection of Main Street and Rt. 220, drive south approximately 9 miles then make a right turn onto Martin Point Road. Proceed for 2½ miles to the trailhead on the right.
From Bremen: Turn right in Friendship Village onto Route 220 North. In approximately half a mile take a left onto Martin Point Road. Proceed for 2½ miles to the trailhead on the right.
