Photo by Ed Friedman

Choice View Farm

Project Description

Choice View Farm, situated at the confluence of the Eastern and Kennebec rivers, provides panoramic views of upper Merrymeeting Bay that bring many a passerby on Route 128 to a standstill. Beyond the wide swath of hayfields, one can look out to Swan Island, Abbagadassett Point to the south, and the protected Green Point Farm property upstream. The 108 acres at Choice View Farm lie at the heart of an extraordinarily rich wildlife haven that provides essential habitat for numerous rare, endangered and threatened species of birds, fish and plants. “Few locations in Merrymeeting Bay,” says Molly Docherty of the Maine Natural Areas Program, “match the diversity and abundance of rare plants in this brief stretch of shoreline.”

Friends of Merrymeeting Bay coordinated the campaign to acquire Choice View Farm, then transferred the property to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to manage as part of its Steve Powell Wildlife Management Area (which includes nearby Swan Island). This acquisition was part of a broad effort to protect thousands of acres around Merrymeeting Bay and the Lower Kennebec, through the joint efforts of the Maine Wetlands Protection Coalition (an alliance of federal, state and private conservation entities).