North Yarmouth Parks

01/15/2026

After reading some comments on other pages, it appears there is confusion about the Knight’s Pond Preserve project. We’d like to clear up some of the misinformation. We take our responsibility to the town, the taxpayers, and the environment very seriously. We want to be clear about our objectives for this heavily used and highly valued preserve.

1. The platform we are proposing is quite small (size TBD by the state) and will not go out into the water. The location is close to the town line intersection where the trail from the North Yarmouth Village meets up. Please see map. We have never had any intention of putting a platform at the northern end of the pond.

Does it look out over some stumps and grasses? Yes. It is already a great place to view wildlife or just find some solitude. We want to enhance it with a platform which will also keep people from disturbing the wetlands that are home to many animals.

2. As stated previously, our objective is to build a solid trail through this newly acquired property so people can walk a loop around the entire pond. Many people have asked for that and it increases the recreational value of the property even more. Yes, there is a trail of sorts through that end of the pond right now but it goes through a very wet area. It’s not suitable for many reasons, including: A. Wet trails tend to get wider & wider as people try to avoid getting their feet wet. B. The habitat where the current trail goes has not been studied so it’s unknown if there is any plant or wildlife habitat is currently being disturbed. C. Wet trails can produce muddy runoff into the pond.

The actual location of the finished trail is entirely up to the state. We understand the importance of the wetlands designation which is why we started this process. It seems highly likely that if this trail is approved it will go further up into slightly higher terrain and further away from the water. There are still some very wet spots in that area and we will continue to work with the state to determine the best place to traverse it with the smallest possible impact.

3. If we get approval to build a trail, we will then seek grants to offset the cost of the materials we would need. Cumberland and North Yarmouth both have talented and dedicated volunteers who will build the trail to whatever specifications are required. These same respected volunteers have put in a tremendous amount of work to build and maintain other trails at Knight’s Pond. We look forward to further collaboration with our deep appreciation for the work they do to provide recreational access to Knight’s Pond.

Please let the North Yarmouth Parks Committee know if you have further questions or concerns.
[email protected]

North Yarmouth, Maine
Cumberland & North Yarmouth Residents 🏘

01/15/2026

We would like to express our most sincere thanks to Royal River Conservation Trust once again! They wanted some chainsaw practice and we needed two big trees cut that had fallen across Village Center Trail. Voila! The trail is open again!

01/11/2026

Knight’s Pond Update

We are pleased to present an update on the property at Knight’s Pond which was purchased by the town of North Yarmouth in 2024.

For background:
Knight’s Pond Preserve was developed in 2015 with a cooperative agreement between the towns of Cumberland & North Yarmouth. A Joint Standing Committee with representatives from both towns oversees the management of the preserve, with conservation easements for the property held by Royal River Conservation Trust and the Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust. Ongoing funding of the preserve comes from both towns.

In 2024, North Yarmouth purchased additional land, including substantial wetlands, to expand the preserve’s acreage to approximately 334 acres. This acquisition allowed the Joint Standing Committee to explore options for the long-desired goal of developing a loop trail around Knight’s Pond.

Update:
Since 2024, the North Yarmouth Parks Committee has been working with the town engineer and representatives from the Maine DEP and Maine IF & W to begin the process of developing a trail through the new property. After walking the land, the state determined that further research was required before a trail could be approved. We are now beginning that process. Most recently, with support of the Joint Standing Committee, the Town of North Yarmouth hired the state-required wetland scientist to determine the lowest impact location through the wetland area.

The Parks Committee is optimistic that this process will result in the approval of a trail that will enable preserve users to circumnavigate Knight’s Pond for the first time since the preserve was developed over 10 years ago. While working through this process, we are investigating grant opportunities to cover costs for the anticipated trail development and maintenance. We expect the actual construction of the required walkways and bridging will be done by volunteers from both towns.

We will provide updates as this process continues.

12/26/2025

North Yarmouth Waste Reduction Committee

12/26/2025

Thank You North Yarmouth Public Works ❄️🎄

11/12/2025

Looking out toward Chandler Brook Preserve this evening. Wow!

11/05/2025

It is deer hunting season. Please be safe and wear orange (and your dogs, too!) when walking in the parks where hunting is allowed:

-Old Town House Park - by permission only
-Eleanor Hayes Town Forest - popular hunting area. Recreational users should consider using a different park this time of year.
-Chandler Brook Preserve
-Ristich Trail
-Knight’s Pond

11/01/2025

https://www.pressherald.com/?p=7524076&uuid=c1028d7c-c652-46b6-9fd4-9b0eaa7f670c&lid=179779

After discovering the infestation a month ago, the town acted fast to remove the dying trees in Baston Park. Thanks to a wood bank, the wood will see use.

10/29/2025

Our friends at Royal River Conservation Trust continue to support North Yarmouth. We are grateful for their support and presence in our community.

10/23/2025

To be clear: We did not post this particular sign in our parks, but we agree with the message. You will be seeing new signs on the park kiosks that outline our park regulations.

10/15/2025

Baston Park will be undergoing some work this fall to remove about 40 ash trees infested by the insect.

10/14/2025

The North Yarmouth Parks Committee is devastated to announce that the ash trees in Baston Park on Rt 9 bordering the Royal River have been heavily infested by the Emerald Ash Borer. The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a highly invasive small wood-boring beetle from Asia. EAB attacks our native ash trees (not mountain ash) in large numbers, tunneling through the conductive tissue and cutting off the flow of water and nutrients - killing the trees in three to five years.

For public safety, every ash tree in Baston Park must be cut down as they are dying and cannot be saved. Sadly, that means that the majority of trees in the park will soon be gone and the park will look vastly different.

The Maine Forest Service has recommended that the wood should not be used for firewood but it can be chipped and brought to a biomass facility for energy generation. N Yarmouth Public Works will be cutting and chipping the trees.

Baston Park will be closed while the wood is being processed.

Seeds from the flowering trees will be collected by Royal River Conservation Trust and shared with Wild Seed Project to be planted in the future.

The Parks Committee is investigating options for planting new trees in the park and will monitor all our town parks for signs of infestation. We recommend that everyone who has ash trees on their property check for signs of the EAB. If caught early enough, the trees can be treated.

For information on identification of ash trees and details about the EAB, please visit:

DACF Home → Bureaus & Programs → Maine Forest Service → About Us → Forest Health & Monitoring → Invasive Threats to Maine's Forests and Trees