Our founders were visionaries. 80 years ago they saw the benefits of creating a place where Maine kids and adults with disabilities could experience no barriers on North Pond. They could have had just that one vision. But they saw more. Their vision included a commitment to stewardship of our land and waterfront. 

Pine Tree Camp gives people with disabilities a unique opportunity to experience the outdoors in a way that is typically not easily accessible to them. The services we provide are unique and having 285 acres of land and a mile of waterfront to support that mission is rare. 

We recognize that our beautiful, barrier-free campus is an incredible asset to our organization and work hard to ensure we are managing it properly.

Conservation

– Property size: 285 acres 

– Size of occupied areas: 15% 

– Open spaces: 85% 

Pine Tree Camp is in a rustic location but our infrastructure is anything but rustic.

– We have a long-term plan to manage our woods, land and waterfront with clearly defined goals and objectives

– We operate a state of the art sewer system that is sized to meet expanded capacity

– We are an award-winning, working Tree Farm: In fact, our property has been under a written forest management plan since 1979. We achieved Maine Tree Farm status in 1993 and were honored as Maine’s 2016 Tree Farm of the Year.

– Abundant fields are kept in their natural state supporting wildlife

– One mile of waterfront and a commitment to good practices to keep North Pond clean 

Maintaining and protecting the water quality of North Pond is an important component of our plan. Continuous improvements to prevent runoff and erosion include: 

– Rain gardens

– Drainage systems

– Creating a new swale

– Planting trees

– Adding buffer plantings

– Ditching

– Replacing culverts

– Crowning the access road

The Vision for North Pond 

North Pond is experiencing a significant algae bloom due to increasing phosphorus levels. The North Pond Watershed Based Plan, approved by the EPA in 2023, recommends a combination of erosion control work and an alum treatment to break the cycle of blooms on the lake. 

Fundraising is currently underway to achieve these goals.

As the largest landowner on North Pond, we are an active member of 7 Lakes Alliance and North Pond Association and have opened our property to scientists who are monitoring and planning the alum treatment for the watershed. 

We are also in the unique position to educate campers and their families about stewardship and ecology through instilling an understanding of why the restoration of North Pond is so important.

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