The Cape Elizabeth Land Trust  maintains five photo monitoring stations to enable citizen science monitoring of environmental changes in our local ecosystems. Through these locations and accompanying education programs, we hope to foster climate change literacy, scientific engagement, and connections to nature in our community. This project began in 2021 with financial support from the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership.

CELT is part of the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative Climate Change Observatory Network , a photo monitoring program designed to work with environmental organizations and communities to assist with the observation, measurement and documentation of long‐term climate change trends and climate adaptation projects. 

Cape Elizabeth Land Trust

Comprised of a large field, a few pine trees, and a cluster of shrubbery, Town Farm  is one of the largest public open spaces in Cape Elizabeth. It sits on a slope overlooking the Spurwink River and marsh system. Most of the field is lined with brushy forest, aside from this location, which provides a scenic outlook towards the marsh.

In the summer, the field fills with wildflowers and other native plants creating a natural, healthy habitat for grassland birds and pollinators. Photos taken at this observation site will help to monitor seasonal patterns in plant life as well as tidal patterns in the marsh.

Town Farm is owned and managed by the Town of Cape Elizabeth  and protected by a conservation easement held by Cape Elizabeth Land Trust.

VOLUNTEER: CELT welcomes Volunteers! Learn more here  on ways you can get involved.

NEWS & EVENTS: Keep up to date with CELT news  and join us at our events . 

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Town Farm Spurwink River

The Robinsons Woods preserve  is one of the largest pieces of protected land in Cape Elizabeth. The property reaches from the sea inland, including 197 acres of lush protected forest. The forest consists of rocky, uneven terrain filled with white pine, red oak, hemlock trees, fern groves, wetlands, mosses, and more, providing the town 3 miles of all-season public access trails. 

Throughout the year, the forest is beaming with plant and animal life. Located on the Wildflower Trail, this ecosystem is home to amphibians, aquatic plants, a diverse array of trees, and wetland. Photos taken at this observation site will allow the community to monitor a more sensitive corner of the woods and document how the organisms and ecosystem change seasonally and as climate change persists. 

VOLUNTEER: CELT welcomes Volunteers! Learn more here  on ways you can get involved.

NEWS & EVENTS: Keep up to date with CELT news  and join us at our events .

The Robinsons Woods Preserve is owned, managed, and conserved by the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust.

Robinson Woods

The trail bridge crosses the Spurwink Marsh as a connector between the Town Center Trail  and the Gull Crest trail  system. The roughly 200-yard span provides a connector between the Town Center Trail and the Gull Crest trail system as well as a close-up view of a tidal salt marsh ecosystem.

From this central lookout point, the marsh stretches east towards Cape Elizabeth High School and west towards Spurwink Marsh and the Town Farm field. The river rises and falls with the tides and is surrounded by salt hay and cattails. Photos taken at this observation site from the bridge will be used to monitor seasonal change in the ecosystem and capture marsh migration as sea levels rise in the coming years.

Learn More about what impacts will sea level rise have on marshes, conserved lands, marine resources, and other nearshore resources.   

This bridge is owned and managed by the Town of Cape Elizabeth as a connector between the Town Center Trail and the Gull Crest trail system.

*In 2022 there is a gap in the time lapse photos due to maintenance of the bridge , which was finalized May 2023.

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Spurwink Marsh Trail Bridge

Runaway Farm provides habitat in Cape Elizabeth for the New England Cottontail rabbit, which is endangered in the state of Maine. The forest and field areas with low brush give these rabbits several opportunities to make their homes. Bees, butterflies, and other insects are common in this area, as well as a wide variety of birds, thanks to the lush landscape available onsite.

Photos taken at this observatory site will help to demonstrate what the habitat for New England Cottontails looks like in all four seasons. Conservation efforts are taking shape across the state with research on how to best ensure their protection, so monitoring the habitat they reside in is of utmost importance.

In addition to seasonal changes, this observatory site will capture the ongoing efforts toward stronger ecosystem health of the overall property. When the cottontails were first discovered here, much of the vegetation was dominated by invasive species. CELT has been working to usher the ecosystem toward more native species and richer biodiversity, in both the forested and open field areas. Photos captured here will provide a valuable dataset for future research and reference.

LEARN MORE: This area is owned and protected by Cape Elizabeth Land Trust. 

VOLUNTEER: CELT welcomes Volunteers! Learn more here on ways you can get involved.

NEWS & EVENTS: Keep up to date with CELT news and join us at our events.

Runaway Farm

Pond Cove is a quaint rock beach on the right side of Shore Road in Cape Elizabeth, ME. The cove is about 100 yards long and is home to large tide pools at low tide and large waves at high tide. This ecosystem is teeming with life, including a thick bed of rockweed, lots of marine organisms, and visiting waterfowl. 

A 2015 report from Casco Bay Estuary Partnership identified Pond Cove as one of two sections of Cape Elizabeth's rocky coast that are most likely to impacted by rising sea levels. Photos taken at this observation site will help to document changes in tidal patterns as well as the ripple effects of those changes. In particular, this post will help record changes to habitat, such as marsh migration.  

The section of Pond Cove adjecent to Shore Road is owned and protected by Cape Elizabeth Land Trust as part of Robinson Woods Preserve.   

NEWS & EVENTS: Keep up to date with CELT news  and join us at our events .

[UPDATE - the post was moved to a new nearby location and re-launched in late 2022]. 

Cape Elizabeth Land Trust

Maine

5 chronologs managed by Cape Elizabeth Land Trust

Town Farm Spurwink River

Robinson Woods

Spurwink Marsh Trail Bridge

Runaway Farm

Pond Cove

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