Ice Pond

Located on Seashore Road in the Northeast area of Peaks Island, the Ice Pond property was acquired by PILP, partially through fund raising efforts, from William and Melissa Bunton in December 2014. The City of Portland has an easement which allows for water to be withdrawn from the pond for the purpose of firefighting. The dam that impounds the pond and regulates outflow was rebuilt in 2018.

The Ice Pond itself is a relatively small, man-made impoundment. A small brook flows onto the property from the southwest corner of the parcel and discharges to the Ice Pond. The watercourse path diverges flowing east under Seashore Avenue as well as south into an emergent and scrub-shrub wetland complex on the property.  

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Highlights of this preserve include:

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·      A group of islanders have been working to rewild the Ice Pond property since 2022. The area was overrun by invasives; this group has worked diligently to plant native plants, flowers, trees and shrubs to encourage pollinators to populate this area once again. New plantings include dogwood, bayberry, elderberry, blackberry, swamp milkweed, Joe Pye weed, Cranesbill geranium, Northern blue flag iris, blue vervain, New England aster, and many others. Visitors are welcome here, but it’s vital to the health of this area to leave the flowers and berries for our native pollinators .

·       The Ice Pond is a small waterbody that provides habitat for a variety of species. The presence of fish within the pond creates a food source for many waterfowl species.

·       There is a wide variety of birds and wildlife on this parcel.

·       It is used for ice skating in the winter months.