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Foggy Forest Scene
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Riverfront Woods Preserve

Sipuhsisuwi Kcihq

Riverfront Woods Preserve

Sipuhsisuwi Kcihq

Property Description

At 50 acres, Riverfront Woods Preserve delivers a surprisingly remote experience for being only minutes from Yarmouth’s Village. The property is notable for its vernal pools which provide critical breeding habitat for amphibians, including spotted salamanders and wood frogs. Visit the property just after the ice has melted off the vernal pools to be treated with a chorus of wood frogs. A few weeks later in the spring, visit again to see the salamander and wood frog egg masses maturing. Other wildlife viewing opportunities are abundant: porcupines frequent the hemlock and poplar trees; waterfowl, woodpeckers, and warblers are abundant in and around the beaver meadows; and otter and fisher tracks can be found along the banks of the river. The property can be accessed from a parking lot at the end of Riverfront Dr. or by canoe or kayak from the Royal River. Except for some beaver meadow and an open power-line right-of-way the property is completely forested.

Trail Description

Trail Description: (Conditions noted Fall 2025) Trail conditions vary seasonally. The main trail, named Kci-awtossis, extends from the parking lot to the Royal River and has been designed for increased accessibility. This trail has minimal slopes, a hard pack gravel surface, and minimal (less than 2-inch) lips onto boardwalks and bridges. The first third of a mile of trail is 4-feet wide, with 5-foot passing areas approximately every 200 feet. At a quarter of a mile from the parking lot there’s a railroad crossing which, although inactive, still has the rails in place. The gaps between the rails have been filled with asphalt but still contain gaps and depressions. After the railroad tracks, the trail widens to 5-feet with gravel surfacing and minimal slopes that extend to the river.Side trails are narrow, mostly unimproved, and have very uneven trail treads. These trails contain several wetland boardwalks

Maps & Media

  • Youtube
  • Youtube
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Allowed Uses

Hiking

Ski

Fishing

bowhunting (By permit only. All hunters must be registered at the Town Hall. Please call 846-9036 for an appointment. All hunting prohibited by deed on the Barker parcel.)

Prohibited Uses

No dogs

No biking

No motorized vehicles

Cultural Interpretation & Wabanaki Heritage

In 2025, local groups worked with members of the Passamaquoddy tribe to create and install interpretive signs honoring Wabanaki culture and the Passamaquoddy/Maliseet language. Details on the project can be found below.

Interpretive Signs

1
Ckuwaponahki Signs - Long History_page-0001
3 Toqonastoq (Hemlock) Sanctuary_page-0001
Ckuwaponahki Signs - Vernal Pools_page-0001
Ckuwaponahki Signs - Beavers_page-0001
Ckuwaponahki Signs - Shifting Perspectives_page-0001
Ckuwaponahki Signs - Following the Seasons_page-0001
Ckuwaponahki Signs - Village Life_page-0001
Ckuwaponahki Signs - Riverlife_page-0001

Project acknowledgement

This Interpretive Sign Project is a collaboration with our Ckuwaponahki (also referred to as Wabanaki) partners and neighbors to share their culture and connection to the land.Thank you to all the local groups that made this project a reality including Yarmouth Rotary Club of Yarmouth, Yarmouth Community Alliance for Racial Equity (YCARE) Indigenous Awareness Group (YIAG), and the Town of Yarmouth.A special thank you to Dwayne Tomah, Language Keeper and member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe and Director and Curator of the Sipayik Museum, for contributing knowledge, translations, and for narrating the audio for the project.A huge thank you to Norma “Randi” Marshall, member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, for contributing knowledge and producing the beautiful artwork for the signs.

Additional Contributors:

Neqotkuk Drummers (vocals

and drums),

Rolfe Richter (flute),

Donald Soctomah (territory map).

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