YARMOUTH
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parks, recreation &
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Clipper Care Opportunities Town of Yarmouth Yarmouth Community Services YCS Clipper Care Jobs Job Descriptions: Clipper Care Substitute Counselor Click here to apply Interested applicants should send a letter of intent and resume to Mike Caron at YCS. Mike Caron Yarmouth Community Services 200 Main Street Yarmouth, ME. 04096 (207) 846-2406 mcaron@yarmouth.me.us The Town of Yarmouth is an EOE.

Family Valentine’s Dance TAKING A BREAK FOR 2026 POSSIBLY RETURNING 2027

July is Parks & Recreation Month! For nearly 40 years, Parks & Recreation Month has been celebrated in July to promote building strong, vibrant and resilient communities through the power of the local parks and recreation departments. In Yarmouth, we recognize the more than 85 full-time and part-time professionals - along with numerous volunteers - who maintain our town's parks, open spaces, trails, programs and special events! This year's theme "Where You Belong" identifies the many ways Yarmouth Parks, Recreation, and Community Services staff foster a sense of belonging in the community by providing and striving toward welcoming and inclusive programs, essential services for all ages and abilities, and safe, accessible spaces to build meaningful connections. Together, we demonstrate why these programs, events, and spaces are Where You Belong. Write us an email to let us know what we are doing well!

Camp SOCI Camp SOCI Counsins Street - Parking at Sandy Point Beach Across Cousins Street from the Sandy Point Beach parking lot entrance are steps and a path leading to Camp SOCI (Scouts Of Cousins Island), a small pleasant wooded parcel atop a high steep bluff. There is a grassy amphitheater in the center of the parcel (a good picnic spot) and a trail along the top edge of the high bluff overlooking the water. This trail runs through a mature red oak and pine stand, and looks across to the mainland at the former Homewood Inn site and Princes Point. There is a long, steep and narrow stairway leading down to the shore. At mid to low tide, it is possible to follow the shoreline north under the bridge to Sandy Point Beach. This property is recognized by birders as an important stopover for migratory songbirds. Please stay off the fragile, erodible bluff slopes. Back to Open Space Page CAMP SOCI MANAGEMENT PLAN A major goal of the Town’s Open Space Plan (2019) was to draft management plans for all the Town owned open spaces. Management plans serve as a useful tool to advise the Town on management and maintenance decisions within open spaces by: • Summarizing natural resources and recreational values of a property. • Summarizing current use, user conflicts, and existing deed or resource restrictions. • Offering guidance for stewardship and maintenance decisions. • Establishing guidelines for allowed and prohibited uses. The Parks & Lands Committee (PLC) worked on planning and drafting the management plan and reached a final draft of the plan to present to Council in October 2025. The sub committee, made up of residents, abutters, PLC members, and YCS staff, hosted site visits, sub committee meetings, and a public meeting at the Town Hall before presenting to Council..

Browntail Moth Caterpillar Treatments to Begin in Yarmouth View the PDF slide show. For more information: Maine CDC Browntail moth factsheet (PDF) | عربي | Français (PDF) | Kreyòl Ayisyen (PDF) | Lingala (PDF) | Português (PDF) | Soomaali (PDF) | Español (PDF) | Tiếng Việt (PDF) Maine's Forest Service - KNOCK OUT BROWNTAIL by the Maine Dept of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry ABOUT BROWNTAIL MOTH Browntail Moth caterpillars proliferate throughout Maine. The insect feeds on the leaves of many common hardwood trees and shrubs in Town. It has tiny barbed hairs that can cause a skin rash and respiratory difficulties, which can last anywhere from a few hours to several weeks. The tiny hairs break off the caterpillars and are everywhere in infested areas; on trees, lawns, gardens, decks, picnic tables, and in the air. The hairs can remain toxic for up to three years. Wind or activities like mowing or leaf blowing can stir up the hairs and cause a reaction for months, even after the caterpillars become moths. In spring and as soon as the earliest leaf buds open, Browntail Moth caterpillars feed on the leaves of many hardwood trees and shrubs including Oak, apple, crabapple, cherry, hawthorn, shadbush, serviceberry, and rugosa rose. Infestations can cause reduced growth and branch dieback. After a couple of years at high population levels, Browntail Moth caterpillars can cause the trees and shrubs to die. The caterpillars then form filmy cocoons between leaves on trees, under eaves, picnic tables, and decks. Adult moths emerge from their cocoons in late July and fly to the tops of trees to remain over the winter months. In the next spring, the process begins again. STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO AVOID BROWNTAIL MOTH The Town of Yarmouth does not spray insecticides on private or public lands for any insects— including Ticks, Mosquitos, or Browntail Moth Caterpillars. So residents and visitors should take steps to protect themselves. Options include: ● Learn to identify the Browntail Moth caterpillar: it is dark brown with a broken white stripe on each side and two conspicuous red spots on the back. It typically grows to 1.5 inches in length. In July and August, the Browntail Moth has snow-white wings and a tuft of dark brown hair on the tip of the abdomen. ● Wear long sleeves, pants, hats, and gloves in affected areas. ● Wash clothes and body after leaving infected areas. ● If you are at risk of respiratory complications, please make additional considerations. ● Avoid leaf piles and areas that have not been raked or blown. ● Contact your physician if you have contracted a severe rash. ● Maine Forest Service: (207) 287-2431 ● Maine Board of Pesticides Control: (207) 287-2731

Open Spaces Open Space, Conservation, & Trails Staff Contact: Erik Donohoe: edonohoe@yarmouth.me.us Parks & Lands Committee's Work Th e Parks and Lands Committee has a new Open Space Guide - it's all digital and has some great links for you to learn about our individual properties. Get out and explore Yarmouth's beautiful and unique open spaces. Download your copy of the Yarmouth Open Space Plan A subcommittee of the PLC worked for many months to gather information, host public meetings, and, with the help of NORTHSTAR Planning, completed the town's first Open Space Plan in 2019. Properties Pages Barker Preserve Camp SOCI Sandy Point Beach Fels-Grove Farm Preserve Frank Knight Forest Tinker Preserve Riverfront Woods Preserve Grist Mill Park Pratt's Brook Park Royal River Park Sligo Road Property Spear Farm Estuary Preserve Sweetsir Farm Preserve

Pratt's Brook Park Pratt's Brook Park 501 North Road At over 220 acres, this is Yarmouth’s largest park, with over 6 miles of hiking and cross-country skiing trails. Multiple loops through piney woods and open meadows, with bridges and other crossings over the many tributaries of Pratt’s Brook, offer great hiking, snowshoeing and exploring. Good bird watching sites include the open fields with bluebird boxes (North Road fields), stream-side overlooks, blueberry fields, and a beautiful rocky waterfall on the Otter Trail. With adequate snow there are groomed ski trails ranging from easy to moderately challenging with opportunities for wildlife observations, including a small active beaver pond, plentiful deer sign and barred and great horned owl calling at night. There is a small Disc Golf course located on the northwest side of the North Road parking lot. Use caution on your throws and do not trespass onto neighboring properties to retrieve your discs. The trail system is complex; maps can be printed from the Town’s website and are posted at the North Road and Berryfield Road trail entrances and many trail intersections. Trails are occasionally muddy and in spring and fall are prone to frost heaving. Mountain biking and other activities that could further damage the trails are prohibited. If you notice soft mud or rutting, please find a different trail to walk on to avoid trail damage. Directions There are three entrances to Pratt’s Brook Park: North Road, about 1.2 miles from East Main Street, on the right (or on the left, 0.1 mile south of the intersection of East Elm and North Road). This is a gated entrance with parking for about 30 cars. Berryfield Road, a side road off Granite Street just over a mile from the 4-way intersection with East Main Street (east of Transfer Station), with parking for four cars at the end of the road on the right. Ledge Road, about 1.2 miles from North Road or 0.4 mile from Granite Street, the entrance is about 150 feet east of Mountfort Road on the south side of the road, with parking on a wide soft shoulder for up to four cars. Special Notes Yarmouth has a pet clean-up rule. Make sure that you are prepared to clean up after your pet, ESPECIALLY where people walk or ski, and where children play. With your help we can keep our parks cleaner, more enjoyable for everyone and safer for wildlife. Please be alert for rail traffic if near the railroad, speeds may be high with the restoration of passenger service. Hunting is only allowed September, October, November and May, and requires a permit from Town Hall. Please use caution and wear blaze orange vests or headgear during hunting season. 2017 Pratt's Brook Management Plan Adopted by Town Council July 25, 2019 Aerial view of the Pratt's Brook Park Back to Open Space Page

Spear Farm Estuary Preserve Spear Farm Preserve 437 Bayview Street The Spear Farm Estuary Preserve is a scenic 55-acre property with diverse habitats, ranging from stately oaks and pine forest to the open salt marshes of the Royal River estuary, and a small freshwater pond with a fringing marsh. There is an excellent picnic spot and overlook on the pond’s northern shore. The property includes over two miles of trails perfect for walking, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. There are birding sites in the oak and pine stands, along the bluffs, the salt marsh edge, on the earthen dam, and the north end of the freshwater pond. Five interpretive signs stationed along the trail inform on aspects of the local ecology. Trails Just beyond the information kiosk the trail forks. The right branch crosses a meadow before entering high-canopy forest which extends along the crest of a bluff and offers views of the Royal River and associated salt marshes. It then turns to the left and comes to a “T” intersection above the freshwater pond. Bearing right leads to a clearing by the salt marsh and the pond’s earthen dam, where you can often see painted turtles on logs. Across the dam the trail loops around the east side of the pond along an apple orchard, to the north end of the pond where trails split right uphill and back to the parking area, or left along the pond to the overlook mentioned above. The open point is ideal for picnics, bird watching, or just peaceful contemplation. Although not maintained for ice skating, if the conditions are right it can make a pleasant afternoon. If you go to the left at the “T” junction near the pond, the trail slowly descends across a small freshwater marsh before coming to another trail junction. The trail to the right leads to the north end of the freshwater pond. If you head straight, the trail climbs uphill back to the parking area. Directions From Route 88 (Spring Street) turn southeast onto Bayview Street, cross the bridge over I-295, and go 0.9 mile to a small parking area on the right, set back from the road with a small barn and kiosk at the edge of the field. Special Notes Hunting is allowed by permit from Town Hall. No discharge of firearms is allowed within 300 feet of a home, road or trail. Wear blaze orange in season. Spear Farm 10 9 7 8 6 Show More Back to Open Space Page

West Side Trail information West Side Trail Map HELP US BRIDGE THE GAP $35,000 is needed to replace a Failing Bridge and Trail Dear Friends of the West Side Trail , We’re starting 2026 off with an urgent request to protect one of Yarmouth’s treasured community assets: the West Side Trail. We are currently more than half way towards our goal, but we must close the gap- ASAP! A rapidly failing stream bank has put a key section of the trail and bridge at risk of collapse and unless we act now, we may lose access to this beautiful corridor for an extended period of time. HERE'S THE SITUATION In 2023, our trail team noticed a crack forming down the center of the blue trail near the bridge just south of Gilman Road. What looked like a small issue has now become a serious threat. Over the last year, the streambank below the trail has eroded dramatically—carving out a 10-foot stretch of trail edge with a sudden 1—3-foot drop. The unstable soils are continuing to slump into the stream, and the bank is now compromised and may be too unstable to support the trail in a matter of 6 to 12 months. THE ROAD AHEAD Our engineering team reached a difficult but clear conclusion: this section of the streambank cannot be stabilized in a reliable, long-term way. The clay soils beneath the bank are simply too soft and too unstable. Continuing erosion could collapse the trail entirely and there is nowhere to relocate it as the other side of the trail is a steep embankment. The only safe, lasting solution is to build a new bridge that spans over the unstable area and connects to solid ground on both sides. This new bridge will: Span 85 feet over the eroding bank Be a safe 6 feet wide with railings Use helical piles anchored into stable soils Create a long-term, resilient crossing that protects the trail for decades to come Because stabilizing the streambank would require lengthy and expensive state and federal permits—delaying construction more than a year—we must pursue the bridge solution now. A new bridge is straightforward to permit and offers a permanent long-term solution. Waiting risks losing this section of the blue trail altogether. And timing is critical. Our contractor has a narrow window of availability this fall. If we can fund the project immediately, construction can begin between now and January 1st before winter storms accelerate erosion and make the trail unsafe or impassable. The total cost: $35,000. This covers the helical piles, bridge structure, railings, site preparation, and the removal of two diseased trees that currently threaten both the project area and nearby power lines. We are asking our trail users, neighbors, and community supporters to help us raise the full amount as quickly as possible so we can keep the West Side Trail open. The West Side Trail is part of what makes Yarmouth such a great place to live. It's used daily by walkers, trail runners, mountain bikers, dog owners, families, and visitors. Together, we can protect it. WILL YOU HELP US MEET THIS URGENT NEED? Your gift today will directly support the construction of the new bridge and ensure that the West Side Trail remains open for everyone who loves it. Thank you for caring about this special place. Sincerely, Dan Ostrye West Side Trail Coordinator A Trail Built by Community The West Side Trail exists because of the dedication of volunteers and the generosity of people who believe in accessible, safe, and beautiful outdoor spaces. Your support will help ensure that this treasured communlty resource remains open and safe for years to come. Thank you for being part of the West Side Trail community. DONATE TODAY It all started in the spring of 2024 when we noticed a small crack in the trail on the far side of the bridge. Cracks like this usually indicate one thing: slope failure, which is a significant concern. The stream erosion is located on the blue trail a few hundred yards from the upper Gilman Road trail crossing. The stream is also undercutting the bank opposite the slump, indicating that stream flows have changed. It is impossible to predict when and how the stream channel will shift in the next few years. But once we cleared the vegetation below the failure crack, we found that the bank had completely failed and slumped into the stream. Over the summer we undertook short term stabilization of the existing bridge. First by straightening the supports and re-leveling the bridge deck. Then, by installing pipe supports to carry the load until a permanent fix can be made. Bridge alignment looking south. There is ls about a foot and a half of elevation difference between the two ends of the bridge (but it looks like there's a lot more than that when you’re standing there).

Latchstring Park Task Force Working toward redesign and renovation of an important pocket park. Yarmouth is a town with a rich history of volunteerism and community engagement. We feel strongly that the Latchstring Park should be a place of pride in which to applaud these contributions. Transforming the park will create a beautiful, safe, and inviting environment for residents and visitors of all ages, while drawing more customers to local businesses. A gateway to Main Street and in the hub of the Upper Village, Latchstring Park will be an appealing green space, a safe passage between the residential and business districts, and our latchstring out gathering spot for visitors. Through hard work and public meetings, a simple park Concept Plan was created. Project Information: How to Give Vision and Goals Current Conditions Improving Aesthetics, Functionality, and Safety History and Progress of Latchstring Park Task Force Budget FAQs Letters of Support The Forecaster article, Jan 21, 2020 The Forecaster article, May 11, 2021 The entire document (as seen in all links above) DONATE ON-LINE Learn about our Latchstring Award View our Award Winners DONATE ON-LINE Latchstring Park Task Force Information Task Force Members: Susan Prescott , Jackie Schumacher , Linda Grant Landscape Architect: Josh Tompkins To make a donation toward the project: CREDIT CARD: Pay online at Town of Yarmouth, Municipay (a 2.65% fee will be added to your donation) CASH/CHECK: Make payable to: TOWN OF YARMOUTH Mail to/drop off at: Yarmouth Community Services Write in memo line: Latchstring Park 200 Main Street, Yarmouth, ME 04096

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