Wells Reserve, Maine

Wells Reserve, Maine

Cultural History

The Gulf of Maine was first inhabited more than 11,000 years ago by Native Americans of the Wabanaki Nation. The Wabanaki lifestyle was very conscious of the environment and their use of the land did not highly impact the ecosystem of which they were a part. When the Europeans arrived, estuaries were heavily used for both inland and ocean access. The Europeans also brought with them the concept of private ownership of land. Colonists altered and overused the land, causing drastic changes to the ecosystem and its health.

Farming near the estuary and the use of salt hay for fodder increased the pressure on the estuary. Dikes, ditches and tide gates were created to restrict water levels and change low salt marsh to salt hay habitat. Estuarine wildlife populations were decimated through their nonsustainable hunting practices.

Laudholm Farm, where the reserve's facilities are housed, has played a long and important role in the history of the Town of Wells. Many of its owners have been prominent leaders in the town and its structures are a fine example of the region's agricultural past. The farm was first settled by English colonists in the mid-1600s. Since then, the farm has been handed down from generation to generation and sold many times.

In the early 1980s, the prospect of development on the property threatened to destroy the historic landmark and alter the key estuarine ecosystem. Concerned citizens of the town of Wells joined together and saved Laudholm Farm. The result of their efforts was the creation of the reserve in the mid-1980s.