Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area

The Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area comprises some 600 acres of permanently protected salt marshes and coastal uplands, extending from the Sprague River to the Morse River and to the upland edge of Seawall Beach. It is private property owned by the Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area Corporation, a non-profit corporation with members from the St. John Family (which originally conserved the area), Bates College, and the general public. The Nature Conservancy holds conservation easements on the property. Bates College manages the area for research and educational purposes.

Seawall Beach and a portion of the Sprague River back dune area are the property of the Small Point Association, whose mission is to preserve the wild, unspoiled character of the beach, its ecology, and its endangered species habitat.

Bates College and the Small Point Association cooperate with The Nature Conservancy and Maine Audubon to preserve the natural communities within the area. These include the nesting sites of the endangered piping plover and the least tern as well as numerous rare and fragile plants, mosses, and lichens.