Right In Our Backyard
Right behind Horizons Living & Rehabilitation Center you will find a plethora of natural beauty, tranquility, a spectacular working farm, walking trails, and the Tom Settlemire Community Garden, all supported by the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust.
The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust was founded in 1985 to conserve the remarkable diversity of the natural heritage of Brunswick, Topsham and Bowdoin. With the conservation of 2,300 acres of natural areas the Land Trust is actively pursuing its mission to “preserve, protect and steward the cherished landscapes and rich natural resources of our communities, to provide access for recreation, and to support local agriculture and other traditional land uses, now and for generations to come.
Crystal Spring Farm
The 321-acre Crystal Spring Farm was acquired between 1994 and 2008 with strong community support and has become a model for farmland protection.
The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust worked to return this historically significant dairy farm to active farming and now uses the property to support local agriculture in many ways. The open farmland and farm buildings at Crystal Spring Farm is leased to a farm family that cultivates and manages the agricultural lands. Among other things, the tenant and partner Crystal Spring Community Farm operates a successful Community Supported Agriculture program, manages over a hundred acres of organic wild Maine blueberries, supplies local restaurants, sponsors research activities, and offers agricultural education and apprenticeship programs.
The Land Trust has made Crystal Spring Farm a valued community resource by operating the popular Saturday Farmers’ Market from May to October, building five miles of public trails, creating the Tom Settlemire Community Garden, supporting the establishment of a 76-kilowatt community solar energy project, and building a public outdoor labyrinth-all right here at the farm! The Trails at Crystal Spring Farm provides views of the active farm fields, pastured sheep, quiet woods, a water-filled quarry, and the Tom Settlemire Community Garden. Because the agricultural fields and farm residence are leased, they ask that you please stay on the trails, be respectful of leased areas, and park only in the designated parking areas.
The farm is truly a community asset that enriches the lives of the many thousands who use it, take advantage of the programs based at it, or appreciate its iconic rural landscapes.
For more information on the Trails at Crystal Spring Farm, please visit: Crystal Spring Farm
Tom Settlemire Community Garden
For the past several years, Horizons Living & Rehabilitation Center has been active plot holders at the Tom Settlemire Community Garden. The garden enriches hundreds of lives each year, providing local food, gardening education, produce for the Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, a therapeutic environment for those with physical disabilities, volunteer opportunities for people of all ages, and above all a tremendous community of friends that will always welcome you.
The Tom Settlemire Community Garden consists of just over 80 community plots and a Common Good Bed to grow an immense amount of beautiful, fresh food! Over the years, the garden has provided us with room to grow and an opportunity to be part of an amazing group of local community of gardeners. They offer the opportunity to learn from Master Gardeners, neighbors, and a larger number of volunteers.
For more basic information or how to get involved in this wonderful community, please visit Tom Settlemire Community Garden
Trails can be accessed from two parking areas.
Directions to Crystal Spring Farm Trails (South):
Trails can be accessed from two parking areas. One parking area is located at 277 Pleasant Hill Road in Brunswick. Park in the lot to the left of the tree-lined driveway. The second parking area is located at the end of Maurice Drive, off Baribeau Drive in Brunswick. At the end of Maurice Drive, turn left into Horizons, then immediately right into the small lot marked with a BTLT sign. Trail enters the woods north of the Community Garden.
Directions to Tom Settlemire Community Garden and Crystal Spring Farm Trails (North):
The garden can be accessed from the end of Maurice Drive, Brunswick. At the end of Maurice Drive, turn left into Horizons Living & Rehab Center, then immediately right into the small lot marked with a Land Trust sign. The trailhead is marked by a kiosk in the woods to the right when facing the Garden’s entrance gate.
How to become a member of the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust?
You make this all possible! Support these beautiful walks on trails in your local community with a $5 per month membership. If you’re considering to join them visit: BTLT Membership for more information.
