Save the Salt Pond Blueberry Barrens is a grassroots effort to protect and preserve the Allen Point blueberry barrens on Route 172 in Blue Hill near the Sedgwick line for future generations. Considered one of the most iconic views on the Peninsula—featured in the Downeast Scenic Inventory and Blue Hill’s 1999 & 2024 Comprehensive Plans—the 38-acre parcel was a commercial blueberry field for decades until 2023 when it was sold to Geoff Bowley, a developer from Kennebunk with plans to create a 9-home subdivision. The community expressed its serious opposition to this development at two public Planning Board meetings in 2024, in letters to the editor, and in news coverage. Many people hope that the land can be held in a public trust for all people to enjoy and to protect the fragile ecosystem of the Salt Pond.
What is at stake?
Salt Pond water quality due to storm runoff, construction erosion, and years of pesticide use on the blueberry field
Possible contamination of aquaculture sites, threatening local jobs
Destruction of critical wildlife habitat for dozens of species
Denial of traditional access to Carlton Stream and the Salt Pond by Indigenous and local fisher-people
Loss of one of the few unobstructed scenic views of the Salt Pond from the road
Missed opportunity to create public access to the Salt Pond for study, rest, and recreation
What Next?
It is our intention to purchase the land from the Developer and donate it to the Blue Hill Heritage Trust with Blue Hill Community Development as our fiscal agent.
We are currently in negotiations with the Developer. We remain optimistic that there is a path to a deal that is both feasible for the community and sustainable for the seller.
BHHT has agreed to accept the property and we have a good start on soft pledges from some major donors.
Once we have a signed agreement, we are ready to move quickly to secure funding through large and small donations and grants.
We pledge to leverage the community’s resolve to protect this incomparable site from development and preserve it as a public good. There is a great deal of uncertainty in the world today; there are many things that we cannot control. But, together, we can save the Salt Pond Blueberry Barrens. At the same time that we protect this treasured scenic view, we will be safeguarding the water quality of the Salt Pond, preserving vital wildlife habitat, securing access to traditional fishing sites, supporting aquaculture jobs, and respecting the cultural and historical significance of the land.
We hope that you will join us!
If you would like to volunteer or discuss making a major gift, please email us at saltpondfield@gmail.com.
Until we have a signed agreement and timeline with the Developer, all donations will be used to support the purchase negotiations and administrative costs such as legal fees, appraisals, and communication. Any donations not expended to support the project will be donated on an unrestricted basis to the Blue Hill Heritage Trust at the conclusion of the effort.
If you would like to wait to donate until there is a Purchase Agreement, we suggest contacting us with a pledge amount so we can keep track of anticipated gifts. Your contribution will make it possible for us to move quickly once a deal is in place.
If you would like to donate funds to support this effort, you can donate via the PayPal button (below) or send a check to BHCD noting Blueberry Barrens in the memo area.
Blue Hill Community Development is pleased to announce its most recently approved sponsored project: Save the Salt Pond Blueberry Barrens. Here is an excerpt from the project description:
Save the Salt Pond Blueberry Barrens is a grassroots effort to protect and preserve the Allen Point blueberry barrens on Route 172 in Blue Hill near the Sedgwick line for future generations. Considered one of the most iconic views on the Peninsula, the 38-acre parcel was a commercial blueberry field for decades until 2023 when it was sold to Geoff Bowley, a developer from Kennebunk with plans to create a 9-home subdivision. The community expressed its serious opposition to this development at two public Planning Board meetings in 2024, in letters to the editor, and in news coverage. Many people hope that the land can be held in a public trust for all people to enjoy and to protect the fragile ecosystem of the Salt Pond.
The project intends to raise sufficient donations to allow Blue Hill Community Development (in its role as fiscal sponsor) to purchase the land from the Developer and immediately donate it to the Blue Hill Heritage Trust. The project is already supported by substantial pledges of funds dedicated to the purchase.
