Whether it be Ocean Point or Roderick Road, the forests along the Damariscotta River can breathe a bit easier.

The Damariscotta River Association (DRA) recently unveiled the Rutherford Island Preserve walking trail in South Bristol and with its official launch, it means that swaths of land on both the South Bristol and Boothbay sides of the Damariscotta River will remained unchanged for a while.

With the Linekin Preserve being largely protected by the Boothbay Region Land Trust on the Boothbay side, the mouth of the Damariscotta River will be preserved on both sides.

Emily Mott-Smith MacKenzie, who serves as the DRA board president, said her family has vacationed on Rutherford Island since 1911 when her grandparents purchased a small cottage on Roderick Road. A year later, the cottage was expanded and a century later, a slice of land was given to the DRA by Emily and Dick MacKenzie so that everyone could walk to the water and enjoy the view the Mott-Smiths and MacKenzies have enjoyed for more than 100 years.

Within the past decade the effort to turn the plot of land into something public ramped up, according to Damariscotta River Association Executive Director Steven Hufnagel.

“This (preserve) actually goes back to when I was lands and stewardship director in 2007 or thereabouts,” he said. “Really this was a project my predecessor kicked off. At the end of my time (as stewardship director), I was responsible for the trails and thinking about how we could make good use of how to get the public on (the preserved land) to enjoy it.”

Since then, the preserve has had volunteers clear the path, make bridges over swampy areas, make and put up a sign on West Side Road and other maintenance projects.

The walking path, which starts on Atlantic Avenue and continues to Roderick Road and beyond, was crafted to showcase the island's beauty, Hufnagel said.

“The concept was (to have) lots of different textures and smells and lighting,” he said. “It was designed by Steve Spencer, who is a world-class trail builder. He does a really good job thinking about destinations and what happens in between. The trail incorporates so much – you get near enough to see an osprey nest, but not so near that you bother him.”

Spencer, who also designed the walking trails at Seal Cove, was able to incorporate the different aspects of Rutherford Island when he crafted the trail, Hufnagel said.

“It's just whole set of different experiences on a very short trail,” he said. “It feels like more of an adventure, more of a thing – you get a lot in a short walk because of the mixing environments. Then boom – you're out on the shore, and looking at the water from this beautiful bench.”

Hufnagel said scenery aside, the new preserve will be a boon for the island.

“As a preserve it's doing a lot of good things – it's protecting the land and the water on a reasonably large chunk of land on the island,” he said. “This access will give people a chance to enjoy (Rutherford Island), and now with this additional link where they put in this beautiful bench, it creates a way to go see the river. To my knowledge, it's the only preserve on the island.”

Hufnagel said on average there is a new preserve almost every year, but it's always a big event for DRA to open one, especially on an island where there is nothing similar.

“It's a big event because it's the only thing on Rutherford,” he said.

The property was once considered for a larger development that would have included multiple houses and a communal wharf. But that plan fell through and the property went to the Westcott family, and after a fundraising event, to the River Association.

Then, the MacKenzies gave the DRA a right of way to the water.

“We felt strongly that there should be some presence on the water,” she said. “The right of way goes to the water and to the bench, which was named in honor of my grandparents who started (the vision), and my parents who kept it going.”

Now hikers can stop at the bench dedicated to Jane and Harold Mott-Smith, and Content and K.O. Mott-Smith and Connie and Brick Falconer and look out over the water. MacKenzie said the extra traffic – about a hiker a day in the summer – has been a welcome sign.

“I love it. We commented on it last summer when there must have been someone walking the trail every day,” she said. “It made us feel great that the trail was being appreciated.”

MacKenzie said a lot of people who visit Rutherford Island never get a chance to fully appreciate the river. The Rutherford Island Preserve is one of the best places to view the river and be up close to the water, MacKenzie said.

“A lot of people, if they're just visiting, can only see it from Coveside's deck,” she said. “Now you will be able to sit and look out and not from a car window. Sharing this beautiful spot is important to us.”