Zak Preserve at Wildcat Creek in Boothbay has something for everyone and is a preserve for all seasons. With its open fields, salt marsh, tidal wetland, freshwater stream, and forest, the preserve attracts cross-country skiers and snowshoers in winter and allows for easy hiking and boating year-round.

The variety of habitat is a haven for wildlife as well, including ground-nesting birds. Because of this, Boothbay Region Land Trust (BRLT) asks dog owners to keep their dogs on leashes near the Zak Preserve field April through August which is ground-nesting bird season.

Zak is BRLT’s largest preserve, stretching from Route 27 all the way to the River Road, generally straddling the watershed of Wildcat Creek in the western half and its headwaters in the eastern half, and is an important piece of the wildlife corridor between the Sheepscot and Damariscotta rivers. Wildcat Creek is one of the upper reaches of Ovens Mouth River and was named, according to local lore, because wildcats sometimes traveled by tree in the area.

The salt marsh is a significant saltwater estuary of the Sheepscot River and has been classified as a rare habitat in Maine’s Natural Areas Classification Program. The two-mile trail follows Wildcat Creek, where, when water levels are right, boaters can launch their canoes or kayaks. In the last century, the area bordering the wetlands was farmed, fed by fresh water that flowed unobstructed to the sea as the tide fell but that was impounded and protected from the incoming salt water by the construction of an ingenious set of “doors” that closed automatically as the tide rose.

In 2003 Michael and Roxanne Zak donated significant funds toward the purchase of 149 acres, to which they added 52 acres of their own land, thus protecting and preserving this significant natural habitat forever. More than half of the land, bordering Route 27, was zoned commercial and could have been developed for business or industrial use. Instead, we can enjoy this gateway into the community with its open fields and woods, meandering creeks, and abundant wildlife.

Zak preserve is an important part of River-Link which is a partnership among BRLT and neighboring land trusts, several state agencies, Land For Maine’s Future and several towns seeking to preserve a continuous natural corridor between and along the two rivers that define the Boothbay peninsula. Much of River~Link has hiking trails open to all.

Zak Preserve is located on Route 27 about 5.5 miles north of the junction of Routes 27 and 96, less than a mile south of the Boothbay-Edgecomb town line. For more information about BRLT, call 207-633-4818, visit www.bbrlt.org or stop by the office at 137 Townsend Ave. in Boothbay Harbor.