JA Segur East WIldlife Refuge/Sucker Brook. Photo by Jessie Lozanski, courtesy Greater Lovell Land Trust
In 2006, the Greater Lovell Land Trust secured Sucker Brook Preserve, 200 acres of wetland and trails off Horseshoe Pond Road in Lovell with help from the Land for Maine’s Future program, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, and more than 200 donors. Since then, an additional 108 acres have been added to the Preserve. The property is now part of the John A. Segur Wildlife Refuge, which consists of 596 acres along the eastern and western shorefront of Sucker Brook.
The property contains a 1.4-mile trail leading visitors to a lovely view of Sucker Brook, providing opportunities for birdwatching and vocalization, which is best done from April to July, when warblers, flycatchers, and other migratory species are back on their breeding grounds here. The area also offers great opportunities to view exceptional flora and fauna, including cardinal flowers—found only in wetland areas—often populate the trail in August. The wetlands of Sucker Brook and its immediately surrounding area have been designated as “significant habitat for wading birds and waterfowl” by the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Visitors are welcome to engage in a variety of daytime outdoor activities and wildlife observation. However, fires, camping, motorized vehicles, and cutting/removing vegetation are prohibited.
Closest Town: Lovell
Activities: Hunting, Fishing, Hiking, Picnicking, Cross-country skiing, Snowshoeing, Bird Watching, Wildlife Watching
Region: Lakes and Mountains—Oxford County
Acreage: 199
Directions: From Route 5, take West Lovell Road over the Narrows past the Kezar Lake Marina. Bear left onto Foxboro Road, then right at New Road. Turn right onto Horseshoe Pond Road.
