Menu
Jesse Bullens-Crewe
Public Access: No; limited to the Breakwater School.
Description and History:
In the Spring of 1998, the Jessie Bullens-Crewe parcel was donated to the Breakwater School in Portland. The land was given to the school in memory of their eleven year old daughter Jessie, whose love of the natural world inspired the gift. It was their wish that the land be forever protected in its natural state and that children of all ages benefit from its many educational opportunities.
The property is situated along the power lines off Tuttle Road. It is accessed by a right-of-way alongside the Crewe family fields. A small, meandering, tannin-rich stream enters the land at the southwest corner, flows through the middle, and exits out the northwest corner. Aquatic life, including frogs and small fish is commonly observed, indicating the good health of the stream. The front wooded portion of the property, part of a field on a working farm sixty years ago, has since grown over into a dense stand of white pine. Further back, a forested area, cut for lumber at about the same time, has also grown back and now consists of mixed hardwoods at the higher elevations and a mix of hard and softwoods, most notably balsam, hemlock, and pine in the low-lying areas bordering the stream. Marshy areas on the preserve, consisting mainly of ferns and spagnum moss, are located in the flood zones along the stream.
Under the leadership of Breakwater's science teacher, Sari Lindauer, the school cleared a loop trail last June. The trail was established along an existing deer run to insure that minimum of clearing or cutting would be needed. Two small bridges were also built to provide children access across the stream.
Breakwater School has long had a strong environmental program. As a year-round outdoor education facility, the Jessie Bullens-Crewe Nature Preserve will strengthen the program and provide students with learning experiences in stewardship, plant growth, and wildlife study.
Sari Lindauer, Breakwater School