Description
Nestled in Columbia just south of downtown Colebrook, Lime Pond Preserve boasts 420 acres of land rich in calcite, weathered into the soils from the bedrock beneath, which in turn supports an array of uncommon natural communities and rare plants as a result. Here you can find northern white cedar swamps with centuries-old trees, rich mesic northern hardwood forest with maidenhair fern and wild onions, beautiful wetlands with an amazing diversity of orchids, and the state’s only occurrence of the brown bog sedge, which is found along the shoreline of the pond. A 30-acre hay field continues to be maintained by a local farmer. Out on the water, it’s not uncommon to find common loons, river otters and other wildlife. Lime Pond Brook, which flows out of the pond, feeds into Simms Stream, a location quickly becoming a priority for our freshwater work.
A generous gift from David and Tanya Tellman of Bethlehem, Lime Pond Preserve is open to the public for hiking, hunting, fly-fishing, passive recreation and wildlife observation. A parking lot on the north side of the pond provides access to a boat launch for non-motorized watercraft. In winter, snowmobilers can enjoy trails maintained by the Colebrook Ski-Bee’s Snowmobile Club.