Maquoit Bay is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Cumberland, historic county *Cumberlan ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, in the northern part of

Casco Bay Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its south ...

. It is located between South Freeport and Mere Point, Brunswick, and is a Focus Area of Statewide Ecological Significance and one of the state's

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

s. The mouth of Maquoit Bay faces southwest, which results in its becoming a receptacle for nutrients flowing in from Casco Bay. The mixing of these nutrients with the organic material of the bay's

salt marshes A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...

, a process assisted by the tides and the confluences of surrounding watercourses, creates a rich environment for marine life. On top of the large amounts of shellfish, the bay is also home to thousands of waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds all year round.

Shorebirds 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

, in particular, undertake complete annual migration round trips of up to , taking them to nesting areas in the Arctic and winter homes in South America, and many hundreds of them stop in Maquoit Bay to rest for the next leg of their journey.

Wharton Point

Wharton Point is a popular location for clam and

shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...

harvesting. There is also a

boat ramp A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small ...

. The point is named for Thomas Wharton, an early settler in Brunswick, . He owned the lot in 1717. It was later sold to William Woodside, for whom the road it stands beside is named. (Woodside Road and Maquoit Road merge at the apex of the tight turn in the road.) It is the southern terminus of the "12-rod road", and served as an access point for vessels delivering and shipping lumber and farm products. Prior to its settlement, it was used by Native Americans for cartage between the sharp bend of the

Androscoggin River The Androscoggin River (Abenaki: ''Aləssíkαntekʷ'') is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ...

in Brunswick and Maquoit Bay. During the Indian Wars of the 18th century, a

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

and company of soldiers were stationed here to keep communication lines open between Fort George and Maquoit Bay. In 2020, Wharton Point was one of two sites in Brunswick selected as a test location for a shoreline study. Lasting five years, the study will explore the impact of using naturally found materials, such as oyster shells and downed trees, in reducing the effects of erosion. Image:Wharton_Point_2.jpg, The parking area to the northeast of the boat ramp, looking out into the bay over Gamble Marsh

References

{{Gulf of Maine drainage estuaries Bodies of water of Cumberland County, Maine Bays of Maine