MCHT Conserves International Landmark
Treat Island is one of the most significant coastal islands in easternmost Maine, lying at the gateway of Cobscook and Passamaquoddy bays. The 73-acre island sits along the international border, an attractive focal point highly visible from Eastport, Lubec and Roosevelt Campobello International Park in New Brunswick.
This fall, Maine Coast Heritage Trust purchased the two privately owned halves of Treat Island from families that for decades have cared well for their lands. “Both families were excellent partners dedicated to the project,” notes MCHT project manager Marty Anderson. “They recognized that Treat was a natural fit for conservation, and they understood the importance of conserving both halves of the island simultaneously.”
Treat Island has an interesting cultural history, dating back to when early tribal travelers stopped by the island to harvest the area’s rich resources. The island contains the burial site of island owner and Revolutionary War hero, Colonel John Allan, who served as Military Commander of the Eastern Area (District of Maine) under General George Washington. Col. Allan defended eastern Maine against the British by mobilizing settlers and gaining the support and trust of the Passamaquoddy Tribe. Allan continued his close relationship with the Tribe following the War, establishing a trading post on the island. “He was a friend of the Passamaquoddy Tribe,” notes Tribal historian Donald Soctomah, “providing support in treaty obligations by reminding the President and Congress about the services of the Tribe. The Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Office thanks Maine Coast Heritage Trust for its hard work saving this important place of tribal history and national history.”
While the island is largely undeveloped now, Treat supported farming families for generations and served other uses as well. There are remains of an artillery gun battery constructed in the 1860s to repel Confederate raiders. A tidal dike built in the 1930s stretches to Dudley Island, part of a failed tidal power project that sought to harness the 70 billion cubic feet that flow in and out of Passamaquoddy Bay daily. A dock built in 1936 as a Natural Weathering Exposure Station for testing marine concrete still stands on a 3-acre parcel owned and maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Treat Island is readily accessible from Lubec and Eastport, with several natural boat landings that provide access to a traditional picnic destination at the island’s southern end. Even those who never land appreciate views of the island from afar, notes Harold Bailey, Natural Resource and Planning Manager with Roosevelt Campobello International Park. “The Park has an observation deck at Friar Head that looks directly out to Treat Island,” Bailey says. “The Park Commission is pleased to know that this natural vista will remain through time."
Part of what makes the island such a visual asset is its varied upland habitats, with coniferous and hardwood forests, marshes, grassland, shrub land and open ledges. This diversity also makes Treat a rich resource for the area’s abundant wildlife. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has designated Treat a nationally significant coastal nesting island, and one pair of bald eagles has nested consistently on the island for 21 years (using three different sites). The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has documented up to 30 eagles on the island at once when local food is abundant.
“Treat Island is a place on the edge,” says Anderson. “It lies at the entrance to one of the richest wildlife areas along the entire Eastern seaboard, at the far end of the country, and on the leading edge of American history. Yet the island is readily accessible to surrounding communities, and now it will remain a public asset far into the future.”
