The longtime owners of the picturesque Ocean Point pond on Van Horn Road, "Tibbetts Duck Pond," have donated the pond and adjacent wooded area to Boothbay Region Land Trust to ensure it remains open to ice skaters, birders and lovers of nature.

"We just want it to be used for the kids. It has been a really fun pond and should be kept for recreation," said Rachel A. Tibbetts, widow of Gary Tibbetts, whose family owned the pond for generations. Tibbetts and her daughter, Maeve, made the decision to give the three-acre pond and accompanying one-and-a-half wooded acres to the land trust. The official transfer of the property was November 26, 2007.

Speaking for the land trust, Andy Matthews, president, said BRLT is excited to preserve this unique property, given its historical and cultural value to East Boothbay and Ocean Point and for its important wildlife habitat. The pond has been designated by Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife as significant wildlife habitat for inland waterfowl and wading birds. BRLT always seeks to balance public access with habitat protection , Matthews said.

"We intend to maintain the pond and property in the spirit in which it was given, for the enjoyment of neighbors and others and to preserve it as an oasis for the water fowl, birds, deer and other wildlife that populate it," said Matthews

The donation was good news to Louis P. Landry, who has lived next to the pond for 50 years.

"Great! They (BRLT) will make good neighbors," he said.

In past years, when the ice was thick, the pond became a "winter wonderland" with hockey players racing toward home-made goals, skaters gliding around a figure eight track, while kids on sleds whizzed down Landry's hill onto the ice.

Manmade, the pond dates back to around 1900, but was not intended then for recreation. Instead, the shallow pond was constructed to provide ice for a nearby fish factory that processed pogeys for a variety of uses.

The Rev. Peter Panagore, a neighbor and enthusiastic booster of the pond and its beauty, has volunteered to act as the land trust's steward for the property. In past years, Landry, Panagore and others have cleared snow from the ice for skaters. Several years ago, supporters built a cinder block fireplace so skaters could pause to warm their hands and enjoy hot cider. It was the scene of many a great pick-up pond hockey game, Panagore said. So far this year the ice has been too soft to permit skating, Panagore noted.

The spring-fed pond has a mud bottom and is very shallow - three to six feet deep, Landry said.

"Gary Tibbetts tried to stock it with trout and bass so kids could fish there, but it is so shallow the osprey used it as a feeding station. It was too shallow for the fish to hide," he said.

The pond is also a great place for wildlife watching. There is a herd of deer there, an occasional moose can be seen, and you can view great horned owls and a barred owl too, Panagore said.

"When we used to clear the pond, the kids had a blast," said Mrs. Tibbetts. "Kids are always inside now. It will be nice to get them outside so they can enjoy the (winter) weather," she said.

The land trust is actively seeking endowment funds to keep the pond property and its other properties well maintained. BRLT properties are protected in perpetuity, and the land trust has the legal responsibility for their ongoing maintenance and care, Matthews said.

The 28-year-old BRLT now provides more than 30 miles of hiking trails, and protects a number of major nature preserves throughout the region, including Ovens Mouth, Damariscove Island, Lobster Cove Meadow, Penny Lake, Porter, Zak, Linekin, Schoolhouse Pond, Singing Meadows, Indiantown Island, Saunders Park and other parcels. All preserves are open to the public, free of charge.

More information on the land trust is available on its Web site, www.bbrlt.org or call 633-4818.