Fish and Wildlife Service.
Pond Island NWR is managed by Petit Manan NWR complex.
Pond Island NWR is a 10-acre island located in the mouth of the Kennebec River adjacent to Popham Beach. The U.S. Coast Guard transferred the island to the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1973 and still maintains the historic light house on the island. The treeless character and grass, forb, and shrub cover provides excellent habitat for nesting seabirds. In 1996, the Service, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and National Audubon Society initiated a tern restoration program on Pond Island. In 1999, ten pairs of common terns successfully nested producing the first tern chick in more than 60 years. Today the island supports about 135 pairs of nesting terns. Common eiders also nest on Pond Island and during the fall migration, a variety of shorebirds, songbirds, and raptors can be seen there.
Pond Island is located in the mouth of the Kennebec River 16 miles northeast of Portland and adjacent to Popham Beach. The island can be accessed by personal boat only. Pond island is open during daylight hours from September 1 to March 31 and closed to public access during the seabird nesting season from April 1 to August 31. For more information, contact Refuge Manager at (207) 236-6970.