Pond Island
Rockland, ME 04841
Plan Your Visit
Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge is open during daylight hours from September 1 to March 31 and closed to public use during the seabird nesting season: April 1 to August 31. Rocky shorelines, swift currents and tides severely limit public use. Access to the island is by boat only, with a limited area of shoreline suitable for safe landing. Commercial tour boats provide views of nesting seabirds and seals up and down the Maine coast. Check with the local Chamber of Commerce in Bath for information on tour boats that may provide boat tours around Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Featured Species
Services
About
Established in 1973 after being transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard, Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge is a 10-acre island that formerly served as a lighthouse station and steamboat transfer point. In 1996, a restoration program was launched to bring back nesting seabirds, leading to the successful return of common, Arctic, and endangered roseate terns. Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collaborates with the National Audubon Society to manage these populations and control predators like owls and gulls.