Pringle Preserve – Windham, 17 acres
 

 
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Pringle Wildlife Preserve consists of marshy wetlands that surround Otter Brook, which flows through the length of the property. There are no trails, but there is an Observation Platform, which is a great vantage point for viewing birds and a variety of other wildlife. 

This Preserve is in the homeland of the Wabanaki People. We respectfully acknowledge these People of the Dawn–past, present and future–and their connection to these lands and waters.

Please see below for the trail map and more information about the preserve and trails.

                  preserve FACTS
 

  • Activities: wildlife viewing

  • No Hunting

  • Leave No Trace: Please take out whatever you bring in.

  • Difficulty: easy

  • Length: no trails, but access to the wetlands

          Click for Directions to Trailhead                                  

Trail Map (click to expand)
 


About pringle wildlife Preserve

Access to the Preserve is off of Windham Center Road. The parking area is on the south side of the Windham Center Road just east of its intersection with River Road.

The Pringle Wildlife Preserve is a very good spot for bird watching. The viewing platform, which was built by an Eagle Scout and his troop, is perfect for viewing a great variety of birds or stargazing after dark.

In the early spring, there are ducks and great blue heron that take advantage of the waterlogged sections. The open field is a perfect spot for hawks to prey on the small field mammals. Later in the spring, tree swallows flitter over the property, feasting on the insects that are attracted to the various wildflowers that spread throughout the field. In the back end of the property, towards Sterling Drive, there is a wall of shrubs and young pines that have sprouted up creating a shady shelter for deer and other animals (as evidenced by the existing trails that lead into them). Walking down by the brook where it passes underneath Windham Center Road it is possible to see otters for which the brook is named. On top of the hill, what look to be two fox dens have been spotted!

Jim and Jane Pringle of Windham, who used the property as farmland for their cattle for about 20 years, generously donated it to the Windham Land Trust in 2006. Before that it belonged to George Lowell who used it as a dairy farm for roughly 50 years.

Pringle Wildlife Preserve is owned in fee by the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust.