The Fletcher's Neck Sanctuary was acquired by the Biddeford Pool Land Trust (now the Biddeford Pool Conservation Trust) on September 29, 2024, following a remarkable community fundraising effort that made it possible to purchase the property from the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary.

At the time of the purchase, the property was home to an enormous five-story wood-frame building, originally constructed as a summer hotel (the Evans Hotel, the Ocean View Hotel) in the late 1890s. In 1948, the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary purchased the hotel and converted it into a Catholic school for girls (the Marie Joseph Academy).  When the school closed in 1978, the building was repurposed as a religious retreat Center known as the Marie Joseph Spiritual Center.                                                                     

In 2023, the Sisters made the difficult decision that they could no longer sustain the Spiritual Center. The significant costs of bringing the aging building up to modern code, combined with the advancing age of the remaining Sisters and the challenges of finding additional help made continuing operations no longer feasible. Although the Sisters were deeply saddened that the building had reached the end of its useful life, they were pleased to know that the property would be permanently conserved as a sanctuary for native plants and wildlife.                                                                                                              

Demolition of the building - affectionately known to Biddeford Pool residents as "the Nunnery" - took place between January and April 2025. This was followed by an extensive ecological restoration project that removed invasive plant species and restored the landscape with native vegetation.                                                                                 

Today, the sanctuary encompasses seven distinct ecosystems, providing valuable habitat for a rich diversity of plants, birds, and other wildlife.                                                       

The Biddeford Pool Conservation Trust is profoundly grateful to everyone whose generosity and dedication helped create this extraordinary new sanctuary at the heart of Biddeford Pool.

In 1982, Stanley and Arlene Hyde deeded the undeveloped streets, avenues, and beaches shown on the South Point Subdivision Plan of 1882 to the BPIA. Fourteen years later their daughter, Pat, and her husband, Herb, conveyed the 2.5 acre tract known as the ‘South Point Sanctuary’ to the BPIA for the purpose of preserving the land in perpetuity. The transfer was made possible by the generous donations of many residents of Biddeford Pool. The BPIA subsequently conveyed the South Point Sanctuary and other land to the BPLT to preserve and maintain its natural character.

Yates Street Park was previously Day’s Garage. It was purchased by the BPIA in 1998 and gifted to the BPLT in 1999. Before it was gifted, the building was demolished and the Park was landscaped. After knotweed moved in, it was replanted in 2021 with native plants that maintain sight lines, protect the shore from erosion, and take into account likely flooding with salt water tolerant plants in areas prone to flooding.

More details coming soon.