"Remarkable Coastal Resource": The Gift of Merritt Island—And How It Continues to Give

The Island, known as Merritt Island, came to Bowdoin through the will of Richard “Dick” Sanborn ’40. The deed included the island and the intertidal zone and a causeway connecting it to the mainland at low tide, along with a small lot on the mainland for parking, canoe storage, and vehicle turnaround space and an access road. In the summer prior to his death, Dick thoughtfully provided the Bowdoin Outing Club (BOC) with permission to use the island and its trails.

Dick Sanborn had a long and successful career as an attorney at Sanborn, Moreshead & Schade in Augusta, Maine, where he was involved in community affairs, including serving as mayor of the state’s capitol city. He was part of a Bowdoin family that goes back to 1866 and includes his son, Jeff ’76.

Dick acquired Merritt Island in late 1990, shortly after he moved to Brunswick. He let the College know he planned to leave the island to Bowdoin in his estate and began conversations about the terms of his bequest in 1998. After Dick finalized his bequest and authorized use of the island by the College, he was delighted when staff and students visited Merritt to work on the trails and clean up some blowdowns. Jeff said his father had an amazing eye for real estate and that his father had always kept Bowdoin top of mind.

The BOC uses Merritt Island as a base for trips, service projects, and leadership training. Six canoes are stored near the island to allow access at all tides, although walking across the causeway is possible at low tide. Sea kayakers use the island for a lunch stop or for overnight camping, and leadership training candidates spend a day each semester practicing their camping and canoeing skills on the island. As an Orientation trip option, students can take part in Merritt Island mindfulness.

According to BOC director Michael Woodruff ’87, Merritt Island “provides another remarkable coastal resource (like Schiller Coastal Studies Center and Kent Island) that allows us to leverage Bowdoin’s location on the coast of Maine for academic and cocurricular programming, which adds a unique component to the Bowdoin student experience. With its sheltered location in the New Meadows River, the island provides a perfect jumping-off point for exploration of Casco Bay. It is within a few hours’ paddle or sail to the Schiller Coastal Studies Center on Orr’s Island, which opens up intriguing possibilities for future adventures. Merritt Island is an accessible location (only twenty minutes from campus) with the feel of a more remote destination, maximizing the benefits of students’ off-campus time.”

In the near future, the Outing Club will be developing a forest management plan for the island that will allow for the safe removal of some of the fallen underbrush, as well as a teaching opportunity about low-impact forestry.

Thanks to  a recommendation from Outing Club trip leader Lily Morse ’09, who had a summer internship with Maine Island Trail Association (MITA), Merritt Island has been a part of the 375-mile water trail for boaters that extends the length of the Maine coast connecting more than 250 islands for day use and/or overnight camping since 2008.   

If you were to visit Merritt Island today, you would see an oyster farm on the west side of the island in the cold, fast-flowing waters of the New Meadows River. The farm is run by a local family and is part of the New Meadows River Shellfish Co-Op.

A planned gift like Dick Sanborn’s is incredibly meaningful on many levels. If you have thoughts or questions about including the College in your plans, reach out to the Office of Gift Planning by email at giftplanning@bowdoin.edu or call 207-725-3172.