News & Events
Please come on out to the Cliff Walk to take a look at what the folks at L.P. Murray & Sons have achieved this past summer and fall.
Implementing phase I of the plan for the Cliffside site - designed by a team of landscape architects from Terrence J. DeWan & Associates and Bruce John Riddell - their work included excavating and grading, installing drainage and erosion-control, sculpting the amphitheater, and laying out the network of pathways and gathering areas. Of special note are the beautiful outcroppings of ledge they uncovered.
They will be at the site this month to grub out the Japanese Knotweed, build the foundation for one of the future stone staircases, and make further grading improvements.
Linkel Construction has been selected and recently began the second phase of work at the Cliffside site.
This phase will involve building a stone retaining wall, a freestanding stone wall, boulder walls and seats, a granite flagstone stage for the amphitheater, granite thresholds, stone steps, stone dust landings, pathways and gathering areas, and finally loaming and seeding.
Weather permitting, our goal is to complete the retaining wall, freestanding wall and the granite flagstone stage by mid-December, with the rest of phase II completed by Memorial Day in 2012.
THANK YOU to Carol Murray - owner of Bluestone Quarry in Cape Elizabeth -
for her generous donation of all the stone to be used for building the stone walls at the Cliffside site. We are so very grateful for her contribution and support for the arboretum project.
In addition, we thank the many volunteers and the Cape Elizabeth Public Works Department for all their help this fall.
The Arboretum Project
A project of the Fort Williams Foundation, the Arboretum at Fort Williams Park is a volunteer project dedicated to creating an arboretum of fifteen individual landscapes around the perimeter of the park. A trail system will link these landscapes and provide greater accessibility as well as enhanced recreational and
educational opportunities. The Arboretum project is supported by the Cape Elizabeth
Town Council, Planning Board, Fort Williams Charitable
Foundation, and the Fort Williams Advisory Commission.
The overall project plan is based upon several key objectives that are in support of the Fort William’s Master Plan created by the Cape Elizabeth Town Council in 1990:
• Reverse damage done by invasive species
• Create native and sustainable landscapes
• Restore native wildlife habitat
• Enhance the outdoor recreation experience
• Identify educational resources and opportunities
The Arboretum at Fort Williams Park is funded
through private donations and public grants. The ultimate
design consists of 15 planted landscapes connected
by a perimeter pathway. 
The steering committee has developed a phased approach for
project implementation. The objective is to complete
one significant site which will be used as a model for
future landscapes. The first site, The Cliffside
Demonstration Site (see plan at left, by Terrence J. DeWan & Associates and Bruce John Riddell
), will be planted with native and
sustainable species designed to preserve the scenic
vistas along the coastline. In a prominent location,
this site will be enjoyed by the thousands of visitors
who visit Portland Head Light.
To download a copy of our Prospectus, please click here.
Our Mission
Statement
The Arboretum at Fort Williams Park will enhance and preserve the beauty of Cape Elizabeth’s historic site by using native and non-invasive plantings. As a legacy for future generations, the Arboretum will inspire, educate and be a continual reminder of the importance of the natural world in our every day lives.
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