Bates College manages the Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area (BMMCA), six hundred acres of coastal property in Phippsburg, ME, for educational purposes and scientific research. The property extends from the Sprague to the Morse Rivers, and provides access to Seawall Beach (a separate property owned and maintained by the Small Point Association), the largest undeveloped beach and dune complex remaining in Maine. This beach is a nesting site for two endangered bird species: the piping plover and least tern. It is a two-mile hike from the parking lot. Visitors are permitted at the Conservation Area, as long as their activities are consistent with its mission of conservation and protection of its natural features. Bates Faculty, Staff, and Students are stewards of this area: it is our responsibility to protect it, support its mission, and abide by its rules. Therefore, we have no special privileges.

Vehicles must be parked in the parking lot unless they are involved in approved research that requires driving to the research site. Access is during daylight hours only without special permission. Large groups, camping, fires, bicycles and pets are not allowed at any time of the year.

Near the Conservation Area, the Bates College Coastal Center at Shortridge provides meeting space as well as living quarters for student and faculty researchers and meeting attendees. Academic uses are overseen by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. The Center may also be used on occasion for College programs, as well as meetings of academic and administrative departments, including authorized student organizations and selected outreach efforts. The use of the facility for meetings, retreats and conferences is scheduled through the Director of the BMMCA and Coastal Center at Shortridge. For reservations or for more information call 786-6078.