Paul Bunyan Road Association

good neighbors

PBRA is a community association that supports the seasonal and year-round residents of the Corea by the Sea subdivision.

We’re in the Town of Gouldsboro in downeast Maine.

We may look like a sleepy little community of nature-lovers, but there’s a lot going on here.

Muddling Through the Winter…

The Winter months in Corea by the Sea are, well, different. But there’s still a lot going on.

Hey! Is that a moose in the driveway?!

Yup - This young lady (estimated height at the shoulder 6-7 feet) spent some time waltzing up and down Roaring Brook Road in mid-February.

Similar sightings have been reported this winter on Grand Marsh Bay Road and along the gravel road at the culvert.

(Fun fact: did you know that bull moose shed their large antlers every winter, and re-grow them again in time for the following Spring mating season?)

Winter weather takes a toll, but good neighbors are there.

In late January, a large spruce tree fell at Grand Marsh Bay Road near Sand Cove Beach. Heavy winds and single digit temperatures caused this aged specimen to split near its base and get hung up on a neighboring tree, dangerously close to the roadway.

Our PBRA “good neighbor” Michael Hunt lost no time in dealing with the problem. He brought his excavator and chainsaw right over, eliminating the danger to passing travelers.

Many thanks, Mike!

It’s been an incredibly snowy winter in Gouldsboro.

Scenes such as this, taken near Roaring Brook Road, have been the norm since December 2025. In fact, we’ve had a significant snow covering on the ground from Christmas through the early days of March.

Cross country skiers have been enjoying the heck out of park roads without those pesky tourists getting in the way. Fishing shacks have sprouted up on Jones Pond, and ice skate tracks have been visible on the beaver pond off Grand Marsh Bay, prior to deep snowfalls. The mini icebergs filling the local harbors and the Grand Marsh have been stunning.

Local politics is in evidence, from late February into March.

Both Democratic and Republican caucuses were held in Gouldsboro in late February, where delegates from Hancock County were selected to attend their respective state party caucuses.

Enthusiasm seems to be running high, as our state and local political races heat up.

What’s Being Done about Coastal Storm Damage?

The Town of Gouldsboro Coastal Resilience Committee (CRC) has been working on several projects in 2025 and 2026. Two grant-funded projects have been completed, a third project has been awarded funding, a Coastal Response Fund has been approved by residents at the 2025 Town Meeting, and three additional grant applications have been initiated.

In Corea Village, the Town has secured FEMA funding for the repair of the Crowley Island Road and put the work out to competitive bid. This work would raise the current road by approximately two feet and compact the subgrade. Construction should begin in 2026.

The CRC has also completed its planning and preliminary design work to reduce dangerous flooding at the intersection of Corea Road and Cranberry Point Road. This work included preparing a set of preliminary design drawings sufficient to obtain permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the US Army Corps of Engineers. A modular bridge on concrete abutments is planned to replace an existing culvert, and the road surface raised by two feet. The committee will be applying for Maine DOT funding for this construction in the first quarter of 2026.

In addition, the CRC has completed its planning work on the so-called Three Harbors project. With the help of professional environmental engineers, CRC surveyed and assessed the condition of public infrastructure at South Gouldsboro, Prospect Harbor and Bunkers Harbor. The committee held a series of public meetings in 2025 to solicit citizen insights and produced a report of recommendations of actions for the improvement of these structures for greater coastal resiliency.

In a follow-up to this work, the committee was able to secure an additional grant to assess the feasibility of the some of the proposed recommendations: the installation of a public boat ramp at Prospect Harbor and the repair and use of the existing stone jetty at South Gouldsboro. Both of these priority projects will greatly enhance the working waterfront in Gouldsboro.

To that aim, the CRC is applying for another Maine DOT grant that is focused on the working waterfront. The proposed work would specifically assess the structure of the stone jetty at South Gouldsboro using professional geotechnical engineers and would complement the feasibility study already funded.

Finally, the committee submitted an application for funding for road infrastructure assessment and habitat restoration planning from the Maine Coastal Program. These monies would be used for the preparation of GIS maps and surficial hydrologic analysis of the intersection of Corea Road and Grand Marsh Bay Road. This intersection was listed as of “highest priority” in the 2022 Vulnerability Assessment commissioned by the Town. It is a critical chokepoint in the event of rising sea level and storm surge and flooding there would effectively cut off over 200 households from emergency services and evacuation. At the same time, this is a critical natural resource area at the confluence of Grand Marsh, Corea Heath and the coastal dune ecosystem at Sand Cove. Important to the mission of the CRC is the protection of these resources while providing for greater transportation safety.

Go to the Gouldsboro Shore website for more information.

Learn more

Emergency Access Road — Update, Spring 2026

Spring is just around the corner (we hope and pray!) and with it, our emergency access road on Grand Marsh Bay has become nightmarish. We were unable to grade and roll it in late Fall, due to unexpectedly low temperatures that froze the ground earlier than expected. With the holes having deepened into little chasms, the melting snow and traffic have turned the road into a muddy slip-n-slide adventure in some sections.

The good news is that temps seem to be on the rise, which means that the re-grading and filling might be scheduled soon. We’ll keep you posted on that.

Remember the beavers that disappeared last year? They’re back.

Through the snowy months, we’ve had fun looking at beaver tracks near the culvert, and watching the holes in the ice through which they were coming and going. When all the snow melts, our road crew will be organizing a regular clearing schedule for the culvert and discussing structural solutions to the clogging and flooding that the beavers are apt to cause.

This roadsection is vital to emergency evacuation and response and needs to be maintained in order to be usable. Please consider a donation check to our “Private Road Fund” c/o Tom McKeag, PO Box 183, Prospect Harbor, ME, 04669. If you have any questions or comments about the road, drop me a line at thomas.mckeag@gmail.com.

It’s (Nearly Always) Tick Season!

If you were hoping that a very cold and snowy winter would knock the ticks back — sorry. No such luck. In fact, I’ve been told that the snow-covered ground actually insulates those diminutive devils, protecting them from low temperatures and thus helping them to multiply. YIPE!

Ticks are a persistent problem in this part of the world, despite the cold winter we just experienced. Wile the summer months of June, July and August are particularly bad, it’s now official that 2025 saw record numbers of Lyme reported throughout the state. Our “medical reporter” Mary Vauthy has summarized some important information from leading resources to keep you safe this summer. You can read on…

Winter Harbor Provisions—Good Neighbors!

After years of seriously hard work to bring Winter Harbor Provisions up to its new, well-stocked standard, Bobby and Scott are handing the reins to a new manager.
Ted Sterling has heaps of experience in the food industry, and is being trained by the best. WH Provisions is well-stocked, competitively priced, and they generously donated all the entrees for the 2025 Annual Picnic. A big thanks also goes out to the Goldsteins, without whom none of this would be possible.

Visit them
Gravel Road Capital Campaign

Tom McKeag is doing a great job as the official Road Warrior for the unpaved “orphan” unpaved section of Grand Marsh Bay Road. You’ll be hearing from him, no doubt—he's seeking your annual contributions to the road fund to keep it in good repair.
The road is an important emergency exit route for everyone—please drive slowly to preserve it.

Read more
Schoodic Food Pantry

The 2025 Annual Picnic collected donations for the Schoodic Food Pantry, as is our tradition.
This year we raised $500 which was contributed along with some non-perishable foods.
The Schoodic Food Pantry is doing great work in the area, and are planning a needed expansion.

Visit them
Little Free Library

Did you know there’s a Little Free Library at 769 Paul Bunyan Road? Check it out! Take a book or leave one your neighbors might enjoy.
What's the Scuttlebutt?

Volunteer group Gouldsboro Shore has just published a guide for new folks coming to town, and for residents—whether year-round or seasonal. Check out what the Ellsworth American had to say about this useful and beautiful guide to living in our Working Waterfront Community.

Read online here
Grand Marsh Bay Road Repairs

Winter storms in 2024/25 and heavy traffic wreaked havoc on the unpaved section of Grand Marsh Bay Road… as usual. We raised enough cash last year to have the road re-graded in late May of 2025.
The road is even worse now due to speeding vehicles and weather, with deeper holes and tons of mud that will create persistent ruts. We’ll work on it as soon as weather permits.
In the meantime you might consider an annual or semi-annual contribution to the Private Road Fund so we can keep it in good shape.

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Ticks are Dangerous — and Abundant

It’s nearly ALWAYS tick season here in Maine. Record levels of Lyme were reported through 2025 in the state.
While many of us hoped that a long, snowy winter might knock them back, instead they’ve been insulated and protected by the snow.
The tick population will probably be robust through the Spring and Summer months of 2026. Please exercise heightened levels of caution.
Arm yourself against what might be a lifetime of ill effects.

Learn more
Stunning Light Display

Early October 2024 brought a spectacular night sky, with the Northern Lights offering an unforgettable visual treat. We found it amazing how different the colors were through a camera lens, as compared to looking with the naked eye.
Kaz's Fine Lines

Did you know that we have an all-girl crew in Gouldsboro and Winter Harbor who handle the road and crosswalk striping? Owned for 40 years by Kazzie Ott, PBRA was the lucky recipient of her donation of time and equipment to add a stop bar to the south end of Paul Bunyan Road.
A seasonal resident on PB Road, Kaz wanted to make the intersection a little bit safer for all of us. Thanks, Kaz!