Reid State Park bears the distinct honor as being Maine's first State-owned Saltwater Beach. In 1946, prosperous businessman and Georgetown resident Walter E. Reid donated land to the State of Maine to be preserved forever, and a few years later Reid State Park became a reality. Today, thousands of visitors enjoy the park's long, wide sand beaches like Mile and Half Mile, which are rare in Maine. Enjoyed as a recreational resource, the beaches are also essential nesting areas for endangered least terns and piping plovers and resting and feeding areas for other shorebirds. Rarer than beaches along Maine's coast are large sand dunes, like those at Reid. For a geologic tour of the beaches visit The Geology of Mile and Half Mile Beaches. From the top of Griffith Head, a rocky headland overlooking the park, visitors can view sweeping seascapes and spot the lighthouses on Seguin Island, The Cuckolds, and Hendricks Head. Visitors can also see several islands, including: Damariscove, a thriving fishing community in Colonial times; Outer Head, protected as a tern sanctuary; and Southport, where noted naturalist Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring.