Blue Hill Heritage Trust Inc

THE MAINE COAST ZONE WETLANDS PROPOSAL REQUESTS $1,456,355 IN NAWCA SUPPORT TO PERMANENTLY PROTECT SEVEN WETLAND-RICH PROPERTIES IN THE NAWCA COASTAL ZONE THROUGH FEE ACQUISITION, AND TO RESTORE 48.9 ACRES OF VALUABLE SALT MARSH IN THE RACHEL CARSON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE. GRANT FUNDS WILL LEVERAGE $2,913,560 IN PARTNER MATCHING FUNDS. TRACTS ARE LOCATED IN CUMBERLAND, HANCOCK AND YORK COUNTIES, MAINE. WITH NAWCA SUPPORT, THIS PROPOSAL WILL PROTECT OR RESTORE 646.4 ACRES OF FRESHWATER AND COASTAL WETLANDS, 1,992 FEET OF UNDEVELOPED POND FRONTAGE, 2.8 MILES OF UNDEVELOPED INTERTIDAL SHORELINE AND 6.9 MILES OF MOSTLY WOODED, INTACT RIPARIAN HABITAT ON FRESHWATER STREAMS. WETLANDS WILL BE PROTECTED FROM DISTURBANCE AND DEGRADATION THROUGH THE CONSERVATION OF 1,461.5 ACRES OF SURROUNDING UPLANDS, WHICH WILL ALSO SUPPORT A VARIETY OF PRIORITY SPECIES THAT UTILIZE UPLAND HABITATS DURING PART OF THEIR LIFE CYCLE.PROPOSAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: TRACT 1) FEE DONATION OF 73.3 ACRES OF WETLANDS, FOREST AND FIELD WITH 2,604 FEET OF FRONTAGE ON THE TIDAL PORTION OF MEADOW BROOK, WITH HIGH NEARBY CONCENTRATIONS OF AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER AND BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER TRACTS 2-4) FEE PURCHASE OF 3 NEARBY PROPERTIES ON THE BLUE HILL PENINSULA FEATURING A MOSAIC OF FRESHWATER WETLAND COMPLEXES, LAKE FRONTAGE, 6.5 MILES OF STREAMS AND WOODED UPLANDS TOTALING 1,903.3 ACRES, SUPPORTING A VARIETY OF PRIORITY BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE INCLUDING 1,750 ACRES OF MODELED HABITAT FOR AMERICAN WOODCOCK AND CRITICAL HABITAT FOR FEDERALLY ENDANGERED ATLANTIC SALMON TRACT 5) FEE PURCHASE OF 41.0 ACRES OF SALT MARSH, MUDFLATS AND WOODED UPLANDS IN MAQUOIT BAY, A STATE DESIGNATED FOCUS AREA OF STATEWIDE ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND AN AUDUBON IMPORTANT BIRD AREA RECOGNIZED FOR HAVING SOME OF THE HIGHEST WINTERING WATERFOWL CONCENTRATIONS IN THE STATE TRACT 6) FEE PURCHASE OF 30.1 ACRES OF WETLANDS AND BUFFERING UPLANDS ON THE NONESUCH RIVER, WHICH SUPPLIES FRESHWATER TO SCARBOROUGH MARSH, MAINES LARGEST CONTIGUOUS SALT MARSH AND HOME TO A NUMBER OF RARE AND ENDANGERED SPECIES TRACT 7) FEE PURCHASE OF AN 11.3-ACRE TRACT OF FORESTED WETLANDS FEATURING A PITCH PINE BOG IDENTIFIED BY THE STATE AS AN IMPERILED EXEMPLARY NATURAL COMMUNITY TRACT 8) RESTORATION OF 48.9 ACRES OF SALT MARSH IMPORTANT TO BREEDING SALTMARSH SPARROW IN THE RACHEL CARSON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE. THE RESTORATION WILL IMPROVE HABITAT QUALITY IN AN AREA ALREADY RECOGNIZED BY THE ATLANTIC COAST JOINT VENTURE AS BEING IN THE TOP 1 3 OF ALL HIGH-QUALITY RESILIENT HABITAT PATCHES IN THE MID NORTH ATLANTIC REGION.THE FOUR LARGEST ACQUISITIONS IN THIS PROPOSAL, WHICH TOTAL 1,976.6 ACRES, WILL BE HELD BY THE APPLICANT, BLUE HILL HERITAGE TRUST. A PROFESSIONALLY STAFFED, NATIONALLY ACCREDITED NON-PROFIT FOUNDED IN 1985. ITS WORK ADVANCES THE VITAL CONNECTION BETWEEN HEALTHY LAND AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES. TO DATE, THE TRUST HAS PROTECTED OVER 10,000 ACRES OF LAND ON THE BLUE HILL PENINSULA FOR WILDLIFE, RECREATION, SCENIC BEAUTY, SUSTAINABLE USE AND HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE. PROJECT SUBRECIPIENTS SCARBOROUGH LAND TRUST, BRUNSWICK-TOPSHAM LAND TRUST WILL USE GRANT AND MATCHING FUNDS TO ACQUIRE FEE TITLE TO THREE PROPOSAL TRACTS. DUCKS UNLIMITED WILL USE GRANT FUNDS TO RESTORE SALT MARSH IN COLLABORATION WITH THE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, WHICH WILL DIRECTLY RECEIVE $105,130 IN NAWCA FUNDS.IN ADDITION TO PROTECTING AND RESTORING HIGH QUALITY HABITAT FOR NUMEROUS CONSERVATION PRIORITY WETLAND-DEPENDENT SPECIES, PROTECTED LANDS WILL BENEFIT MAINE RESIDENTS AND VISITORS BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FREE PUBLIC RECREATION ON OVER 96% OF THE PROPOSAL ACREAGE, INCLUDING HUNTING AND OTHER LOW IMPACT USES COMPATIBLE WITH HABITAT CONSERVATION.

TO ACQUIRE IN FEE 206 ACRES TO CREATE PENOBSCOT COMMUNITY FOREST UNDER THE COMMUNITY FOREST AND OPEN SPACES PROGRAM