Maine Coast Heritage Trust

FUNDS UNDER THIS AWARD WILL PROTECT UNDEVELOPED WETLANDS, STREAM CORRIDORS, SALTWATER COASTLINE, LAKE AND POND FRONTAGE, AND SURROUNDING UPLAND BUFFERS TO BENEFIT A WIDE VARIETY OF HIGH PRIORITY WILDLIFE SPECIES. THIS PROJECT CONTRIBUTES TO ONE OF THE LARGEST PROTECTED AREAS IN THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES, A CONTIGUOUS BLOCK OF OVER 2 MILLION ACRES OF CONSERVATION EASEMENTS, PUBLIC RESERVE LANDS, A WILDERNESS WATERWAY, STATE PARKS, FEDERAL LANDS AND CONSERVATION FORESTRY LANDS. SPECIFICALLY, THE PROJECT FOCUSES ON THE PERMANENT PROTECTION AND EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF THE FOLLOWING HIGH-VALUE HABITATS FOR WETLAND-DEPENDENT SPECIES, WHICH WILL SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONSERVATION OF MIGRATORY BIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE.

THIS PROPOSAL WILL PROTECT AND RESTORE VALUABLE HABITAT IN AN AREA CONSIDERED ONE OF THE WORLD S MOST BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE ENVIRONMENTS, THE GULF OF MAINE ECOSYSTEM. THE MAINE WETLANDS CONSERVATION INITIATIVE (MWCI) WAS FORMED IN 2018, SPEARHEADED BY THE APPLICANT MAINE COAST HERITAGE TRUST, TO ENGAGE DIVERSE CONSERVATION PARTNERS FROM ACROSS MAINE AND TARGET PROJECTS OF HIGHEST CONSERVATION IMPACT. THE COALITION HAS SINCE GROWN INTO A GROUP OF MORE THAN 30 MATCHING PARTNERS CONTRIBUTING OVER 42.7 MILLION IN MATCH AGAINST 13 MILLION IN REQUESTED GRANT FUNDS. THIS PHASE III PROPOSAL BUILDS ON THE SUCCESSES OF MAINE WETLANDS CONSERVATION INITIATIVE I AND II, AND WILL ADD 2,324.7 ACRES OF PERMANENTLY PROTECTED OR RESTORED WETLANDS AND SURROUNDING UPLAND BUFFERS TO OVER 4.2 MILLION PROTECTED ACRES IN THE PROPOSAL AREA, INCLUDING NEARLY 500,000 ACRES OF CONSERVED WETLANDS. THE MAINE WETLANDS CONSERVATION INITIATIVE III PROPOSAL INCLUDES ACTIVITIES IN CUMBERLAND, OXFORD, SAGADAHOC, WASHINGTON AND YORK COUNTIES, MAINE.PROPOSAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDE 5 ACQUISITIONS AND 1 HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECT IN THE FOLLOWING ECOLOGICALLY RICH AREAS OF MAINE: 1) DOWNEAST MAINE, A LONGSTANDING CONTINENTAL STRONGHOLD FOR AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, PROVIDING ICE-FREE SHELTERED WINTERING HABITAT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO QUALITY BREEDING AREAS AS WELL AS HOSTING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SHOREBIRDS DURING ANNUAL MIGRATION. THIS PROPOSAL WILL PROTECT THE ENTIRE SHORE OF 12.3-ACRE WESTERN LAKE, A PUBLICLY OWNED GREAT POND UN MAINE LAW, AS WELL AS ACQUIRE A COASTAL TRACT IN AN ACJV FOCUS AREA FOR BREEDING NELSON S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. 2) KENNEBEC ESTUARY AND MERRYMEETING BAY - A GLOBALLY-UNUSUAL ENCLOSED INLAND DELTA FORMED BY 6 DIFFERENT RIVERS, CONTAINING 20 OF MAINE S TIDAL MARSHES, AND ONE OF THE PREMIER WATERFOWL STAGING GROUNDS ON THE ATLANTIC FLYWAY, HISTORICALLY SUPPORTING 40,000 DUCKS EACH FALL. THIS PROPOSAL WILL PROTECT BREEDING HABITAT IN THE TOP 10 IN RANGE-WIDE SIGNIFICANCE TO SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW AND PROTECT STATE-DESIGNATED ESSENTIAL HABITAT FOR PIPING PLOVER AND LEAST TERN ADJACENT TO A STATE PARK AND STATE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA. 3) THE PRESUMPSCOT RIVER SUB-BASIN, CONNECTING MAINE S WESTERN FOOTHILLS REGION TO CASCO BAY. THE REGION INCLUDES THE WATERSHED OF 30,000-ACRE SEBAGO LAKE - WITH OUTSTANDING WATER QUALITY AND PROVIDING DRINKING WATER TO 1 6TH OF THE STATE S POPULATION - AND ITS MAIN OUTLET, PRESUMPSCOT RIVER. PROPOSAL ACQUISITIONS IN THE REGION INCLUDE PROTECTION OF ONE OF THE STATE S LARGEST INLAND ROOKERIES FOR MAINE SPECIAL CONCERN SPECIES GREAT BLUE HERON AND THE PROTECTION OF A NEARLY 1,300-ACRE TRACT THAT INCLUDES EXTENSIVE FRESHWATER WETLANDS IN A FORESTED LANDSCAPE CONTEXT. 4) SOUTHERN COASTAL MAINE, INCLUDING RACHEL CARSON NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, DOMINATED BY SALT MARSHES AND ESTUARIES DOTTED ALONG 50 MILES OF COASTLINE CONTAINING A COLLECTION OF DIVERS HABITATS THAT TOGETHER SUPPORT A COMPOSITION OF SPECIES NOT SEEN ELSEWHERE IN THE STATE. THIS PROPOSAL INCLUDES THE RESTORATION OF VITAL BREEDING HABITAT FOR SALTMARSH SHARP-TAILED SPARROW ON A LONG-TERM MONITORING SITE WHERE BREEDING BIRDS ARE IN SIGNIFICANT DECLINE DUE TO NEST FLOODING.

BAGADUCE RIVER WATERSHED PROJECT

SCHOODIC MTN TO PENINSULA CORRIDOR- COASTAL MAINE PARTNERSHIP

COBSCOOK BAY - BOLD COAST AREA 2

OLD POND/UPPER SKILLINGS RIVER WETLANDS PROJECT

NORTHEAST CREEK/JONES MARSH WETLANDS PROJECT

SEAL COVE POND FISH PASSAGE PROJECT - PHASE 1

FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE

MAINE COAST HERITAGE TRUST (MCHT) PARTNERS CLOSELY WITH THE GULF OF MAINE COASTAL PROGRAM TO ADVANCE PRIORITY SALT MARSH RESTORATION PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE COAST OF MAINE AND STRENGTHEN COLLABORATION EFFORTS WITH PARTNERS AND PRIVATE LANDOWNERS. THIS AWARD WILL FURTHER PROGRESS ON PRIORITY SALT MARSH RESTORATION PROJECTS BY PROVIDING FUNDING FOR PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION, PRE-RESTORATION MONITORING SUPPLIES, RESTORATION DESIGNS AND CAPACITY BUILDING, AS NEEDED. SEVERAL OF THESE PRIORITY SALT MARSH RESTORATION PROJECTS ARE IN PROGRESS AND ARE AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION. COUSINS RIVER MARSH IS ONE OF THE PRIORITY MARSHES WHERE MARSH RESTORATION PLANNING IS IN PROGRESS AND IMPLEMENTATION WILL OCCUR OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. THIS AWARD WILL SUPPORT A LARGER EFFORT TO RESTORE OVER 70 ACRES OF MARSH RESTORATION ON PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LAND. THIS OVERALL EFFORT IS ORGANIZED BY THE COUSINS RIVER MARSH COLLABORATIVE, AN INFORMAL GROUP OF STATE, FEDERAL, MUNICIPAL, NON-PROFIT, AND UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONS FOCUSED ON THIS SYSTEM. THIS GROUP HAS SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED PERMIT-READY RESTORATION DESIGN PLANS WITH EXPERT PARTNERS, HAS FACILITATED OUTREACH EVENTS TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES, AND IS WORKING TO PRIORITIZE PRIVATELY OWNED PARCELS FOR FUTURE OUTREACH AND POTENTIAL IMPLEMENTATION FUNDING. OTHER HIGH PRIORITY MARSHES IN THE SUITE OF PROJECTS THAT MCHT IS ACTIVELY WORKING TO RESTORE WITH PARTNERS INCLUDE: YORK RIVER MARSH (YORK), LONG MARSH (HARPSWELL), AND GAMBLE MARSH (BRUNSWICK), AND MAY UTILIZE THIS FUNDING AS NEEDED. MAINE COAST HERITAGE TRUST WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH GULF OF MAINE COASTAL PROGRAM TO DETERMINE NEEDS FOR THIS FUNDING ON THESE PROJECT SITES AND ANY NEW PROJECT SITES THAT DEVELOP.

THIS PROJECT AIMS TO RESTORE 54 ACRES OF SALT MARSH HABITAT. THE 54 ACRES IS PART OF A LARGER GRAND MARSH SALT MARSH COMPLEX WHICH IS 137 ACRES IN TOTAL. THE 54 ACRE PARCEL IS A PRIORITY RESTORATION SITE FOR SALTMARSH AND NELSONS SPARROW AS IDENTIFIED BY THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE ATLANTIC COAST JOINT VENTURE. THE RESTORATION OF THIS SITE WILL ALSO BENEFIT THE FEDERALLY THREATENED RED KNOT BY EXPANDING AND IMPROVING FORAGING HABITAT.GRAND MARSH CURRENTLY EXHIBITS MANY OF THE FEATURES INDICATIVE OF A DEGRADING AND FAILING SALT MARSH. THESE FEATURES INCLUDE LARGE AREAS OF STANDING WATER CALLED MEGAPOOLS. THESE MEGAPOOLS CAUSE VEGETATION DIE-OFF, ROOT-COLLAPSE, AND RAPID MARSH ELEVATION LOSS WITHOUT VEGETATION, SALT MARSHES ARE UNABLE TO ACCRETE IN LINE WITH SEA-LEVEL RISE, AND LACK IMPORTANT HABITAT FOR STATE-ENDANGERED BIRDS LIKE THE SALTMARSH SPARROW AND THE FEDERALLY THREATENED RED KNOT.