Maine DEP Awards over $880,000 to Wetland Projects

For Immediate Release: December 8, 2015

Contact: David Madore, Communications Director, david.madore@maine.gov or (207) 287-5842

Maine DEP Awards over $880,000 to Wetland Projects

Today, the Commissioners of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF), Department of Marine Resources (DMR) and Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (DIF&W) met with federal counterparts from Army Corps, EPA, and US Fish and Wildlife as part of the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program (MNRCP) and approved 8 wetland preservation, restoration and enhancement projects in Central Interior & Midcoast and Southern Maine.  In total, over $880,000.00 was awarded through this year’s process.

The MNRCP is an alternative compliance strategy for projects affecting wetlands.  DEP in collaboration with Army Corps and the Nature Conservancy is committed to this program, which provides applicants affecting wetlands with another compliance tool.  Payments are made for development impacts and the MNRCP is the mechanism for aggregating these funds to fund preservation, restoration and enhancement projects.  As announced earlier in the year, this year’s program stressed wetland restoration and enhancement efforts, though some preservation efforts were also funded.

This year’s successful recipients included preservation efforts, such as the Caribou Bog land acquisition proposal by the Orono Land Trust and restoration projects such as the Little River Habitat Restoration project by the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, as well as enhancement projects such as the Walnut Hill-Sousa project by the Three Rivers Land Trust. 

As in past years, unallocated funds will be available to applicants next year.  As the program moves forward, funding will likely be available for projects throughout more regions of the State. 

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