Maine Coastal Program Now a Division of Department of Marine Resources

September 11, 2017 - The Maine Coastal Program, formerly a program of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, is now a Division of the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

The move, made possible by the recently passed state budget, will allow the DMR to build on initiatives of the Coastal Program that impact Maine’s coastal communities.

The change includes a transfer of $3.4 million in federal funds received by the Coastal Program and nearly $170,000 in other revenue. Six staff positions formerly housed at DACF are now DMR employees and located within DMR’s Augusta and Boothbay Harbor offices.

“This move made sense because of the shared focus on the health of Maine’s coastal ecosystem and economy between the DMR and the Maine Coastal Program,” said DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher.

The Maine Coastal Program works in partnership with local, regional, state and federal agencies with the goal of managing Maine's coastal resources for the public benefit. DMR has been among the partners working with MCP since its inception in 1978.

“DMR has received Coastal Program funding for many years to support some of our core work, such as fisheries co-management and the shellfish growing area program,” said Commissioner Keliher. “DMR and the Coastal Program have also historically focused on similar initiatives such as habitat restoration and mapping, and working waterfront preservation.”

“This will also allow us to focus resources on priorities shared by DMR and the Maine Coastal Program,” said Commissioner Keliher. “These include changing environmental conditions such as ocean acidification, and enhancement of economic growth sectors such as aquaculture.”

Maine is one of 36 states and territories that participate in the National Coastal Zone Management Program. The program is a voluntary partnership between the federal government and U.S. coastal and Great Lakes states and territories authorized by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 to address shared national, state and local coastal issues.

The program is funded and overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for Coastal Management. The Maine Coastal Program distributes Federal funds matched by state and local sources, to enable projects that benefit Maine’s coastal communities.

The Maine Coastal Program’s other areas of focus include waterfront planning and revitalization, land use planning technical assistance to municipalities, adaptation to shoreline erosion and sea level rise, habitat restoration, seafloor mapping, public access and public education.

All MCP website content will be migrated to the DMR website but more information on the program can currently be found on the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's website. .