Stemming the Tide of Habitat Loss in Maine

By Sandy Ritchie (Sandy Ritchie is a Wildlife Biologist, Habitat Conservation and Special Projects. Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife)

Maine’s diverse assemblage of wildlife, plants, and natural communities is threatened. Over two-thirds of the state’s rare and endangered species are endangered because of habitat loss. Three collaborative programs administered by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are working to stem the tide of habitat loss and conserve at-risk species and their habitats.

In a 2001 report, The Brookings Institute found that sprawl in the greater Portland area is occurring at one of the fastest rates in the country. From 1982-1997 the greater Portland, Maine metropolitan region grew 17.4% in population with a shocking 108.4% increase in urbanized land. It ranked as the 9th fastest growing metropolitan area in the country.

Much is at risk. Maine is a large state by eastern standards -- as large as the remaining New England states combined. The state has enormous natural variety and owes its biological wealth to its 17.5 million acres of vast forests, rugged mountains, more than 5,600 lakes and ponds, 5,000,000 acres of wetlands, 31,800 miles of rivers and streams, 4,100 miles of bold coastline, and 4,613 coastal islands and ledges. Maine is the most heavily forested state in the nation, but also contains some of the most significant grassland and agricultural lands in the Northeast.

This mosaic of diverse physical settings supports a wide diversity of wildlife that can be equaled in few other states. Maine has the largest population of bald eagles in the Northeast. The state’s islands support one of the most diverse nesting seabird populations on the East Coast, including habitat for rare species such as the Roseate and Arctic Tern, Atlantic Puffin, and Razorbill Auk. Maine’s relatively clean, free-flowing rivers sustain some of the best remaining populations of rare freshwater mussels and dragonflies in the East, host globally rare endemics, such as the Tomah mayfly, Roaring Brook mayfly, and Furbish’s lousewort, and support the recently listed Atlantic salmon DPS (Distinct Population Segment) found in eight mid-coast and downeast rivers. Maine’s mountains and forested habitats contribute significantly to the global breeding habitat of neotropical migrants such as Bicknell’s Thrush and Blackthroated-blue Warbler. The state has some of the best examples of pitch pine-scrub oak forest remaining in New England, hosting a suite of globally rare plants and invertebrates.

Maine’s private landowners own over 95% of these lands. Corporate forest landowners own nearly half the state; small woodlot owners, farmers, and residential landowners own much of the remainder. Thus, private landowners are integral to the conservation of our wildlife heritage and natural resources.

The Solution is Beginning with Habitat:  Beginning with Habitat (BwH) embodies a fundamental change in the way that state and federal agencies approach wildlife habitat conservation. It is a habitat-based model that provides the information to cooperatively create a landscape with local decision-makers that will support all breeding species of wildlife occurring in Maine into the future. Too often, the ability of the landscape to support wildlife is eroded by the impacts of unplanned, sprawling development. If continued development of Maine is done thoughtfully, it will be located in appropriate areas, and open space will be maintained for fish, wildlife, and plant habitat; farming and forestry opportunities; as well as outdoor recreation.

Beginning with Habitat is not a regulatory, land-use zoning mechanism. The success of Beginning with Habitat depends largely on voluntary land conservation efforts by landowners, particularly private landowners. Habitat conservation efforts will involve conservation easements, cooperative management agreements, and other tools. The availability of meaningful incentives is critical to long-term stewardship by the private landowner.

Collaboration:  The most important first step to protecting habitat is knowledge. This program brings together the expertise and resources of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Department of Conservation’s Natural Areas Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, Maine State Planning Office, Maine Audubon, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and 13 Regional Planning Commissions.

Beginning with Habitat seeks to conserve and maintain sufficient habitat to support all native plant and wildlife species currently breeding in Maine. It does this by taking habitat data from multiple sources, integrating it into one package, and providing each Maine town with a series of maps and accompanying information depicting and describing various habitats of statewide and national significance, including rare and endangered species, found in the town. These maps provide information to communities that can help guide conservation of valuable habitats as well as recommendations that can be used to build a system of interconnected and conserved lands. It is hoped that the data, maps, written material, and suggestions for local conservation strategies will help inform and guide each town’s growth in such a way that 100 years from now Maine will retain its rich and diverse outdoor heritage.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) and the Maine Natural Areas Program (MNAP) also provide Beginning with Habitat data to various land conservation partners: local and regional land trusts, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, The Nature Conservancy, and Maine Audubon.

The Beginning with Habitat Model:  Beginning with Habitat was initially developed by the University of Maine's Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (CFWRU) under the direction of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Data on plants and wildlife habitats of federal interest were later added by the Maine Natural Areas Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

By overlaying maps of the habitat needs of all of Maine’s vertebrate species with Maine’s primary land cover types (forests, fields, wetlands) in a geographic information system, the CFWRU was able to determine that 80-95% of all of Maine’s vertebrate species would likely be present if riparian habitats, high value animal habitats, and large habitat blocks are protected.

The Beginning with Habitat program provides municipalities, land trusts, and other organizations engaged in habitat conservation with maps of habitat data and conservation recommendations in three primary areas that are used to build a functional wildlife landscape based on a system of interconnected and conserved lands to promote habitat conservation for Maine’s diverse assemblage of wildlife and plants, including rare and endangered species.

Riparian Habitat provides habitat for many species that use the transition zone between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. It includes all areas adjacent to streams, rivers, wetlands, lakes and ponds, and can function also as travel corridors linking areas together on the landscape.

 

High Value Plant and Animal Habitats that are special habitats required by wildlife, such as nesting sites, special vegetation communities, deer wintering areas, locations of endangered, threatened, or rare species – any location or habitat that may require special consideration.

 

Large Habitat Blocks are relatively unbroken areas of habitat including forest, grasslands, and agricultural lands that are crossed by few roads and have relatively little development and human habitation. These areas are essential for wildlife species with large spatial requirements or that are sensitive to human disturbance.

Accomplishments:  Since its inception in 2000, the Beginning with Habitat program has met with and provided information to more than 140 cities and towns in Maine and 35 land trusts and regional planning commissions. Many towns have incorporated the information they have received from BwH into their comprehensive plans.

Improved scientific understanding by local planners is reflected in better planning for habitat conservation and land use decisions. By educating local decision-makers about the link between wildlife habitat and other resource functions such as water and air quality, flood flow control, and aesthetics and recreational opportunities provided by open space, communities are better prepared to plan. In 2003, an interactive website was developed www.beginningwithhabitat.org to provide quick, efficient access to all of the BwH information.

Replication:  Beginning with Habitat is a model for the way government agencies can cooperate with non-profit conservation organizations and local communities across the country and is fast becoming a national model. Maine has been approached by several states that would like to develop a similar landscape approach to habitat conservation.

Recognition:  The New England Office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Beginning with Habitat with an Environmental Merit Award at a special Earth Day ceremony held at Faneuil Hall in Boston in 2004. The EPA’s Environmental Merit Award is an annual award that recognizes outstanding environmental advocates who have made significant contributions toward preserving and protecting our natural resources.

Landowner Incentive Program

Habitat conservation for Maine’s rare, threatened, and endangered wildlife, plants, and natural communities is largely provided by the voluntary stewardship of the private landowner, who rarely is compensated for protecting his or her land as habitat for these rare species.

Landowners choose conservation for a variety of reasons. Some want to share the beautiful places they have enjoyed. Some fear that estate taxes may prevent them from keeping land in the family. Others seek relief from rising property taxes. All of them share an abiding concern and love for the land.

Private landowners are integral to the conservation of our wildlife heritage and natural resources and are often committed in principle to stewardship of endangered or threatened species, but the lack of financial and technical incentives has limited the scale of long-term conservation.

Not so any more. In 2004, the State of Maine was awarded a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to implement a Landowner Incentive Program (LIP). The Landowner Incentive Program is a competitive grant program that supports collaborative efforts to partner with private landowners to cultivate and fund conservation opportunities for critical habitats in the state. The State was awarded an additional $655,000 in LIP funds in 2005, and a proposal for a 2006 award is currently pending.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife provides administrative oversight of Maine’s LIP program, and the Maine Natural Areas Program provides LIP outreach. A Steering Committee, comprised of state and federal agencies and conservation partners, is responsible for generating competitive criteria for distributing LIP funds fairly and equitably, delivery of technical and financial assistance to landowners, administrative and coordination functions, and establishing goals and measurable objectives for the conservation of Maine’s at-risk species and their habitats.

LIP provides financial incentives to private landowners in return for longterm habitat protection for rare and endangered species. In Maine, the program has five objectives:

Bald Eagle Nesting Habitat Protection

Maine is one of the primary strongholds of bald eagles along the Atlantic coast; the state’s population accounts for more than 75% of eagle numbers resident in the northeastern U.S. Although statewide numbers are now at recovery levels established for Maine in 1989, bald eagles remain a rarity in all but a few localities.

LIP funds are being used to enhance stewardship of privately owned lands strategic to conservation efforts for bald eagle nesting habitat by soliciting management agreements and/or conservation easements for at least 30 nesting areas (more than 4,500 acres) across Maine.

Piping Plover and Least Tern Nesting Habitat Protection

Approximately 75% of the 60 - 70 pairs of piping plovers nesting in Maine nest on 17 privately-owned beaches in the state. Many of these beaches are highly developed, and management of these endangered birds requires careful negotiations with landowners.

LIP funds are being used to increase the capacity to better manage piping plover and least tern habitat on privately owned land, provide support for sand dune restoration, and supply landowners with wooden walkways.

Furbish Lousewort Habitat Protection

Furbish’s lousewort, Maine’s only federally listed endangered plant, is a perennial wildflower endemic to the St. John River in northern Maine with a few small populations in adjacent New Brunswick. Its limited range allows us to focus our conservation efforts with a higher likelihood of success. Its natural rarity has been exacerbated by human impacts.

Funds from the Landowner Incentive Program are being used to evaluate opportunities for obtaining cooperative management agreements on parcels that support populations of Furbish’s lousewort. By protecting river shore that supports Furbish’s lousewort we will also be protecting some of the most diverse and unique habitat found in the state. Over 30 other rare plant species including some of Maine’s rarest (six endangered and 14 threatened species) are found growing along the same stretches of the St. John River as Furbish’s lousewort.

Restoring Seabird Nesting Habitat on Stratton Island

Stratton and Bluff Islands have the greatest diversity of nesting seabirds in Maine. These islands support the largest population of endangered roseate terns in Maine. More than 1,000 pairs of common and arctic terns (state listed special concern and threatened respectively) also nest here. A diverse assemblage of wading birds including a colony of black-crowned night herons occur on the islands, as does Maine's only nesting colonies of glossy ibis, great egret, little blue heron, tri-colored herons, and American oystercatcher.

LIP funds are being used to help support National Audubon’s seabird and wading bird research and management, provide for a meaningful education experience for the public (wildlife viewing areas, observation blinds, and guided programs for island visitors), conduct annual bird censuses, and complete detailed studies of nesting ecology and productivity of common and roseate terns to better manage these rare species.

Species-at-Risk Focus Areas in Southern and Coastal Maine

Southern and coastal Maine have the highest level of plant and wildlife species diversity in the state including the highest numbers of populations of rare plant and animal species. Unfortunately, this area is one of the most desirable for development, and increasing development is leading to habitat fragmentation and loss. Within this area, the State of Maine has been working hard to identify at risk plant and animal populations and the habitats they need to remain viable. The result of this effort is a mapped suite of species-at-risk focus areas. These areas include assemblages of the best examples of rare species populations and high quality natural habitats in Maine. Landowner Incentive Program funds are being used to acquire easements and/or cooperative management agreements to preserve viable populations of rare plant and animal populations within species-at-risk focus areas.

A subset of focus areas across Maine was selected as pilot sites for conservation efforts. In the last two years the state has awarded $1,006,425 for the purchase of conservation easements within 9 focus areas that will protect more than 4,200 acres of critical habitat for rare, threatened and endangered species in southern, western, central, and mid-coast Maine.

Landowner Incentive Program funds will contribute to the conservation of the following areas:

Beaver Dam Heath, Berwick
Part of a 1,000-acre wetland interspersed with upland forests and 125 acres of wetland, including a state rare Atlantic white cedar swamp, will be conserved with LIP funds. This tract is especially important habitat for Blanding’s and spotted turtles (state listed endangered and threatened respectively).

Chopps Creek, Woolwich
This project will permanently protect high value tidal freshwater marshes, riparian habitat, and associated upland buffer on Chopps Creek, a subsite of Merrymeeting Bay and the Lower Kennebec River Estuary. Merrymeeting Bay has long been recognized for its exceptional productivity. Broad fertile mudflats, formed by the deposition of sediments at the mouths of the six rivers entering the bay, support a dense and diverse vegetative complex that provides breeding, feeding, and roosting cover for a variety of waterfowl and other wetland-dependent species.

Corea Heath/Grand Marsh, Gouldsboro
LIP funds will conserve a 590-acre mosaic of community types in the Northern Corea Heath, including a large wetland complex comprised of bogs, fens, forested wetland, and non peatland shrubby wetlands and several hundred acres of upland forests. The property hosts several rare plants and is adjacent to 400 acres recently acquired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

Gerrish Island, Kittery
Located in the southern tip of Maine, this 350-acre project comprises a major portion of the largest undeveloped block on Gerrish Island in Kittery. Funds will be used to protect over a mile of ocean frontage, upland forests, freshwater wetlands and vernal pools, and management of invasive plant species.

Mt. Agamenticus, Berwick
Three properties in the Mt. Agamenticus Focus Area will be conserved. All parcels are rich with vernal pools and when combined, will create a corridor between two large areas of conserved lands known to be important habitat to both Blanding’s and spotted turtles.

Sheepscot River, Alna and Newcastle
Centrally located within a 2,450-acre roadless area in mid-coast Maine, two properties totaling nearly 350 acres and covering 2.5 miles of frontage on the Sheepscot River will be conserved with LIP funds. Home to federally listed Atlantic salmon and bald eagles, the Sheepscot River also provides habitat for several other globally and state rare species.

St. George River, Warren
A 72-acre parcel of a diverse mix of mature forests, fertile agricultural lands, and an extensive salt marsh ecosystem on the western shore of the St. George River will be conserved. In addition, as the only remaining land grant parcel in Warren and the oldest family estate in the community, the property is steeped in historic and cultural values.

Unity Wetlands, Unity
Complementing a Land for Maine’s Future award, LIP funds will contribute to conservation of 280 acres within 3 parcels in an ongoing land conservation initiative. The Unity Wetlands complex includes a large expanse of wetlands and uplands and hosts an array of unique natural features that collectively contribute to an area identified as one of statewide conservation significance. Notably, several rare wetland and riparian species and habitats, from wood turtles to wild garlic, occur in the complex.

Upper Saco River, Fryeburg

The Upper Saco River Watershed is recognized as one of the largest unfragmented, natural tracts of low floodplain forest in New England. It is characterized by an abundance of unique natural communities and habitat supporting the globally rare Long’s bulrush, endemic Hudsonia beach community, the state endangered Blanding’s turtle, and three globally rare dragonflies. LIP funds will contribute to conservation of 12 tracts of land, creating a largely unfragmented 558-acre of forest floodplain habitat while keeping the land in responsible forest management.

State Wildlife Grants Program

In 2001, Congress created the State Wildlife Grant Program (SWG) to help state and tribal fish and wildlife agencies address conservation of fish and wildlife species of greatest conservation need. This funding was a direct result of “Teaming with Wildlife” efforts sustained for more than a decade by fish and wildlife conservation interests across the country.

Funds appropriated under the State Wildlife Grant program are allocated to states according to a formula that takes into account each state’s size and population. To date, Maine has received nearly $3.7 million in SWG funds to support work on many of Maine’s rare, threatened, endangered, and nongame fish and wildlife. Projects are diverse, covering many species groups, all geographic areas of the state, and ranging in scale from ecosystems to subspecies. Projects vary in length from one to five years, and include baseline surveys, research, and habitat conservation. Here are several examples of projects in Maine supported, in part, by State Wildlife Grant funds.

Beginning with Habitat - a cooperative effort of agencies and organizations working together to secure Maine’s outdoor legacy by providing communities with mapped information to incorporate into their comprehensive planning efforts to help guide conservation of valuable habitats.

Seabird Outreach - informing Maine students and the general public about seabird biology and marine conservation by providing insight into the lives of Maine seabirds (puffins and terns) through a web-based school curriculum and Internet access that features live-streaming video from Eastern Egg Rock, a state-owned 7-acre sanctuary managed by National Audubon.

Distribution & Ecology of Purple Sandpipers Wintering in Maine - enables MDIFW to estimate abundance and distribution of purple sandpipers in Maine, assess movements and site fidelity of individuals at particular sites, and develop a protocol for monitoring purple sandpiper populations in the state.

Safeguards to Bald Eagle Recovery: Habitat Conservation - devising statewide strategies and identifying optimal sites for long-term conservation of bald eagle nesting habitat as the fundamental safeguard for a lasting recovery of the species in Maine.

Enhanced Management of Piping Plovers and Least Terns – working with Maine Audubon to enhance the management of piping plovers and least terns, including the development of cooperative beach management agreements with Maine municipalities.

Canada Lynx Ecology - supporting an ongoing study of Canada lynx in Maine to determine lynx persistence, habitat use, recruitment, and dispersal in response to changing prey densities and/or habitat conditions, and to identify techniques for monitoring lynx populations statewide.

Stream Survey Databasing/Utilization of Restored Aquatic Habitats - enhancing MDIFW’s efforts towards managing and conserving flowing water habitats and their respective animal communities.

Lake Habitat Inventories - gathering data related to water quality, fish species composition and relative abundance, bathymetry, aquatic habitat types, and macroinvertebrate species composition from hundreds of Maine’s lakes.

Estimating Moose Density - developing an accurate and cost-effective model that can be used to estimate the density of Maine's moose population.

Lake Whitefish Studies - identifying the factors involved in the decline of these fisheries, developing and/ or refining management strategies intended to prevent further declines, and beginning the process of restoring lake whitefish sport fisheries.

Wildlife Park Displays – construction of a new fisheries display and educational exhibits for moose, deer, coyote, turkeys, and turtles at the Maine Wildlife Park.

Investigation of Blanding’s Turtle Road Mortality - helping the Maine Departments of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Transportation identify the location and extent of road impacts on endangered turtles in Maine as a precursor towards designing strategic mitigation measures.

Status and Monitoring of Maine Owls - working with Maine Audubon to evaluate the abundance and distribution of owls in Maine and to develop a volunteer-based monitoring system.

Ecoregional Surveys – working with the Maine Natural Areas Program on a systematic, statewide, 10-year survey of rare and endangered wildlife, plants, and natural communities in Maine to better assess their status and distribution and to design conservation strategies to promote their recovery.

To be eligible for SWG funds and to satisfy requirements for participating in the State Wildlife Grant program, Congress required each state to develop a Wildlife Action Plan, known technically as a Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. MDIFW was the agency responsible for developing Maine’s plan with input from the Atlantic Salmon Commission, Maine Department of Marine Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Maine’s Native American tribes, and more than 50 conservation partners. These proactive plans examine the health of wildlife and prescribe actions to conserve wildlife and vital habitat before they become too rare and costly to protect.

Maine’s Wildlife Action Plan addresses the full array of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the state, including vertebrates and invertebrates, and targets species in greatest need of conservation while keeping “common species common.” The plan covers the entire state, from the dramatic coastline to the heights of Mt. Katahdin. It is intended to supplement, not duplicate, existing fish and wildlife programs, because it builds on a species planning effort ongoing for nearly 40 years; a landscape approach to habitat conservation, Beginning with Habitat, initiated in 2000; and a long history of public involvement and collaboration among conservation partners.

To view a copy of Maine’s plan, go to http://www.state.me.us/ifw/wildlife/compwildlifestrategy/index.htm.

It all begins with habitat – Maine’s diverse assemblage of wildlife, plants, and natural communities, and the outdoor experiences we cherish, depends on the availability of suitable habitat. Much is at stake, and much is being accomplished.

-Sandy Ritchie, Wildlife Biologist, Habitat Conservation and Special Projects. Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife