Program funds wetlands preservation

HARRISON — On June 29, the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program, a statewide pooled-mitigation program, funded the purchase and permanent protection of a 51-acre parcel by the Western Foothills Land Trust. The parcel is in Harrison, and is surrounded by 690 acres of forestland protected by conservation easement in 2011.

Known as Robie Meadow, the parcel includes 35 acres of high value wetlands, 2,549 feet along Russell Brook, and forested uplands. A tributary of the Crooked River above Scribners Mill, Russell Brook supports trout and other fishery values.

Historically the parcel provided a mix of woodlands, pasture and potentially cultivated land. The woodlands are bounded by telltale stone walls and remnants of barbed and other wire fencing.

The Maine Natural Resources Conservation Program (MNRCP) was created to manage the allocation of funds collected through the In Lieu Fee Compensation Program.

This voluntary program allows entities that are impacting natural resources, primarily wetlands, to make a payment directly to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as an alternative to the traditional mitigation process.

Fees collected by DEP are deposited in a Natural Resource Conservation Fund administered by The Nature Conservancy in Maine (TNC).

As fees are collected, public agencies, nonprofit conservation organizations and private entities can apply, through a competitive process, for funds to restore, enhance, preserve and/or create high quality natural resources throughout the State of Maine.

Proposals are evaluated by a Review Committee consisting of public and private entities. Final allocation decisions are made by an Approval Committee comprised of state and federal agencies.

The Robie Meadow project was awarded MNRCP program funding due to its high resource value wetlands, Russell Brook, and connectivity within what is now 740 contiguous conserved acres.

The project area scored highly in values identified by the Harrison community during Loon Echo Land Trust’s “Greenprint” process for water, recreation, animals, farms and forest lands values.

Part of a continuing effort to protect a forested Crooked River watershed for drinking water and fisheries values: the Robie Meadow purchase by the Western Foothills Land Trust, the surrounding 690-acre conservation-easement protected forestland, and an 82-acre easement in Waterford donated in 2011 have also received support from MDIFW, USFW, Maine Natural Areas Program, The Sewall Foundation, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, and the Portland Water District.

The Robie Meadow parcel will be managed as a forever wild parcel to provide the greatest support for the wetlands. The Trust does not plan on establishing a nature trail at this time, but intends to offer periodic bird, butterfly and botany walks on site.