Habitat Conservation - Recent and Ongoing Projects
Restoration
To help reverse habitat damage caused by
past human activity, CBEP supports a variety of restoration projects,
from
mapping and inventory development to on-the-ground restoration, project
monitoring, and assessment.
CBEP supported the development of a Watershed Management Plan for the Pleasant River
and its tributaries, located in the towns of Gray and WIndham.
The goal of the Plan is for Pleasant and Thayer Brook, a main tributary
to the Pleasant, to be able to attain Maine's Class B water quality
standards.
Protection
CBEP supports the long-term protection of high-value habitats by
assisting with property acquisition, conservation easements, and
mapping conserved areas. CBEP's Habitat Protection Fund supports
local conservation by providing
seed funding in support of habitat protection efforts by land trusts,
towns, and state agencies. Between 2006 and 2010, CBEP invested
more than $250,000 to protect over 4,500 acres of land. - Map
of sites preserved in 2009
Protecting the quality and quantity of
habitat is necessary in order to maintain biological diversity in and
around Casco Bay. Individual species can serve as
broader indicators of the health of natural systems, due to their
unique habitat requirements or role within ecological
communities. Some of the "indicator species" that CBEP tracks are:
