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The Maine Coast Protection Initiative

A Big Bold Collaboration Setting the Stage for Future Conservation

One thing leads to another, as the saying goes. A few years ago, a significant and successful $1.5 million collaboration, the Maine Coast Protection Initiative (MCPI), began, which in turn, led the way to at least one other innovative project Down East.

The MCPI happened when a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was matched by another from the national Land Trust Alliance (LTA) to provide funding so a unique partnership of groups could work together to conserve coastal land for fishing access, farming, recreation and tourism.

West Quoddy Lighthouse.

"One ripple effect of the MCPI was the recent scenic inventory in Washington and Hancock counties," said Jim Connors, senior planner at the State Planning Office's Maine Coastal Program, who worked on the initiative. "It's the precursor to our interest in all things scenic." (See accompanying story)

MCPI's primary collaborators, the State Planning Office. Maine Coast Heritage Trust, NOAA Coastal Services Center and the Land Trust Alliance worked with groups and individuals representing other coastal stakeholders.

The partners created a Strategic Conservation Framework, outlining three shared goals, to: create a viable network of conserved land to protect coastal priority habitats, recreational and working access, and scenic and cultural features; help land trusts acquire resources to protect priority lands and meet stewardship needs, and build strong public support and funding for coastal conservation.

For one year, the collaborative worked to identify prime habitat, while the Island Institute began the first-ever mapping of commercial and recreational access to the coast and the State Planning Office began the groundwork to launch the scenic inventory Down East.

Stonington Village.

When all three projects are completed, the conservation priorities emerging from each set of data will be included by the collaborating groups on a Coastal Reference Map that will help all interested parties and agencies see the network of conserved lands in a broader, useful context. The regional outlook of the MCPI also allowed land trusts to regionalize. The Quoddy Regional Land Trust and the Great Auk Land Trust combined to form the Downeast Coastal Conservancy.

"This study has implications for big regional initiatives," said Connors. "There is still a plan to do an official study of the lessons learned."

The results of the MCPI so far may be seen at:
http://www.protectcoastalmaine.org/

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