Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced Appalachian Mountain Club will receive a grant of $1 million from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve 16,311 acres around the Gulf of Maine and protect over 100 migratory bird species. Appalachian Mountain Club will also receive $3,000,700 in matching funds.

“The Gulf of Maine is one of our state’s treasures, and thousands of species rely on its abundant resources for their survival, including vulnerable bird populations native to the northeastern coast. But the wetlands these birds rely on are disappearing, and the federal government needs to step up to conserve our wetlands,” said Pingree. “As the Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and the Environment, I proudly advocated for full funding for the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund, which helps protect our natural resources and the species that live there. I’m proud to see this funding come back to Maine and I look forward to the work that Appalachian Mountain Club will do to protect the Gulf of Maine.”

The funding was granted for bird conservation in 16,311 acres of undeveloped wetlands, riparian corridors, saltwater coastline, lake and pond frontage, and surrounding upland buffers within large-scale, relatively intact, protected landscapes in the Gulf of Maine. This land serves as habitat for over 100 migratory bird species, including the American black duck and saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow. Project tracts also demonstrate the importance of connections between the coastal zone and inland habitat blocks, often via river corridors, to the conservation of these high priority species. Dabbling ducks, sea ducks and geese use coastal wetlands in the project area extensively during winter and migration. 

 

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