Press Releases
Pingree Announces $466K to Protect, Conserve Casco Bay WatershedThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded more than $20 million to 13 coastal states to protect, restore, or enhance more than 61,000 acres of coastal wetlands and adjacent upland habitats
Washington,
December 20, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) has been awarded a $466,365 grant through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program. The award will fund MDIFW’s Cousins River Fields and Marsh Conservation Project, which will protect 42.7 acres of coastal wetland habitat within the intact and mostly conserved upper Cousins River Marsh system in the Casco Bay watershed. “States like Maine rely on pristine oceans and coastline, and this funding is great news for the fish, wildlife, and habitats in Maine and for the communities of people that enjoy our incredible landscapes,” said Pingree. “As Chair of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, I was proud to advocate for this funding, which will provide Maine and states across the country with the tools they need to conserve and protect our lands and waters, ensure ecosystems are healthy, and fight against climate change. These awards move Maine and the U.S. closer to reaching President Biden’s ambitious yet achievable goal of conserving 30% of our land and waters by 2030.” The 25 projects announced today will help mitigate the effects of climate change on coastal areas, many of which have already been dramatically altered and stressed by storms, sea level rise, human activity, and invasive species. These grants will also help states and Tribes protect and restore important coastal habitats, supporting a main pillar of the Biden-Harris administration’s America the Beautiful initiative and Maine’s Climate Action Plan, by contributing to the goal of conserving 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030. Pingree has been a member of the House Appropriations Committee since 2013. In January 2021, she was elected to serve as House Appropriations Committee Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chair. As Chair Pingree oversees discretionary spending for the Department of the Interior, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, and several agencies related to the arts and humanities. View the list of projects funded by the 2022 grant program here.
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