The Maine Habitat Restoration Partnership , administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Gulf of Maine Program, supports habitat restoration work in coastal wetlands and along migratory fish rivers. Non-federal match requirements vary. The Maine Wildlife Habitat Initiative , administered through Maine Coast Heritage Trust, supports habitat protection initiatives, with a focus on coastal islands and wetlands. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation also awards individual grants to specific projects that fall outside the parameters of the block grants. Congressional approval is needed to access and appropriate all LWCF funds, which are derived from surplus property sales, motorboat fuel taxes, offshore oil and gas extraction, and user fees collected at National Parks and other federal fee collection areas.
LWCF funds can be available through two separate funding pools.
Federal and state-side LWCF requires no matching funds. Currently, it is unclear as to whether or not state-side LWCF funds will be available next year. Revenues are used by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge system to acquire waterfowl habitat. If you know of wetland habitat near an existing national wildlife refuge, contact the Refuge Manager to explore the possibility of using Duck Stamp funds for acquisition. Both the Gulf of Maine Coastal Program and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program may access funds to support habitat restoration initiatives statewide that benefit wetlands, streamside habitat for migratory fish, and coastal nesting islands.