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. The federal Farm Bill permits landowners who have borrowed money from the Farm Service Agency, a branch of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, to reduce their debt by voluntarily establishing a conservation easement on their property. Generally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service accepts permanent management authority over the easements, but if the easement is adjacent to land trust or state property, those organizations are also eligible to manage the easement. Priority funding is directed to national wildlife refuges and national fish hatcheries, but restoration projects on private lands are also eligible. This matching grant program, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides grants to Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife focusing on species which are NOT hunted or fished, or NOT protected under the Endangered Species Act or the Marine Mammals Protection Act.
Priority is given to projects involving species at risk of becoming threatened or endangered.
This small grant program, funded by the Casco Bay National Estuary Program, supports fish and wildlife habitat protection initiatives in the Casco Bay watershed. Funds can be used to support the upfront costs of habitat protection, such as survey and appraisal work, and the funds can also be used to purchase land in fee or easement. No matching funds are required. The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, a coalition of primarily state and provincial land management agencies, with some federal agency, non-governmental organization and business affiliates, is supported in part by a federal grant. Local organizations can apply for matching funds from the Council to complete projects in their community that benefit the marine and coastal environment.