May 6, 2003

Welcome to the Watershed Conservation Update, a periodic electronic newsletter from the Wells Reserve about conserving land and water resources in Southern Maine.

Conservation Planning

The Greater Mt Agamenticus Conservation Initiative will have its second public conservation planning session on Saturday, May 10th from 9-3 at the Wells Reserve's Mather Auditorium. The purpose of the conservation plan is to recognized both the values that need to be protected and the threats to their protection. This meeting is to provide full team (public, organizations, and agencies) with an update on conservation planning to date; a reminder of the conservation values of Mt A and needs for action and brainstorm strategies for conservation action. The end result should address the difficult task of prioritizing parcels for conservation from both the standpoints of natural resources and community values. For more information contact Tin Smith.

In a successfull effort to become more involved and recognized the Vinalhaven Land Trust decided to raise the money and pay for a consultant/facilitator for the island's comprehensive planning process. Research found that 26% of the island is presently conserved and it costs each taxpayer (in lost taxes) only $26/ annually. For additional information contact Lucy McCarthy, Executive Director

Training and Support

A Camp Road Maintenance Training Workshop on May 16, 2003 at 8:00 a.m. at the North Berwick Community Center on Lebanon Road in North Berwick will provide real-world, hands-on training in erosion and sediment control measures in a highly interactive manner. Instruction will be provided in camp road maintenance and erosion control measures to protect and improve water quality. For more information contact Deborah St Pierre at the York County Soil & Water Conservation Districts, 324-7015, or by email.

Resource Information

Transfer fees are being increasely used by land trusts to help keep up with rising stewardship costs. A transfer fee is an agreement written into a conservation easement that designates a percentage of the sale price to the trust every time a conserved property is sold. This amount ranges from .5 to 1%. They act as an automatic inflation hedge since they are tied to the underlying real estate value. They burden people to a nominal degree, and they burden people who benefit from the resource that is protected and stewarded. They make sense to landowners who might wonder how the trust will be able to afford stewardship for hundreds of years.

Communication and Outreach

The Great Works Regional Land Trust teamed up with Boy Scout Troop of Wells in a community project that benefited both the Trust's stewardship and outreach programs and an Eagle Scout candidate. For the community service portion of his Eagle Scout requirements Brenden Smilley took on the task of building and installing three display structures (kiosk, brochure holder, community garden bulletin board) for the Trust's Beach Plum Farm property in Ogunquit. For additional information contact GWRLT

Partner Events / News

Our watersheds are not independant of our oceans with many species requiring both for success and survival. On May 22 at 7 PM, Wells Reserve, a presentation by Bill Leavenworth, Ph.D. titled A Ship in the Forest will depict the ante-bellum Maine fisheries, the changes wrought in them by competition, and the consequences of technological innovations in the fishing industry. Dr. Leavenworth will show how historical research can help to reveal the status of past fish populations.

At the April 12th Town Meeting, Wells voters overwhelmingly passed all three conservation warrant articles. One article established five use categories (with definitions) for designating all municipal land. Conservation was included as one of the categories and allows land to be specifically designated for that purpose through a town meeting vote. This is expected to allieviate concerns when conservation land is donated to or purchased by the town that it will remain for its intended purpose. The other two warrant articles concerned money. Wells, despite tight financial times, voted to add $30k to its Land Bank account and in a separate article to spend up to $50k on three land purchases. $20k was designated to go to the Great Works Regional Land Trust as a contribution toward a land acquisition in the Tatnic / Mt Agamenticus section of town. Contact the Wells Conservation Commission for additi onal information.

Background

The Watershed Conservation Update is distributed by the Stewardship Department at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve to provide timely, pertinent, and concise information and resources to volunteers and professionals working on watershed conservation issues in Southern Maine and nearby New Hampshire. The Wells NERR Stewardship Department supports community efforts to conserve natural resources by 1) facilitating collaborations for regional conservation planning, 2) providing access to natural resource information, 3) offering GIS mapping services, 4) promoting training opportunities, 5) providing outreach and communication services and 6) publicizing conservation related events and successes.

For more information or comments contact Tin Smith, visit our website at wellsreserve.org, or call 646-1555 x119.

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