BRUNSWICK
More than 60 acres have been added to a conservation area in Georgetown and a culvert replacement is in the works for Phippsburg as part of a $1 million statewide wetland mitigation grant program.
The Nature Conservancy, a leading conservation organization with offices in Brunswick, announced Monday that $1,051,530 in grants have been awarded as part of the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program.
“The program pools fees incurred where there are wetland development projects,” said Eric Aldrich, a spokesman for The Nature Conservancy in Maine, of the fee in lieu of mitigation program. “Those funds are then distributed on an annual basis to those who submit applications for awards.
“It’s a really good example of a collaborative effort to conserve Maine’s natural resources,” he said, adding that the program is administered by The Nature Conservancy on behalf of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust received $146,780 to purchase a 62.6- acre parcel from landowner Constance Cummings, which abuts KELT’s Morse Pond Preserve.
The preserve, which KELT started conserving in 2001, now protects six parcels totaling 278 contiguous acres and abuts a 193-acre conservation easement.
“A portion of the grant — about 1 percent — will be going toward long- term stewardship of the parcel,” said Carrie Kinne, KELT’s executive director. “We’ve undertaken that responsibility to maintain the land.”
Of the 62.6 acres, the property has 20.5 acres of wetland; 12.6 acres of significant wildlife habitat, including inland waterfowl and wading bird habitat; 600 feet of pond shorefront; and 3,000 feet of stream, according to the grant proposal.
“ We were able to close very quickly so it got done last week — record speed for us,” said Kinne, noting that the land was conserved on Dec. 23. “The Cummings family were very eager to see the land conserved.”
The town of Phippsburg received a $40,000 grant for a culvert on Parker Head Road, by Mill Pond, that is slated for replacement. The project is expected to be completed during the 2015 construction season, according to project manager Robert Prue of Pine Tree Engineering Inc.
The existing 36- inch diameter corrugated metal pipe is situated at an elevation that only drains the upland wetland to mid-tide levels, according to a town report.
The project will enlarge the culvert to a 76- inch diameter corrugated metal pipe, and “lower the bottom elevation of the new culvert to the estuary channel elevation to allow for full tide ebb and flood cycles,” the report stated.
According to a press release from The Nature Conservancy, the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program started in 2009 and has awarded $8.5 million toward 66 projects across Maine.
“After six rounds of these awards, we’re starting to see real progress toward conserving Maine’s aquatic resources,” said Alex Mas, who manages the program for The Nature Conservancy in Maine, in the release.
rgargiulo@timesrecord.com
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