Casco Bay Estuary Partnership announced on Sept. 3 that it awarded a total of $112,726 in grants to projects in seven Maine nonprofits and communities. The funding, provided through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, was granted to projects supporting community resilience, ecosystem resilience and environmental data collection in the Casco Bay watershed.

Casco Bay Estuary Partnership is one of 28 National Estuary Programs, all of which received Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding starting in 2022. This is the first time the Portland-based nonprofit has distributed the funds after putting out a request for proposals last spring.

A lobster boat heads out past House Island in Casco Bay. Federal grants to preserve and protect the bay were awarded through the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership this month. Gregory Rec / Portland Press Herald

The towns of Chebeague Island and Phippsburg were awarded grants from CBEP for climate resiliency planning, and the city of South Portland was granted funds for water quality monitoring equipment.

“A lot of towns we work with, especially when we go inland and some of our island communities, have very, very little municipal capacity,” said CBEP Executive Director Curtis Bohlen. “This way we can use some of that Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to really try to help those communities.”

“There’s a lot of planning work that towns can be doing,” said Bohlen. “Not just physical project implementation, but developing an open space plan that addresses climate risks, bringing people together in the community to talk about how the community wants to prepare for changes that might be coming.”

Phippsburg was granted $25,000 to develop a climate action plan for the town.

“Phippsburg is increasingly experiencing the effects of climate change, including heavier and more frequent storms, sea level rise and flooding,” said Town Administrator Ross McLellan in the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership’s press release.

“This project will help our community build much-needed capacity to assess and address these climate challenges,” said McLellan.

Nonprofit organizations that received grants consisted of Friends of Casco Bay, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Manomet Conservation Sciences, and the Sebago chapter of Trout Unlimited. Their projects included environmental monitoring and improving habitat in Casco Bay.

Friends of Casco Bay received a $25,000 grant to install water and weather monitoring equipment at its three established monitoring stations in Casco Bay, with the goal of providing more accurate, real-time data about bay conditions.

“This investment by the partnership will not only strengthen our ability to monitor the health of our coastal waters but also support other critical scientific efforts in our region,” said Friends of Casco Bay Executive Director Will Everett in the press release.

Bohlen said that Casco Bay Estuary Partnership plans to distribute at least three more rounds of Bipartisan Instructure Law funding to Maine nonprofits and communities, with up to $190,000 available to be awarded per round. He said he expects their next call for proposals to be released later this fall.

Casco Bay Estuary Partnership promotes the health of Casco Bay by collecting environmental data, educating and involving citizens in protecting the bay, restoring marshes and supporting projects with public and private partners, according to its website.

Bohlen emphasized the need for projects in Casco Bay that anticipate the effects of climate change. This work better prepares both ecosystems and communities to more positively adapt current and impend environmental change, he said.

“When we focus on Casco Bay, changes in the ecosystems of the bay are also happening,” said Bohlen. “There are activities we can do now that are likely to enhance the ability of various coastal ecosystems to evolve with climate change.

“It’s not that we’re going to have exactly the same Maine ocean in 50 years that we have now, but we can still have a healthier ocean or less healthy ocean,” he said.