The Wilderness Society is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to ensure that an ecologically based management plan is developed and implemented for the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.
Established in 1966 as the Coastal Maine National Wildlife Refuge, this Refuge was renamed in 1970 to honor the marine biologist and environmental activist, Rachel Carson, who for many years made her home on the Maine coast.
Within its boundaries are some of the most valuable and productive habitats in southern Maine. They include coastal estuaries, salt marshes, freshwater wetlands, sandy beaches and pine-oak woodlands. A huge variety of shorebirds and waterfowl stopover at the refuge during migration. The Refuge has recorded over 250 avian species there.
The Refuge spans 5,000 acres; acquisition plans would bring that number to 7,435 acres. The Refuge is surrounded by heavy residential and recreational development and attracts 360,000 visitors every year.
Threats
Southern Coastal Maine is at once the most biologically rich region of the state and the most threatened. It’s the most densely populated part of Maine and pressure grows on the Refuge every year from urban sprawl and development.
Less than 10 percent of the land surrounding the Refuge is dedicated to open space and the Refuge is divided into scattered units between Kittery and Cape Elizabeth, making it uniquely vulnerable to sprawl. Contaminants-pesticides and herbicides, fertilizers, gasoline, antifreeze and oil-endanger the Refuge’s natural systems. Road construction and concentrated human presence also disrupt wildlife breeding and feeding. Land protection efforts will be paramount to the Refuge’s viability.
Work Underway
The Trust for Public Land, local land trusts and the Fish and Wildlife Service are now working to expand the Refuge’s focus to include critical inland and coastal habitat, marsh buffers and corridors around rivers that feed the unit’s wetlands. The Wilderness Society’s Boston office is working with the Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that an ecologically based management plan is developed and implemented for the Refuge.
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