PORTLAND, Maine – The U.S. Attorney for Maine and the U.S. Coast Guard recently announced 14 new grants totaling $1,913,735 to promote the health of the Gulf of Maine.


These awards are bolstered by an additional $3,396,993 million raised by recipients, bringing to $5.3 million the total contribution for new coastal and marine conservation efforts in Maine.


Funding for the grants resulted from organizational community service payments ordered as part of a criminal penalty imposed upon a shipping company for criminal violations related to deliberate vessel pollution in close proximity to the State of Maine. The prosecution of the case was made possible through the combined efforts of U.S. Coast Guard resources and the United States Attorney for Maine.

Paula Silsby, United States Attorney, District of Maine, said: "The Gulf of Maine is one of the jewels in the crown of the state’s environmental resources. The conservation projects funded by these grants represent an important investment in both this great body of water and Maine as a whole. I am pleased that my office is able to support this important work to sustain the many communities along our coast."

One of the world's most biologically productive environments, the Gulf of Maine’s marine waters and shoreline habitats host some 2,000 species of plants and animals. The entire population of Maine -- 1.2 million people -- lives within its watershed and millions more visit the Gulf of Maine annually. Its coastal and marine habitat provides home and food for scallops, flounder, urchins and the legendary Maine lobster, as well as migratory waterbirds. Seals, seabirds and bald eagles are found on its islands.


The new grants will deliver multiple environmental and conservation benefits, including the protection of one of 87 nationally significant nesting islands for seabirds and a marsh that supports the highest diversity of water-dependent birds of all of the 53 salt marshes in Maine. The grants also will help reduce disturbance of key nesting beaches for state-endangered, federally threatened shorebirds that breed on sandy beach habitats, and provide for dam removal and installation of a fishway in the Androscoggin watershed. Another project empowered by the new grants will help educate residents, boaters and students about marine stewardship to protect water quality in Casco Bay; another will engage the lobster industry to collect thousands of derelict lobster traps in 21 ports off the Maine coast.


“Finding new ways to conserve our coasts and oceans is a high priority for the Foundation” said Mike Slattery, Director, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. “We applaud the leadership shown by the U.S. Attorney and the U.S. Coast Guard to direct critical resources to support local conservation to help restore declining numbers of birds and fish and stem loss of habitat in the Gulf of Maine.”


“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proud to be a working partner in this funding initiative to galvanize long-term conservation and restoration of habitat in the Gulf of Maine, a place of precious wildlife resources” said Stewart Fefer, Project Leader, Gulf of Maine Program, United States Fish and Wildlife Service.



The United States Attorney is the chief federal law enforcement officer within the federal judicial district of Maine which comprises the entire state. The office represents the United States and has responsibility for: the prosecution of criminal cases brought by the Federal government; the prosecution and defense of civil cases in which the United States is a party; and the collection of debts owed the Federal government which are administratively uncollectible. For more information visit http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/me.


First Coast Guard District includes the eight state area from Maine to northern New Jersey and eastern New York. The First District covers 2,000 miles of shoreline and is home to ten of the busiest ports (by tonnage) in the country including: Boston, New York, Portland, ME, New Haven, CT, and Providence, R.I. The United States Coast Guard protects the public, our ports, the environment and U.S. economic interests through the prevention and mitigation of maritime incidents. For more information, visit www.uscg.mil.


The Gulf of Maine Environmental Compliance and Protection Fund is managed by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation on behalf of the fund’s trustees. A nonprofit established by Congress in 1984, NFWF sustains, restores and enhances the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Since its establishment, it has awarded over 10,800 grants to more than 3,700 organizations in the United States and abroad and leveraged – with its partners – more than $635 million in federal funds into more than $1.5 billion for on-the-ground conservation. For more information, visit www.nfwf.org. -- Jay Cassell



Funded Projects



· Adding Compass Island to the National Wildlife Refuge, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Award: $225,000 Match: $105,000

· Gervais Farm Conservation Project: Scarborough, Maine, Friends of Scarboroguh Marsh, Award: $65,000 Match: $755,000

· Timber Point Conservation Initiative, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Award: $200,000 Match: $1,200,000

· Bunganuc Point - Maquoit Bay, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Award: $100,000, Match: $100,000

· Restoring Piping Plover and Least Tern Populations in Maine, Maine Audubon, Award: $65,553, Match: $38,622

· Beached bird surveys: A Baseline for Oil Spills in Maine, Tufts University, Award: $50,870.75, Match $50,870.75

· Marine Education Campaign, Friends of Casco Bays, Award: $34,000.66 Match: $22,306

· Applying an Environmental Management System (EMS) to Reduce Bycatch and Improve Fishery Outcomes, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Award: $192,576 Match: $ 145,028

· Derelict Lobster Gear Retrieval, Salvage & Disposal, Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, Award: $200,000 Match: $224,000

· Bycatch Survey of the Atlantic Herring Bottom Trawl Fishery, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Award: $217,470 Match: $15,916

· Veazie Dam Removal Final Engineering Design Work, Penobscot River Restoration Trust, Award: $210,000 Match: $300,000

· Sea-Run Fish Restoration in Two Maine Streams, Main Council of the Atlantic Salmon Federation, Award: $18,500 Match: $37,000

· Alewife Stock Structure in the Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Award: $255,150 Match: $296,787

· Incentive-based Tools to Restore River Herring in Maine, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Award: $69,614.78 Match: $50,000

NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY, 2009

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

From atop Pikes Peak to the shores of the James River, Americans celebrate the great abundance and utility of our natural resources. Since our Nation's founding, hunters and anglers have cherished these unparalleled natural gifts and marveled at their untamed beauty. National Hunting and Fishing Day recognizes the contributions of millions of Americans who continue to engage in these ageless pursuits.

Following in the centuries-old footsteps of the pioneers who walked before them, hunters and anglers have played a key role in the conservation and restoration of numerous species and their natural habitats. They not only understand their pivotal role as stewards of the land, but also seek to pass on this honored tradition to future generations.

As our citizens continue to enjoy our Nation's natural resources, we must remember that this privilege brings great responsibility. Not long ago, hunting threatened the extinction of the American Bison, an enduring symbol of the American West. Today, their population has recovered because of the cooperative efforts of conservationists and hunters. Many species, however, still require our protection. We can no longer look to our wilderness, as some once did, as land full of unlimited bounty and surplus. Recognizing the need for conservation, our hunters and anglers have worked hard to manage local ecosystems where wildlife remain, as well as to protect those areas where they are slowly re-establishing viable populations.

Our national character, always evolving, finds its foundation in those timeless American ideals of freedom, fairness, and self-sustainability. Today's hunters and anglers bring this spirit to life in the forests and streams they visit. If not for America's great hunters and anglers, like President Theodore Roosevelt and Aldo Leopold, our Nation would not enjoy sound game management; a system of ethical, science-based game laws; and an extensive public lands estate on which to pursue the sports. On National Hunting and Fishing Day, we celebrate their contributions to our natural environment and our national heritage.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 26, 2009, as National Hunting and Fishing Day. I call upon the people of the United States to recognize this day with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

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Montana Senator Max Baucus helped frame the tradition and importance of NHF Day for the Obama administration.

Country music star Luke Bryan is serving as honorary chairman for NHF Day 2009.

NHF Day sponsors include Wonders of Wildlife, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Bass Pro Shops, Sportsman Channel, Realtree, GunBroker.com, Hunting Heritage Trust, Cabela's, Boone and Crockett Club, Smith & Wesson, Field & Stream/Outdoor Life, Woolrich, Yamaha and Pope and Young Club.

For more information, visit www.nhfday.org. -- Jay Cassell

WASHINGTON – Sept. 22, 2009 – Ducks Unlimited testified before a congressional subcommittee today to urge the expansion of the popular North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). Director of DU's Governmental Affairs Office Scott Sutherland presented testimony to the House Resources Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee, supporting a bill from Congressman Robert Wittman (Va.) that would encourage increased funding from Canadian sources for the program.

"NAWCA continues to be one of the great success stories for conservation, and by enhancing the program to allow investment from Canadian sources that success can continue," Sutherland said before the hearing. "Allowing Canadian funds to match the federal grants will help continue NAWCA projects to be matched by an average of $2 for every dollar from the U.S. government."

In the 20 years of the program, there have been more than 1,600 NAWCA projects that have conserved more than 25 million acres of habitat across North America.

For the full story, please go to ducks.org -- Jay Casssell

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently presented Pheasants Forever's Dave Nomsen with a National Great Blue Heron Award in recognition of his wetland and waterfowl conservation work. Nomsen, who is Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever's Vice President of Government Affairs, received the award yesterday at the Waterfowl Working Group meeting of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies gathering in Austin, Texas.

The National Great Blue Heron Award recognizes participants whose activities with the North American Waterfowl Management Plan Committee results in substantial benefits to waterfowl and other wetland-associated migratory bird populations of North America over a long period of time. Nomsen has been a conservation leader on a national scale for nearly two decades, with his work extending beyond pheasants, quail and other upland birds to a wide array of wildlife.

Nomsen's influence helped shape the last three federal Farm Bills - 1996, 2002, & 2008 – and he became one of the nation's loudest voices in support of the Conservation Reserve Program's (CRP) wildlife legacy. CRP land in the Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana and North and South Dakota is some of the most productive waterfowl habitat in the world, contributing more than 2 million ducks annually. Most recently, Nomsen helped the creation of a new CRP practice called Conservation Practice 38, better known as the State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) practice, which has allowed many states to create new wildlife and wetland conservation initiatives. And through his leadership, local Pheasants Forever chapters have restored 60,000 acres of wetlands across America.

For more on the award, please go to pheasantsforever.org -- Jay Cassell

Poorly planned energy projects could irreparably harm 10 cherished hunting and fishing destinations on Western public lands, according to a report released by a coalition of 500 sportsmen, businesses and organizations.

The report, "Hunting and Fishing Imperiled," from Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development, focuses on the impacts oil and natural gas extraction could have on irreplaceable landscapes vital to fish and wildlife and prized by hunters and anglers. The 10 threatened places - overseen by the Bureau of Land Management or U.S. Forest Service - are in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. (Please see list at end of document.)

The public lands cited in the report include Colorado's Roan Plateau, where natural gas development could devastate native Colorado River cutthroat trout and trophy big-game elk and mule deer. The list also includes Utah's Uinta National Forest, New Mexico's Otero Mesa and the Middle Yellowstone River Valley in Montana, among other special places where proposed oil and gas development could adversely affect fish and game populations.

During the past decade, an unprecedented energy boom transformed huge tracts of Western public lands. Between 2000 and 2008, the number of permits to develop oil and gas tripled, and an estimated 126,000 new wells are planned for the next 20 years. Another 26 million acres - an area larger than Ohio - already are leased for development, the report says.

"Oil and gas extraction can be done in a responsible manner that protects habitat and recreational opportunities," said Brad Powell, former U.S. Forest Service Regional Forester and Trout Unlimited's energy policy director. "But there are certain places where responsible development means leaving areas just as they are. By no means are we asking industry to quit drilling. We're simply asking for a cautious approach that protects the hunting and angling heritage so vital to the West."

For a full report, please go to www.sportsmen4responsibleenergy.org and follow the links to "Hunting and Fishing Imperiled." -- Jay Cassell

The Obama administration announced yesterday that Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department Natural Resources, will be nominated as undersecretary of natural resources and the environment for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a position that oversees vast tracts of America’s public lands and fish, wildlife and recreational resources. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a national sportsmen’s group, responded to Sherman’s nomination by stressing the continued need to safeguard these valuable lands and resources.

A primary focus of the undersecretary involves leadership of the U.S. Forest Service, which administers more than 191 million acres of national forests and grasslands. The TRCP is particularly invested in ensuring the responsible management of the nation’s close to 60 million acres of inventoried roadless areas. To that end, the conservation group has mobilized a broad cross-section of sportsmen, conservationists and recreationists in support of roadless area management that sustains important habitat and activities such as hunting and fishing.

“We would like to congratulate Mr. Sherman and ask that he promote the long-term conservation of our backcountry hunting and fishing traditions,” said Joel Webster, associate director of campaigns for the TRCP Center for Western Lands, “including upholding and defending the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which safeguards our nation’s roadless areas, should he be confirmed as undersecretary.”

Outdoors-oriented groups and others presently are engaged in the creation of a state rule for the management of more than 4 million acres of roadless areas in Colorado. The proposed Colorado roadless rule has drawn criticism from sportsmen for language allowing significant backcountry development that could negatively affect these lands and the outdoor traditions they support.



“The Colorado roadless rule must live up to the high standards set by the national roadless rule,” continued Webster. “Roadless areas provide important habitat security for big-game animals and clean water for trout and salmon. We will continue to work to ensure that Colorado’s backcountry heritage and economy are sustained through a strong roadless rule.”



Sherman’s nomination must be confirmed by Congress before he officially assumes the role of undersecretary.

Go to to learn more about the TRCP’s work to safeguard America’s roadless areas. -- Jay Cassell

Fifteen of the nation’s leading conservation and sportsmen organizations recently sent a letter to all U.S. Senators requesting they oppose the nomination of Cass R. Sunstein to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

In the letter , the organizations express deep reservations about Sunstein’s views on animal rights and hunting. Sunstein has been quoted as saying, “we might ban hunting altogether, at least if it’s sole purpose is human recreation” as well as his discussions about offering animals the rights to sue humans.

The letter makes clear that as the head of the OIRA, a powerful federal agency with extensive authority to block rules, such views, “raise serious concerns about the agenda Mr. Sunstein will carry with him into this position if he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.”

Sunstein’s controversial views on animal rights, hunting, and agriculture caused two Senators, Saxby Chambliss (R- GA) and John Cornyn (R- TX) to temporarily place “holds” on his nomination. This prevented the nomination from moving forward prior to the August recess. Though those holds were subsequently removed, there remains much concern throughout the conservation community.

The groups signing the letter include: Conservation Force, Dallas Safari Club, Fur Takers of America, Houston Safari Club, Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America, Mule Deer Foundation, National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Trappers’ Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, Pope and Young Club, Shikar Safari Club, Texas Wildlife Association, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, Whitetails Unlimited, Inc. and the Wild Sheep Foundation. - Jay Cassell

Kentucky’s elk herd runneth over, and Virginia has decided to welcome the overflow and build a sustainable, huntable population of its own.

In August, the governing board of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) voted unanimously to end unmanaged harvest of elk by state deer hunters. For years, any Virginian with a deer permit could shoot an elk wandering across the state line from Kentucky. That practice is expected to officially end this fall.

Additionally, the VDGIF board also moved toward an official elk reintroduction and management plan for southwestern Virginia.

“Kudos to conservation leaders in Virginia. Restoring a native game species to management levels is one of the highest achievements in conservation, and it’s great to see Virginia aspiring to that goal for elk,” said David Allen, RMEF president and CEO.

He added, “The Elk Foundation is extremely proud of the role we played in restoring elk to neighboring Kentucky. With a lot of money, technical assistance from our staff and support from our volunteers, we helped relocate over 1,500 elk to Kentucky between 1997 and 2002. Today that herd has more than 11,000 animals and offers incredible hunting opportunities with legitimate chances to take world-class bulls.”

Research shows that Kentucky elk have dispersed into four neighboring states with varying degrees of hospitality. Virginians originally wanted to keep elk out but now the culture appears to be changing, said Allen.

As an extension of its mission to ensure the future of elk, other wildlife and their habitat, RMEF promotes sound management of wild, free-ranging elk, which may be hunted or otherwise enjoyed.

A YouTube video clip of the VDGIF board discussion and vote is available at HuntingLife.com at the URL below.

http://www.huntinglife.com/blog/detail/yes-virginia-we-have-elk

-- Jay Cassell