Primary Map 1:
Water Resources and Riparian Habitats
Background Information:
Wetlands include such familiar terms as bogs, marshes, swamps, and salt marshes, but also include lesser known and appreciated forested wetlands and vernal pools. Wetlands are some of the most productive natural areas in the world, and provide habitat for many types of wildlife, including waterfowl and wading birds; frogs, turtles, and snakes; fish; and shellfish. Wetlands naturally control floods, filter pollutants, retain nutrients, and reduce erosion. They also provide a myriad of educational and recreational opportunities including boating, hunting, trapping, fishing, and photography. Most wetlands in Maine are given some level of oversight through the permitting process under state law, but small wetlands, including vernal pools, and forested wetlands receive very limited, if any protection. Cumulative loss of wetlands has led to significant stormwater runoff problems in some Maine communities and threatens to eradicate local populations of some wildlife species -- especially those that move between several small wetlands to meet their habitat needs. In addition, extensive development adjacent to wetlands has degraded the functions and values of many wetlands. Conservation of wetlands and surrounding riparian habitat is essential to ensuring that the full complement of Maine's plants and animals persist on the landscape.
Riparian habitat is the transitional zone between open water or wetlands and dry or upland habitats. It includes the banks and shores of streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes, and the upland edge of wetlands. If individual towns do a good job of implementing existing shoreland zoning regulations, up to 80% of Maine's terrestrial vertebrate animals that use riparian areas for a part of their life cycle will benefit. Riparian habitat also benefits water quality by buffering and filtering runoff before it affects other water sources.
Development may destroy an area of riparian habitat, but its effects reach far beyond the new construction. Habitat fragmentation may divide the range an animal needs to survive. Blanding's and spotted turtles, for example, need both wetland and upland habitats. Development may prevent the turtles from reaching their required feeding, resting, and breeding locations. Quality of habitat may further be degraded with the advent of invasive plants along roads. Often populations of predatory animals such as raccoons and skunks increase with the addition of roads.
Maine's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act controls land uses and placement of structures within the shoreland zone and helps to minimize the impact of development in riparian areas. Areas falling under the formal protection of this act are determined at the municipal level and enforced by municipal officials. Unfortunately, not all towns' provisions have a comprehensive view of animal and plant requirements in the zone and many towns have not adequately enforced the Shoreland Zoning Act. The act does not usually prevent development, but it does place conditions on development to reduce some of its harmful consequences.
Data Components:
- Water Resources including lakes, ponds, streams, brooks, rivers, and coastal waters.
- Wetlands identified in the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). NWI uses aerial photos from the mid-1980's to identify wetlands based on remote sensing techniques of photo interpretation. (Note: This process did not result in a comprehensive mapping of wetland resources and typically under represents wetland occurrence on the landscape, especially forested wetlands. The presence of wetlands needs to be determined in the field prior to conducting activities that could result in wetland disturbance.)
- Riparian Habitat depicted by a 250-foot-wide strip around Great Ponds (ponds 10 acres in size and greater), rivers, the coastline, and wetlands 10 acres in size and greater, and by a 75-foot-wide strip around streams. These areas identify potential riparian habitat only.
- Developed Areas which include areas that are non-permeable to water (buildings and roads).
- Public Water Supply Wells
- Source Water Protection Areas for public water supply wells.
- Aquifers including only those with a flow of at least 10 gallons per minute.
- Subwatersheds which are the smallest drainages mapped in Maine.
- Drainage Divides which are the smallest hydrologic unit mapped in Maine.
In addition, Map 1 includes an inset map showing a regional view of watersheds, a diagram depicting the relationship of ground water and surface water, and a brief description of Maine's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act.
Strategies For Local Action:
- Work with local planners and state agencies to design wildlife corridors that allow species to move freely between riparian habitats and other necessary habitats. Consider creating trail corridors that serve both wildlife and recreational needs. See the BwH Toolbox sections on Open Space Planning and on Land Use Ordinance Tools for example tools.
- Review and, if necessary, strengthen your town's definition and enforcement of Maine's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act. Consider creating additional local protections, especially along smaller wetlands and first order streams, and adopting shoreland and buffer guidelines. See the BwH Toolbox section on Wetland and Shoreland Zoning Tools for examples.
- Conduct an information and outreach effort to educate landowners about the value of shoreline and wetland habitats; alert landowners to their responsibilities under the Shoreland Zoning Act.
- Because the Shoreland Zoning Act allows most development to proceed, create a local planning process to evaluate cumulative shoreline development as it relates to habitat loss. Design a local conservation strategy that offers an alternative to single lot development of shoreline areas. Meet with town recreation officials, local land trusts, and conservation organizations and discuss combining the conservation of riparian habitat with recreational access to water resources.
- Explore opportunities to protect riparian habitat via conservation easement or fee ownership. Funds for acquisition can be raised through public appeal, appropriation of town funds, or application to private foundations or public funds (see the Financing Habitat Protection section of the BwH Toolbox for information on funding sources). At least three state agencies administer acquisition funds; contact the Department of Conservation about the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife about the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, and the State Planning Office about the Land For Maine's Future Program. Contact the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and The Nature Conservancy about private land trust protection efforts. The Sportsman's Alliance of Maine (622-5503) has a trust to own and manage high value game habitat. For more information on federal grants for land protection contact the USFWS Gulf of Maine Coastal Program. Contact your local land trust for additional fund raising support.
To learn more about specific strategies for local action, visit the Beginning with Habitat (BWH) Toolbox or contact BwH.
