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Coast Refuge May Grow By 87 Islands 15-Year Federal Plan Would Expand Petit Manan's Protected Wildlife Habitat

Posted on: Saturday, 16 July 2005, 15:00 CDT

A national wildlife refuge protecting the rocky outcroppings scattered through the Gulf of Maine where shorebirds nest could more than double its island holdings if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalizes a management plan released Friday.

The Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge currently protects 46 islands and about 4,000 coastal acres in Washington and Hancock counties - all of it crucial habitat for puffins, ducks, terns and other seabirds, according to Brian Benedict, deputy refuge manager.

Under the 15-year plan being considered, the refuge would be expanded by 87 islands and renamed the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Maine has more than 4,600 coastal islands, ranging from chunks of granite to entire communities.

And as coastal properties continue to increase in value and communications technology improves, islands once deemed uninhabitable are becoming hot properties.

So the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has, in its plan, proposed a wish list of 87 islands, totaling 153 acres, that the federal government intends to buy.

A dozen years ago, biologists reviewed data about the islands and deemed that 616 have been used by seabirds. Of these, 377 were deemed "nationally significant" - and most of them had already been protected.

The 87 islands listed for acquisition in the plan are the "best of the best," Benedict said during public hearings last spring.

The federal government has no intention of using eminent domain to take possession of the islands. Rather, the plan calls for buying the properties from willing sellers on the open market over many years, he said.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust, which owns three of the targeted islands, has already offered to discuss a sale.

The federal plan also calls for adding 13 islands to the more restrictive National Wilderness Preservation System.

Since the public debate last spring, federal biologists have decided to exclude shore areas below mean high water from this wilderness designation, to avoid interfering with commercial fishing, Refuge Manager Charlie Blair said Friday.

And six additional islands would be selected for new nesting restoration projects for rare species like puffins and terns.

In local hearings last June, the most controversial issue was opening part of the Petit Manan Point division in Steuben to deer hunting, with local residents divided over the idea.

The final plan includes the deer hunting provision, but provides more specific information about seasons and boundaries to allay neighbors fears, Blair said.

Comments on the plan will be accepted through Aug. 15, at which point the document will likely be finalized, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

For more information, contact Refuge Manager Charlie Blair at 546- 2124 or at 14 Water St. in Milbridge. The full plan is available online at library.fws.gov/CCPs/MaineIslands/ccp_final.pdf. Formal comments can be submitted to northeastplanning@fws.gov or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035, Attn: Nancy McGarigal.

Source: Bangor Daily News

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