MaviPembe.org

Towns receive financial support from the state for their growth management planning if their plans are consistent with 10 goals. These goals include a wide range of economic and environmental concerns, including considerations for maintaining open space and “wildlife and fisheries habitat.” In addition, Maine’s Endangered Species Act (MESA) requires the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) to identify and conserve essential habitats for endangered species. Similarly, the state’s Natural Resources Protection Act (NRPA) gives the MDIFW authority to identify and protect specific types of wildlife habitats, including deer wintering areas and waterfowl and wading birds habitats. Thus, specific wildlife habitats identified in law and mapped by the MDIFW, combined with a town planning process that specifies inclusion of wildlife habitats, potentially provide a meaningful mechanism to improve Wildlife Habitat Conservation at the local level.