The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently acquired Jordan's Delight, an offering prime habitat for nesting seabirds, from the Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), a statewide land conservation organization. Located in Narraguagus Bay in Washington County, the will be managed as part of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, according to Refuge Manager Charlie Blair.
The Service assumed ownership of 27 acres of the 30-acre in June. The acquisition excludes a 3-acre conservation easement conservation easement
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a government agency or qualified conservation organization that restricts the type and amount of development that may take place on a property in the future. Conservation easements aim to protect habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife by limiting residential, industrial or commercial development. Contracts may prohibit alteration of the natural topography, conversion of native grassland to cropland, drainage of wetland and establishment of game farms. Easement land remains in private ownership.
Learn more about conservation easement that allows members of the family that previously donated the to the Trust to maintain a small house and to visit the when the seabirds are not nesting.
"The Service would not have had the opportunity to protect this important seabird nesting area without the generosity of a conservation-minded family and the Maine Coast Heritage Trust's dedicated stewardship of our coastal resources. It is due to this successful partnership that Jordan's Delight is now part of the National Wildlife Refuge System," said Blair.
Seabirds that nest on the include black-backed gull, herring gull, double-crested cormorant, common eider, Leach's storm petrel, and black guillemont.
Jordan's Delight is within the approved boundaries for the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and is immediately east of other refuge properties including Bois Bubert and Petit Manan Point Division.
The originally came on the market in 2000 for $1.6 million. At that time, a 3,000 square foot house was under construction on the island. An anonymous private family foundation acquired the to conserve the propertys sensitive features. The foundation donated 27 acres to MCHT, with the hope that MCHT would remove the large house and restore the to its natural state. The Trust deconstructed the house in 2001, restored the damaged habitat, and provided interim ownership and management of the until the USFWS could secure appropriated funding from the LWCF to purchase the property this June at a sale price of $70,000.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 97-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 547 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. (www.fws.gov">)
Maine Coast Heritage Trust conserves and stewards Maine's coastal lands and islands for their renowned scenic beauty, outdoor recreational opportunities, ecological diversity and working landscapes. MCHT promotes the conservation of natural places statewide by working with land trusts, communities and other partners. Founded in 1970, the trust was a pioneer in the use of conservation easements as a way to protect land. Since this time we have worked to protect more than 125,000 acres in Maine, including more than 250 entire coastal islands. (www.mcht.org)
>-FWS-MCHT-
