Draft York River Watershed Stewardship Plan is Now Available
The Draft York River Watershed Stewardship Plan is now available for review. It can be viewed here: DRAFT York River Watershed Stewardship Plan or via the York River Study website: www.YorkRiverMaine.org.
Please provide comments, questions, corrections, or other feedback to the York River Study Committee by July 6, 2018. Email or call Study Coordinator Jennifer Hunter (jh.yorkriver@gmail.com or 207-641-9122) or come to the June 26 York River Study Committee meeting, 5:30-7:30 pm at the Grant House in York to learn more or provide your input in person to the Study Committee. The Study Committee also will present and discuss the Draft Stewardship Plan at the June 25 York Board of Selectmen meeting.
The Draft York River Watershed Stewardship Plan, developed by the York River Study Committee as part of the York River Wild and Scenic Study, identifies a range of actions to protect the outstanding values and resources of the York River watershed that make it special.
The York River Watershed Stewardship Plan (Stewardship Plan) provides recommendations to protect and enhance the water quality, ecology, historic resources, scenic qualities, and cultural resources that collectively contribute to the region’s special character and identity. It provides a framework and strategies for a local York River Stewardship Committee to follow in planning future outreach and conservation work. To help shape this advisory plan, the York River Study Committee engaged the citizens of the four watershed towns, local boards and committees, conservation and preservation groups, local experts, and state agency representatives to identify important watershed resources and develop recommendations for long-term protection.
The York River watershed, which includes over 100 miles of rivers and streams, is an exceptional natural and cultural resource. The 33 square mile watershed includes lands in the towns of York, Eliot, Kittery, and South Berwick, Maine. The exemplary biodiversity, large areas of undeveloped habitat, clean water, significant historic resources, vibrant harbor and waterfront area, and scenic qualities all make this watershed a special place.
Coastal program grant opportunity
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation Municipal Planning Assistance Program and Maine Department of Marine Resources, Maine Coastal Program are seeking applications for a new round of Coastal Community Grants for FY 2019. Eligible projects must be designed to improve water quality in priority coastal watersheds, or to increase resiliency/adaptation to erosion and flooding, while preserving coastal natural resources. Coastal Communities Grant applications are due Friday, July 27, 2018 at 2 P.M. The FY19 Coastal Community Grant Program Statement can be found here.
New watershed reports
Products and reports from the watershed build-out study conducted by Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC) and Spatial Alternatives are now complete. The Story Map, which is an online interactive tool for data viewing, provides an overview of the build-out methods and findings, as well as maps and graphics.
- Story Map: Found here
- Spatial Alternatives build-out report: York Watershed Build Out Scenarios
- SMPDC's recommendations report: Regulatory and Non-Regulatory Recommendations Report
Findings from the watershed build-out project have been presented at planning board meetings in York, Kittery and Eliot, and will be presented at the June 20 meeting of the South Berwick Planning Board.