Contact: Elleen Kane FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1/22/97
The state of Maine has made outstanding improvements to its coastal program over the past three years, protecting the coastline as well as helping state residents, an evaluation team from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today.
After conducting a week-long series of public hearings and private meetings across the state in September, the team documented 17 projects that the state coastal program has undertaken to improve the shoreline.
These projects ranged from devising plans for specific portions of the coast, such as the Damariscotta River estuary, to formulating a unique program that trains and certifies local enforcement officials. The state also recently started the Shore Stewards Partnership Program, which trains local volunteers to monitor the quality of Maine's coastal waters. In addition, the state began a Marine Volunteer Program in the Penobscot Bay region that intensively trains residents on coastal issues, then matches the volunteers with coastal projects.
At the time of the evaluation, Maine residents had logged more than 515 hours of coastal community service through the Marine Volunteer Program alone. These Marine Volunteers participated in pollution surveys, coastal cleanups, historic preservation, salmon restoration and habitat surveys.
"The success of Maine's program can really be connected to the way the people who run the program have gotten coastal communities involved in helping the coast," noted John McLeod, NOAA's evaluation team leader. "When we see so many people doing so much for the coast, we know right away that we have an outstanding program."
After the Maine visit, the NOAA evaluation team deemed the Maine Coastal Program "fully adhering to its coastal management plan," meaning that the program is in good standing and meets the terms and conditions of NOAA's National Coastal Program. Public participation and involvement have become important elements of the NOAA program.
"Over the past 25 years, we've found, nationwide, that a balance between using the coast and preserving its resources is critical to the health of the coast and even to a state's economy," said McLeod. "Finding a balance really demands that communities get involved."
"Ultimately, what this evaluation tells us is that Maine seems to be doing a good job of finding that balance," McLeod said, "which in turn means the coastal program is meeting the needs of the state's residents and helping us nationwide."
To further improve the coastal program, the NOAA evaluation team suggested that the state take an additional 12 steps. These recommendations were fairly technical in nature, such as including the state's Growth Management Act in the coastal program, and changing the way the state submits information to NOAA.
NOAA sends an evaluation team into the state once every three years to see how well the state is doing in maintaining the health of its coast and in meeting residents' needs to use and preserve the coast. During this visit, the evaluation team meets with representatives from state and local government agencies and environmental organizations, as well as with business and community leaders about the state's progress in maintaining a healthy, balanced coastline.
Maine is one of 30 coastal states and U.S. territories voluntarily participating in the NOAA coastal program. Under the program, the federal government identifies nationwide coastal problems and goals to resolve those problems. States determine how best to resolve those problems and meet those goals using their own laws and policies.
For a copy of the final findings from the Maine Coastal Management Program evaluation, contact NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, 1305 East-West Hwy., N/ORM4, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.