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Ocean and Coastal Management in Maine

Maine's Coastal Program

The Maine Coastal Program, approved in 1978, balances development and conservation of Maine’s coastal resources. Led by the State Planning Office, the Coastal Program consists of a network of 19 state laws. Five state agencies work in cooperation with local governments, nonprofit organizations, private businesses, and the public to improve management of coastal resources.  Maine’s coastal zone extends to the inland boundary of all towns bordering tidal waters and includes all coastal islands.

At the state level, the Coastal Program provides support to natural resource agencies to implement and enforce appropriate laws.  At the local level, the Coastal Program assists communities with land use planning and provides funding and technical assistance for other local efforts. The Coastal Program has succeeded in increasing local involvement in stewardship through its Coastal Stewards and Shore Stewards programs. Through its innovative Bay Management Study, the Coastal Program involves local citizens in managing their embayments by promoting sustainable use through support of both commercial and non-commercial uses and protection of natural resources. The Coastal Program also awards grants to local land trusts to help communities find and assert public rights-of-way to the shore that had been lost over time.

Maine’s National Estuarine Research Reserve

The 1,600 acre Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, located along Maine’s southern coast, was designated in 1986.  The Reserve protects fields, forests, salt marsh, and sandy beach. The Reserve’s diverse habitats support a broad variety of plants and animals, including rare species such as least terns, piping plovers, and slender blue flag iris.

The Reserve's research staff and visiting scientists investigate Gulf of Maine estuaries and watersheds to learn how to sustain and restore these coastal habitats and communities.  The Reserve provides a variety of educational opportunities including lectures, guided tours, workshops, and field trips. Educational programs focus on the Reserve’s natural history and coastal ecology, while addressing the effects of development, erosion, and pollution on watersheds.

Program Highlights

Maine's Beach Scoring System for the Management of the Sandy Shoreline

Maine Volunteer Monitoring Study

Links

Maine Coastal Program — The website provides information on the Program including information on its permitting, coastal planning and technical assistance programs.

Maine Coastal Program Evaluation (2005) — The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management conducts periodic performance reviews of federally approved state coastal management programs.

Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve Evaluation (2009) — The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management conducts periodic performance reviews of estuarine research reserves.

Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology — This program brief describes investments in technology development and research projects for the state of Maine.

Marine Protected Areas — Search for marine protected areas by state, region, or topic area.

Maine Coastal Nonpoint Program Conditional and Final Approval Documents — The Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program encourages better coordination between state coastal zone managers and water quality experts to reduce polluted runoff in the coastal zone. The state received full approval in 2003.

Managing Maine's Nearshore Coastal Resources — Final Report of the Bay Management study, which engaged coastal stakeholders to assess if the state was managing coastal resources effectively for present and future challenges.

Contact Information for Maine’s Programs

Coastal Programs
Maine State Planning Office
State House Station #38
Augusta, ME 04333
(207) 287-3261

Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
342 Laudholm Farm Road
Wells, ME 04090
(207) 646-1555

 

 

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