Stream restoration efforts
DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District will enter a three year contract with the Maine Chapter of The Nature Conservatory (TNC) in an effort to restore local streams.
According to executive director of The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District, Sarah Robinson, TNC will use funds from the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) financed by the Natural Resources Conservation Services (USDA).
The Regional Conservation Partnership Program works with landowners to install fish and flood friendly crossings across the state of Maine.
The Watershed-Scale Approach to Restoring Stream Systems (WATRSS) is a program developed to restore organism passages in stream ways or by providing culvert upgrades increasing opportunities to connect fish and other aquatic life to thrive.
This program will increase the opportunities to connect fish habitats to streams and strengthen road infrastructure including the last endangered Atlantic Salmon spawning waters in the U.S. and critical Eastern Brook trout habitat according to TNC.
The restoration program is specifically for fish and other aquatic organisms which will improve road infrastructure.
“Piscataquis county is the largest forested county in the state of Maine. There’s a lot of harvesting and logging harvesting in the forestry community,” said Robinson. “We need to be able to access certain roads and bridge work to be completed safely, which helps the forest economy.”
Those interested in learning more about the stream restoration opportunities can log on here.
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