The individual landowners of the protected properties will enroll Whalesback in NEWT’s Wildlands Carbon program. Wildlands Carbon generates revenue from the sale of carbon offset credits from lands recently protected as forever-wild. The carbon credits are sold on the voluntary market.
“Wildlands Partnership is about expanding forever-wild protection across the Northeast through partnership with conservation organizations,” Caitlin Mather, Land Protection Manager, said. “We are thrilled to partner with Frenchman Bay Conservancy to protect the biologically rich Whalesback properties and are grateful to the landowners who saw the need to conserve their lands as wild.”
Carbon credits promise buyers that a property is sequestering and storing carbon that would otherwise contribute to global warming.
“Whalesback is a biodiversity hotspot that is large enough, and close enough to other large conserved properties, such as the nearby Amherst Mountain Community Forest, that the property will act as a core refuge for species moving across the landscape in response to climate change,” says Aaron Dority, FBC’s Executive Director. “By protecting uninterrupted landscapes, we’re creating wildlife corridors that protect Maine’s iconic species and the ecosystems that build Hancock County’s resilience to climate change.”
Frenchman Bay Conservancy does not have plans to build trails on the property, but the land will remain open to public access for hunting and fishing, primarily by the State-owned boat launch on Route 9 along the Middle Branch of the Union River.
Financial partners include NEWT, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) Program, Ram Island Conservation Fund of Maine Community Foundation, and The Anahata Foundation. This project was funded in part by the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund (MOHF), in which proceeds from the sale of a dedicated instant lottery ticket (currently Money Comb) are used to support outdoor recreation and natural resource conservation. For more information about MOHF, go to www.maine.gov/ifw/mohf.
For questions or further information, please contact FBC Executive Director Aaron Dority at aaron@frenchmanbay.org; (207) 422-2328.