US Endowment: Healthy Watersheds

Project summary (500) The Downeast Salmon Federation’s goal is to protect 80% of the corridors of the remaining three unprotected rivers in Washington County, ME by 2025. This proposal’s goal is to protect 35 miles in three years (approx. 25% of remaining corridors). We are requesting $50,000 annually for three years to hire a full time director for our land trust (Downeast Rivers Land Trust) which would dramatically increase our capacity to achieve this goal. Total project cost excepting land purchases is $241,000.

Watershed Health Description (750) Eastern ’s five major rivers are among the healthiest and wildest remaining on the eastern seaboard. Their headwaters begin in a vast (1.4 million acre) forest that has been logged but is otherwise undeveloped. The forest feeds clean water into hundreds of lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands and these, in turn, feed the rivers. The rivers don’t encounter development until they approach the coast where most of the region’s towns and villages are sited. They then flow into the feeding exceptionally rich tidal estuaries and bays that support high quality wildlife habitat and nationally significant bird-nesting sites and fisheries critical to the cultural and economic life of the local communities.

Watershed Protection Success Characteristics (750)

1. Identify opportunities and threats in order to galvanize support for your proposed project The opportunities are extraordinary: Protect the wildest remaining rivers on the east coast, restore sea-run fish populations including the endangered Atlantic salmon, reinvigorate the recreational and commercial fishing industries, protect thousands of acres of land in the region’s watersheds, and protect 80% of remaining unprotected riparian corridors. The pulp industry, now in terminal decline, is currently liquidating large parcels of land and land prices are still low from the 2008 recession.

Threats: 1) Small timber operators, who tend to cut aggressively in riparian zones, are buying pulp mill lands. 2) Speculators develop river and lake-side lands for vacation homes. 3) Prices will rise when the real estate market recovers.

2. Build effective partnerships and report outcomes for your proposed project. NGOs: The Maine Coast Heritage Trust, The Nature Conservancy, New England Forestry Foundation, and a number of private foundations. These partners are able to access large reservoirs of money from sources nationwide.

Individuals: We work with many who love Downeast; e.g. in February 2016, we raised $300,000 from a single donor to purchase 3 miles of river frontage within a week of the parcel coming on the market.

Private: Utilities to funnel their mitigation funds into watershed protections; commercial blueberry farmers to limit pesticide run-off and establish river-side buffers.

Government: The Sunrise County Economic Council, the Washington County Council of Governments, and local governments to ensure community support for protection. 3. Articulate a shared vision/definition of success for your proposed project. This three year project is part of a decade-long project to ensure, in perpetuity, the semi-wild character of the region’s watersheds; restore fish populations; reinsert the fish and the landscape into the cultural life of local communities, and create an economy that supports the area while sustainably using its natural resources.

The proposed 3 year project will immeasurably increase our capacity to achieve our long term goal. Our partners (see attached letters of support) understand that DSF is essential to this shared vision: we know the community, the land, and are able to queue-up projects that might otherwise be lost without local knowledge or community support.

4. Make the business or economic case for local or other investment in your proposed project. To conservationists: The timber industry is selling large blocks of land at historically low prices. Additionally, smaller parcels, critical to public access or riverine habitat, are also selling at low prices. If we don’t act now, speculators will begin purchasing the property when the market recovers and we will have to invest significant time and money into working with or fighting developers in order to mitigate the impact of their projects in these watersheds.

To the local communities: Protected lands can be economic drivers—we can brand our fish and timber products as coming from clean and sustainably managed resources; attract tourists and visitors, recreational fisherman, and new residents looking for a high quality of life.

5. Cultivate champions and a broad range of advocates for your proposed project. The Downeast Salmon Federation was founded by local sportsmen clubs 34 years ago—our roots are deep and we have champions and advocates locally, state-wide, and nationally. Local champions include town selectmen, school board members, the president of the local bank, both the chancellor and president of the University of Maine at Machias, the ED of the economic development council, the CEOs of two wind power companies and the electric company, the board of the Maine Guides Association, the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Passamaquoddy Schoodic River Keepers and—importantly—our 500 members and many grassroots supporters.

6. Conduct public outreach and education for your project. We target landowners—knocking on doors and discussing the value of selling conservation easements. We host community events, do in-school presentations, and talk to community leaders so there are no surprises. For example, we are purchasing a dam on the Orange River and have worked with the selectmen, town officials, and others in the community developing a shared vision for the property. One resident donated $40,000 towards the purchase price. We are masters at developing support and working collaboratively with a track record spanning 34 years.

7. Create or adopt a scientifically-informed plan for the watershed In 2008, working with two other local land trusts; two of our key conservation partners, The Nature Conservancy and the Maine Coast Heritage Trust; scientists; and the University of Maine at Machias, we produced a regional conservation strategic plan to identify conservation priorities. In the years since, “The Downeast Woods and Waters Report,” has become the central coordinating document for our work and the work of our partners.

Note too, that we have several fisheries biologists on staff and we have closely surveyed all the watersheds ourselves. We know where the best fish habitat is, the abandoned dams, the culverts that need to be replaced, the locations of the high value parcels that need to be protected.

8. Identify financing mechanisms at a scale needed to achieve success for your proposed project. There are approximately 136 miles of riparian corridor to protect on the main stems of the remaining three rivers. This excludes corridors we want to protect on tributaries that have water quality implications or valuable fish or upland habitat. An estimate of the full cost can only be speculative, but assuming $100,000 per mile, total cost would be some $28M (a mile of river has two miles of frontage—one for each bank). As we have demonstrated over the past 15 years, funds will come from:

1. Conservation partners (noted above), 2. State and federal grants/agencies, 3. Foundations and major donors, 4. Utility company mitigation fees.

This region has attracted tens of millions of dollars specifically for land conservation; $28M is very doable.

9. Build the social infrastructure to sustain the long-term campaigns needed for watershed protection Maine’s land trust infrastructure is extensive, innovative, and effective. We and our partners have executed in-state land protection projects of a near epic scale. The state of Maine has the publically funded and popular Land for Maine’s Future Program, which has been buying land for many years; and there are well over 80 local land trusts statewide. This “ecosystem” of land trusts has built extensive funding resources and strategies, developed sophisticated real estate expertise, and generated much political support. We are a part of this ecosystem, have access to its resources, and from it, we can pull talented people to replace lost staff or board members, generate revenue, and create the enthusiasm necessary to keep the project moving.

Total Program Budget and Time Investment (500) To accomplish our 10 year goal, our organizational budget, which includes operating the land trust, will grow from $700,000 to $1M annually. Land purchases, which this proposal will accelerate, will be roughly $28M. The ten year total is $38M. See #8 above for funding sources.

This proposal will fund two-thirds of the cost of hiring a full-time director for three years. Land purchases will be approx. $7M (35 miles x 2 for both banks). Our partners’ costs are not included here.

Watershed Plan or Assessment US Fish & Wildlife Service has completed salmon restoration plans for most of the region’s rivers. These plans, the “Downeast Woods and Waters Report” noted above, and our own intimate knowledge of the area inform us of the high-value parcels. Maps and a narrative indicating the high- value areas are in Section 4.2 p 21 and Section 4.3 p 24 & 25 in the “Downeast Woods and Waters Report”. Map attached. Organizational Experience Our land trust has protected more than 2,500 acres and 23 miles of river front. We have queued-up many more projects that our partners later took over. We were key partners in the extremely complex effort that fully protected the Machias and Dennys Rivers. At the time, the project was the largest river protection campaign that The Nature Conservancy had ever undertaken anywhere—and, at its conclusion, TNC awarded us it’s Partner of the Year award for our role in making it happen.

Our work is collaborative, innovative and our partners and ourselves have the experience, the expertise, and the access to the funds necessary to execute this project.

Key Personnel Dwayne Shaw is DSF’s Executive Director, where he has guided development of fisheries and land conservation programs since 1989. In 2000, his leadership in removing the Dam earned the National Coastal America Partnership Award. Shaw has served on numerous fisheries- related boards and advisory committees, including the Maine Sea Grant Public Advisory Committee and the Federal Recovery Team for Endangered Atlantic Salmon. He currently co-chairs the Downeast Fisheries Partnership. Prior to joining DSF, Shaw served as a researcher at University of Maine Darling Marine Center, Manager and Research Director at Beals Island Regional Shellfish Hatchery, and fisheries biologist in the U.S. Peace Corps–Nepal. Shaw has held certifications as a U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Captain and Maine Licensed Master Guide. He earned a B.S. in Environmental Studies from University of Maine at Machias. In 2015, Shaw earned a national River Hero award from the River Network. (10%)

Director of Downeast Rivers Land Trust: to be hired. (80%)

DSF’s staff and board of directors has an intimate knowledge of the major watersheds and communities and ecology in the region. (5%)

Our regional partners—all of whom bring critical expertise.

Project Budget Annual 3 year Category HWC Request Match Total Total Director Salary 45,000 0 45,000 135,000 Director Benefits 3,500 10,500 14,000 42,000 Consultant fees (lawyer, real 10,000 10,000 30,000 estate, etc). Community Outreach 5,000 5,000 15,000 Travel & miscellaneous 5,000 5,000 15,000 Travel—HWC Annual Meeting 1,500 0 1,500 4,500 Total $50,000 30,500 80,500 241,500

Goals, Hurdles, and Outcomes There are many interim goals or milestones for this project, including developing a sustainable revenue stream to support our new director, raising the money to purchase large blocks of land, and developing the organizational infrastructure to manage those lands over time. In the interest of brevity (and of avoiding redundancy—since similar goals/hurdles/outcomes are well addressed in the sample application), we’d like to point to our past accomplishments in these areas (funding new positions, hiring and developing staff, increasing our organizational capacity, raising funds to purchase large parcels, managing complex real estate transactions, etc.) as evidence that we are aware of the hurdles and have the resources and savvy to master them—and so not detail them here.

Instead, we’d like to outline our approach to accomplishing the project goal (35 miles in 3 years) and two intermediary goals that if we were to fail to accomplish, could substantively hinder the project.

Goal 1: 35 miles in 3 years Hurdle 1: Develop three year campaign plan Strategy 1.1: Using watershed conservation plans, determine initial watersheds to focus on; high value parcels; and other considerations Activity 1.1.1: Convene a team of biologists and people familiar with the watersheds Activity 1.1.2: Generate a list by watershed of prioritized parcels Strategy 1.2: Develop Campaign plans for each watershed Activity 1.2.1: Use the Orange River Project as a test model. (This project started in 2015 and will influence our larger campaign plan. Working with partners, we are developing a comprehensive watershed management plan that includes protection, habitat and fish restoration, community co-management, economic development and educational factors for the Orange River, a small river that flows into Cobscook Bay. This project is our first comprehensive watershed protection campaign). Strategy 1.3: Develop political and community outreach plans Activity 1.3.1: See Goals 2 & 3 below Strategy 1.4: Vet plan with conservation partners and others Activity 1.4.1: Convene meeting to review plans with conservation partners Activity 2: Revise per comments and then convene meetings with non-conservation partners and communities. Outcome 1.1: Campaign Plan

Hurdle 2: Relationships with landowners where necessary (we have working relationships with many landowners already). Strategy 2.1: Identify all major landowners and owners of all high priority parcels Activity 2.1.1: Research deeds and tax records Activity 2.1.2: Work with town officials and long-time residents to understand patterns of landownership and to develop relationships that can provide introductions to landowners. Strategy 2.2: Build relationships Activity 2.2.1: Develop pitch and approach Activity 2.2.2: Meet with and discuss benefits of selling conservation easements or property to a land trust Strategy 2.3: Devise strategies for working with each landowner Activity 2.3.1: What do they need? What do they offer? How can they be moved our way? Outcome 2.1: Working relationships with all key landowners

Hurdle 3: Develop specific protection projects by landowner or parcel Strategy 3.1: Determine low-hanging fruit. Important to generate momentum by initial big wins. Activity 3.1.1: Within our list of priorities, which projects easiest to accomplish (willing buyer, non- complicated transactions, good price, etc.) Strategy 3.2: Prep conservation partners. Activity 3.2.1: Make certain they are ready and able to take on a project Outcome 3.1: Actionable land conservation projects.

Hurdle 4: Make transaction happen Strategy 4.1: Assign key personnel Activity 4.1.1: lots of work in here, including: negotiating, due diligence, packaging and promoting fundraising campaign, coordinating with partners, establishing a stewardship fund, victory party, etc. Outcome 4.1: Key land protected by purchase or conservation easement

Hurdle 5: Learn lessons Strategy 5.1: Debrief, brainstorm, develop Activity 5.1.1: Learn lessons, adjust plan and strategies, increase/develop organizational and partnership capacity accordingly Activity 5.1.2: Go to Hurdle 4. Outcome 5.1: Increased capacity/effectiveness in river protection.

Goal 2: Generate sufficient (>50%) community support. Protected lands and watersheds can often appear to local residents as a threat to their cultural, social/recreational, or economic lives, particularly for residents, such as those in eastern Maine, whose families have, for centuries, been dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods. If we increase the amount of protected lands without bringing the community along with us—we risk generating opposition that could slow or stop our progress.

Hurdle 1: Communities that don’t understand the opportunities protected lands/watersheds might provide Strategy 1.1: Work with sympathetic residents to learn concerns, language, and to road test our message Outcome 1.1: A case for protected lands that resonates with local residents. In our region – with multiple small and isolated towns, it is important to do this town by town

Hurdle 2: Get message out into the community Strategy 2.1: Develop a community outreach plan including, media, community events, targeting and talking to community leaders and influential residents Outcome 2.1: Community understanding of the opportunities

Hurdle 3: Manage opposition Strategy 3.1: Identify and develop relationships with people critical of additional land protections. Ensure that they are kept informed (i.e. no surprises) Outcome 3.1: A civil and (if lucky) muted opposition—or no opposition at all

Goal 3: Demonstrate the economic benefits of conserved land and protected waterways. Goal 3 is essential for the success of Goal 2. If we can demonstrate that protected lands produce jobs, tax revenues, and other economic activity, then our task in Goal 2 is made much easier.

Hurdle 1: Need for a conservation-based economic development plan Strategy 1.1: Work with economic development council (we have a good relationship with them) and community leaders Strategy 1.2: Review and adopt strategies developed by other communities that thrive as a result of protected lands Outcome 1.1: Written plan for conservation based economic development

Hurdle 2: Educating the communities. Strategy 2.1: Community outreach—this strategy would merge with Strategy 2 in Goal Outcome 2.1: Conservation-based economic alternatives are part of the civic conversation

Anything Else?(2000) The Downeast Salmon Federation was founded in 1982 by local fishing clubs concerned about the fish disappearing from their rivers. Starting with nothing but Yankee resourcefulness, DSF has built two world-class conservation hatcheries and salmon stocking programs; coordinated numerous in- stream and riparian restoration projects; and guided advocacy, education, and outreach on sustainable fisheries, communities, and the economy. DSF was instrumental in removing two major dams (and many smaller ones), and received the National Coastal America Partnership Award for transforming a blighted building into an education and research center.

We are committed to protecting the wildest, cleanest, most ecologically intact watersheds in the eastern US: Although diminished, all sea-run fish species still exist, largely undeveloped forests still meet the sea, and the estuaries and marine waters still team with life. Cobscook Bay, for example, has the most diverse invertebrate populations on the east coast. These rivers are the last and best hope for the endangered Atlantic salmon. Each river is a gem to be preserved.

The time to strike is now: 1) The conservation infrastructure is in place to support a concentrated campaign. DSF and our partners are super-experienced and have access to donors, foundations, and agencies eager to protect these watersheds. Our limiting factor has been our own capacity to work continuously with landowners to develop projects. 2) Land prices are historically low. At times, we are the only buyer; unable to find other buyers, landowners are approaching us. But not only are land prices low in-region, they are low by any standards elsewhere in the country.

Nowhere else can conservation get more bang for its buck: Cheap land + sophisticated conservation infrastructure + wild and ecologically rich rivers.

The opportunity is extraordinary: With support, we can protect, for generations, some of the last real wildness on the east coast.