Keeping Maine’s Forests Pilot Project Update

1. Keeping Maine’s Forests Pilot Project Update Fisheries Habitat Restoration Pleasant River Watershed

2. A Critical Aquatic Resource • 90% of the intact eastern brook trout habitat in the US is in Maine. • 30% of the remote ponds in Maine are in the Moosehead-Katahdin region (aka 100-Mile Wilderness). • Very high concentration of some of the best wild and native trout habitat located in this region. • Also Penobscot River Watershed – focus on fisheries habitat restoration.

3. Background • March 2011 KMF fisheries forum sponsored by Maine Forest Products Council • Fisheries habitat: success story to build on. • Private landowners interested and engaged. • Track record of cooperative efforts with NGOs, state and federal agencies with private landowners: Project SHARE in Downeast Maine.

4. Pilot Project Goal • Meet the goals of Keeping Maine’s Forests including fiber production and maintaining important wildlife habitat in the greater Moosehead-Katahdin Region by creating a partnership dedicated to maintaining and restoring native fish habitat. • Initial Partners: AMC, TNC, NRCS, USFWS, IF&W, Huber, also TU, FSM

5. The Issue • Log drives ended in early 1970’s needed other means of log transport. • 100’s of miles of roads were built starting in early 1970’s to truck logs out of the woods. • Currently have an ageing road network with 100’s of culvert problems. • Lower and mid Penobscot has 770 severe culvert fish barriers identified.

6. Biological Issue with Problem Culverts: • Restrict fish movement minimizing timely access to: • Spawning habitat • Cold water refuge • Food resources. • Create marshy backwaters • Increase water temperature • Reduce stream flow • Promotes conditions for warm water and invasive fish species. • Prevents natural stream process from occurring including: • Large wood and substrate movement

7. Focus Area DeterminationPart I: Fish Habitat Total ATS rearing units rank + ((BKT stream rank +BKT Pond acreage rank)/2) OR • Worked with state and federal biologists to determine a restoration focus area in the Penobscot • Focus area determination • Used biological fish variables • Biological Opinion • Best of the best (could be better) Habitat + Habitat = ATS and BKT Habitat

8. Top Ten HUC 12’s (Orange) • 71 known Severe Barriers in 6 HUC’s • 4 HUC’s Need Culverts Surveyed

9. Focus Area Determination Part II: NRCS Client availability

10. Katahdin Iron Works Brownville Junction

12. How it worked • NRCS and USFWS biologists and engineers completed design and plans for culvert removals summer 2011. No cost to the landowner. • USFWS secured necessary permits. No cost to the landowner. • Landowner obtained services of local contractor to complete the work. • USFWS paid contractor directly for all costs associated with the work on the ground.

13. Site #1 Blocked Culvert

14. Site #2 Low Flow Fish Barrier

15. Site #3 Restored Natural Process

16. Success! • The three culvert removal projects combined have reconnected close to two miles of stream habitat in the Pleasant River watershed.  • Much improved habitat for wild and native brook trout. • Further bolsters region as a world-class trout fishery. • Core project partners: AMC, Huber, USFWS, NRCS, and TNC.

17. Moving Forward • Road stream crossing training in Nov. (requested by private landowners) • Additional projects slated for 2012 • Some culvert removal and restoration projects. • Other projects include culvert or bridge replacement. • Likely work with adjacent landowners that have expressed interest in the project. • AMC to act as project sponsor to enable NRCS funding options for other landowners.