The Maine Office of Community Affairs’ Maine Coastal Program (MCP) awarded $299,057 to four municipalities and service providers for projects to develop habitat restoration plans in support of community resilience. 

Communities depend on healthy coastal habitats to buffer storm surge, maintain clean water, and absorb rising seas. The funded projects demonstrate how coastal communities across Maine are prioritizing habitat restoration for ecological and community resilience. 

The funding for these grants comes from a one-time Habitat Restoration Planning opportunity through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Coastal Management. The grants will support projects focused on tidal marsh restoration design, road crossing assessments and prioritization, and natural resource inventories. Projects will begin in Fall 2026.  

The four selected projects are:

• Town of Boothbay: “Town-wide Crossing Assessment and Prioritization.” The town will hire a consultant to conduct road crossing assessments and evaluate every crossing in Boothbay for coastal habitat restoration potential and climate hazard vulnerability. With this evaluation, the Town of Boothbay will have the tools available to prioritize projects to create a resilient coastal community.

• Town of Gouldsboro: “Preliminary Natural Resource Inventory and Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment of the Sand Cove area in Gouldsboro, ME.” The town will hire a consultant to map sea level rise, storm surge threats, basic infrastructure, and natural resources of Grand Marsh. These data and calculations will enable the town to assess how proposed coastal transportation improvements interact with the protection of the existing dune, freshwater, and intertidal wetlands in the study area.

• Downeast Salmon Federation (DSF): “Point Street Resilient Crossing Design Supplement.” DSF will work with a consultant to improve habitat resiliency through infrastructure upgrades. This work includes culvert replacement design, geotechnical assessments, and improvements to water infrastructure at the Point Street crossing of the West Branch Pleasant River (WBPR) in Addison, Maine. 

• Kennebec Estuary Land Trust (KELT): “Planning for the restoration and enhancement of resilience of Popham area tidal marshes.” KELT will hire a consultant to evaluate the Popham marshes’ vegetation and existing conditions to understand its resiliency to changing water levels. Developing a plan for marsh rehabilitation and evaluating its potential absorption capability can help prepare the Phippsburg area and its associated infrastructure for future flood events.

For inquiries about the Habitat Restoration Planning Grant Program, contact Erin Campbell at erin.grace.campbell@maine.gov.