MDI habitat preservation discussed Environmental experts present ideas to balance development, wildlife

BAR HARBOR – Maine communities can protect open spaces, the environment and wildlife, even as they allow housing and other development, if community leaders pay attention to special places and habitat when they create zoning and land use rules.

In a two-hour presentation Thursday to a small group of Mount Desert Island residents, state environmental experts detailed a new program to help municipal officials, particularly planning boards and comprehensive planning committees, identify the natural resources and wildlife habitat that should be considered for protection in each community.

The group of about 30 people included three municipal officials.

While none of the town managers of the four MDI communities attended the meeting, Selectman Jerry Suminsby of Mount Desert and planning board members Perry Moore of Bar Harbor and James Keene of Tremont were present.

John Kelly, planner for Acadia National Park, which owns 60 percent of MDI, also attended the Maine Audubon Society program.

All four MDI towns will receive detailed maps showing high-value habitats and undeveloped blocks of land that can be used as the towns update their comprehensive plans, said Barbara Charry, a biologist with the Maine Audubon Society.

The maps, developed as a core part of the Beginning with Habitat program, show:

. Riparian habitat, which borders rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and the ocean. It is here, Charry said, that 80 percent of all wildlife will either live or feed at some point in their lives. “This is the heart of the project,” Charry said.

. High-value plant and animal habitat, which includes exemplary natural communities, rare and unusual plants, habitat for threatened and endangered species, significant wildlife habitat and species of special concern.

. Large blocks of land that are still undeveloped.

“If communities do a really good job” enforcing their shoreland and other zoning laws, “we can preserve up to 80 percent of the plants and animals” in Maine, Charry said.

Andy Cutko, a state Department of Conservation scientist with the Maine Natural Areas Program, a partner in the Beginning with Habitat effort, presented a short talk on the rare or unusual plants and wildlife on MDI and their habitats.

Cutko said state biologists have identified 13 rare plants on 23 sites on the island, as well as rare wildlife such as bald eagles, peregrine falcons and the least bittern, a small wading bird.

According to Charry, Maine Audubon and its partners have made presentations on the Beginning with Habitat program to 50 Maine communities and 25 land trusts. She said the program focuses on cities and towns that are updating or developing new land use and planning measures and which invite the group to make a presentation.

Both Bar Harbor and Mount Desert are beginning the process of updating their comprehensive plans. The plans, mandated by the state, establish a general blueprint for growth in a community and a vision for community leaders in setting policy and writing land use laws.

Except for the lack of affordable housing on MDI, development and its impact on the natural beauty and quality of life on the island is the single most controversial issue town leaders confront.

The Beginning with Habitat presentation at Mount Desert Island Regional High School on Thursday was arranged by MDI Tomorrow, a citizen group working on solutions to the island’s most pressing problems.

Ron Beard, a leader in the yearlong effort, cautioned the group to “watch your language” when talking about formulating land use laws for the entire island.

“Talk about islandwide conversations that lead to planning together,” he said, “but don’t say ‘islandwide planning’ because that connotes a czar and no one wants a czar.”

For information about the Beginning with Habitat program, contact the Maine Audubon Society at 781-2330 or the Maine Natural Areas Program at 287-8046.