The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set a goal of enrolling 1,000 acres in northern Penobscot County and Aroostook County in a new program aimed at helping boost populations of at-risk grassland birds.

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency will soon begin accepting offers from landowners who want to enroll acreage in the new program known as State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement, or SAFE.

The initiative is part of the Farm Service Agency’s Conservation Reserve Program, which provides landowners “rental payments,” cost-sharing and other incentives for planting trees, grasses or other cover on environmentally sensitive crop fields or along streams. The contracts are typically 10 to 15 years long.

The SAFE program will target smaller acreage plots than the general Conservation Reserve Program with the end goal of helping states or regions create or re-create habitat needed by specific wildlife species.

The Maine Upland Sandpiper SAFE program has set a goal of developing and maintaining nesting and brood-rearing habitat for specific grassland birds on 1,000 acres in the two counties. Among the bird species targeted by the program are sandpipers, bobolinks, meadowlarks and several types of sparrows.

Grassland bird species have declined significantly in the region during past 30 years as a result of habitat loss from development, forest growth and agricultural practices, according to the USDA.

Maine’s Farm Service Agency is also seeking to enroll 250 acres in York and Cumberland counties in the program in order to re-establish habitat needed for the New England cottontail. A candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act, the New England cottontail needs early-growth forests, thickets and shrubs as well as young, dense deciduous and coniferous thickets to survive.

Nationwide, the USDA has announced 45 SAFE projects covering more than 250,000 acres. The department hopes eventually to enroll 500,000 acres in the program.

Landowners interested in participating in the SAFE program should contact their local Farm Service Agency service center.

kmiller@bangordailynews.net

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