Conserving Significant Vernal Pools through Collaborative Local Initiatives

Student Investigator
Dawn Morgan, Master’s Student 
Department of Wildlife Ecology, UMaine                                            

Project Synopsis
The viability of existing natural resources, including wetlands, is threatened by fragmentation that results from random development practices. Unplanned growth may compromise the quality of life reflected in Maine’s motto, “the way life should be.”  Maintenance of rural character, along with economic development, can be achieved with proactive, town-level planning that includes natural resource assessments and development of ordinances or zoning practices that address connectivity of natural resources. Vernal pool habitats (the pool and the adjacent terrestrial habitat necessary for maintaining pool functions) pose challenges to resource planners and landowners as they are small and seemingly abundant (i.e., they affect a lot of property owners). The goal of this project is to help towns proactively manage their pool resources by engaging citizenry and developing planning strategies that link natural resources while allowing private landowners to maximize other uses of their property. Strategies for conserving vernal pools at the community level will be made accessible to towns in Maine and elsewhere through the development of the Maine Municipal Guide to Vernal Pool Conservation Planning.

Introduction
Vernal pools are small seasonal wetlands that fill with spring rains and typically dry down by summer’s end. They are critical breeding habitat for species adapted to life in temporary waters, including fairy shrimp, spotted and blue-spotted salamanders, and wood frogs, and provide food to upland wildlife as well. Because of their small size and ephemeral nature, vernal pools are often overlooked by regulatory agencies and are commonly filled during development activities. As a result, vernal pools are among the most threatened of wetland types in the northeastern United States. While a number of northeastern states have been proactive in their attempt to maintain the functional value of vernal pools, the Maine legislature was the first to recognize a subset of vernal pools (Significant Vernal Pools) as Significant Wildlife Habitat, a status that allows protection of both the pool and a portion of critical adjacent upland habitat as well. As of September 2007, pools that meet certain biological criteria (based on egg mass abundance of key species and presence of listed species) are deemed to provide Significant Wildlife Habitat and as such are regulated under the Maine Natural Resource Protection Act. The State is unable to pre-map these resources, so it is incumbent upon private landowners to determine if they harbor Significant Vernal Pools prior to developing their land.

The most efficient and cost-effective way to ensure the long-term viability of vernal pool resources is through local planning initiatives that move management from a reactive crisis mode to a proactive planning mode. The intentions of this project are to work with citizenry and town officials, to inventory and assess vernal pool resources using trained citizen scientists, and to encourage the towns to incorporate vernal pools into a natural resource database for conservation planning purposes. Responding to the recent Significant Vernal Pool legislation, the original objective of my Master’s project was to work with a single town within the Lower Penobscot watershed interested in wetland conservation that would serve as a model for other Maine towns. Before we had even begun the project, five additional towns expressed interest in proactively mapping their vernal pool habitat. One year later, we are working with 13 towns. Since then, NY, NH, and VT have all requested our training protocol and materials to launch similar citizen-science programs. Given our limited resources, it became clear that our project should expand its purpose to include development of a Maine Municipal Guide to Vernal Pool Conservation Planning designed to provide key scientific concepts behind the regulations and walk towns through the process of vernal pool mapping and planning from acquiring the appropriate scale aerial photographs to suggestions for storing, accessing, and using their data. Conversations with personnel from the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, private consulting firms, and Maine Audubon, have further supported our conclusion that a comprehensive guide with materials necessary to complete a town-wide inventory of vernal pools is an essential first step towards encouraging towns statewide to incorporate vernal pools into a natural resource planning process.

This project is a collaborative effort with support from participating municipalities, the University of Maine, the Maine Audubon Society, and the National Audubon Together Green Initiative. A graduate stipend from the University of Maine Environmental Solutions Initiative has funded four semesters of work. Much has been accomplished during this time including: planning meetings with pertinent stakeholders (town officials, community members, consulting firms, the Maine State Planning Office, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Maine Audubon Society), development of necessary training materials (data forms, a website, annotated PowerPoints, and videos) for teaching community members about vernal pool ecology and training volunteers to be successful citizen scientists. If selected as a recipient of the 2009 Water Resource Research Institute Summer Grant Program I would use the funds to travel to meetings with town officials that have agreed to provide feedback on our vernal pool mapping project as well as guidance in the development of the Maine Municipal Guide to Vernal Pool Conservation Planning, and as a summer stipend during the months when I will be compiling the Guide. I do not have any other source of stipend for completion of this Guide.

Objectives
To develop the Maine Municipal Guide to Vernal Pool Conservation Planning that will include:

• background about vernal pool ecology, life history information about vernal pool indicator species, and the science behind the Significant Vernal Pool Legislation
• a synopsis of jurisdiction over small discrete wetlands at the state and federal level, with an explanation of the benefits of conservation at the municipal level
• step-by-step instructions to the process of mapping and assessing vernal pools
• materials for town officials to prepare for a vernal pool mapping project (templates for landowner permission letters, field maps, newsletter articles)
• training materials (available on website, and on DVD that will accompany the Guide)
• other towns success stories and conservation strategies for encouraging a holistic approach to natural resource planning

Methods

• Research and write introductory sections on vernal pool ecology, indicator species, the science behind legislation, and regulation at the federal, state, and local levels
• Compile and incorporate knowledge gained from two years of work on this project
• Write step-by-step instructions for towns interested in proactively mapping vernal pools
• Obtain feedback from town officials that will be incorporated into the Guide
• Compile supporting materials to include in appendix and on website
• Analyze data and discuss conservation strategies with town officials
• Use data layers from the town and Beginning with Habitat in conjunction with mapped locations of Significant Vernal Pool to demonstrate options for natural resource planning
• Request support from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund for printing of the Guide

Impact of Project
Creation of the Maine Municipal Guide to Vernal Pool Conservation Planning will provide an essential tool for towns interested in proactive planning strategies regarding vernal pools. Limited resources at the State level put the responsibility of determining vernal pool significance on the landowner. By proactively mapping vernal pools at the town level, the information gained will save consulting fees and speed up the development process for landowners, in addition to allowing the town to plan for conservation on a larger scale. Maine is leading the way with their Significant Vernal Pool regulation and many Northeastern States are interested in pursuing similar mapping strategies. Work completed in Maine will likely serve as a model for other states in our region.
 
Expected Deliverables

• Maine Municipal Guide to Vernal Pool Conservation
• Community Based Conservation: Maine Vernal Pools website for sharing materials with our town collaborators and other interested parties in Maine and throughout the northeast

Investigators Qualifications
Prior to pursuing a graduate degree I worked for 4 seasons on vernal pool monitoring projects. I have served as an educator to a wide range of age groups and taught the skills necessary for participation in citizen science projects. Experience with curriculum design has also helped me to construct training materials for community volunteers. In addition, I am dedicated to conservation and feel strongly that engaging communities in the process of local planning for the future is a necessary compliment to a regulatory approach at the state level.