Protecting Natural Resources on Private Lands:
Theory and Practice of Community-Based Approaches
Using Vernal Pool Conservation Initiatives in Maine  

Co-Principal Investigators

• Aram J.K. Calhoun, Dept. of Wildlife Ecology
• Robert J. Lilieholm, School of Forest Resources

Partners

• University of Maine
• Orono Public Schools
• Town of Orono
• Town of Veazie
• Maine Audubon
• Small Woodlot Owners Association of Maine
• Newforest Institute
• Maine Forest Service

Stakeholders

• Landowners/citizens (Veazie/Orono)
• Orono Land Trust
• Developers
• Maine State Planning Office
• Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
• Maine Natural Areas Program
• Army Corps of Engineers
• Department of Environmental Protection

Abstract

Beginning in September 2007, Significant Vernal Pools are regulated by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in collaboration with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIFW). While the enactment of this legislation marks a positive step toward protecting vernal pool resources, significant administrative and social barriers impede full implementation of the Act. The DEP does not have the personnel to handle the demand for vernal pool assessments or to monitor permits once they have been granted. Residential development pressure, concerns over private property rights and a strong tradition of local home rule may also limit the success of vernal pool assessment and monitoring programs, particularly on private land. In order to achieve the goals of the recent vernal pool legislation, a new approach is necessary. Rather than sole reliance on regulation, innovative solutions must be developed and implemented in collaboration with multiple stakeholders. In theory, a “bottom-up” or community-based approach is an appealing strategy to meet government-mandated objectives. Using a participatory process, adversarial decision-making is avoided, local citizens become invested in the process and better environmental outcomes result. While community-based conservation offers great theoretical appeal, little is known about the efficacy of the approach. Our project will bridge this gap in knowledge by exploring the use of community-based conservation as a management tool to protect vernal pools on private lands in Veazie and Orono, Maine. By evaluating the community-based model in practice, theoretical assumptions are linked to concrete evidence from the field to determine whether local planning initiatives are a more efficient and cost-effective way to meet regulatory objectives and ensure the long-term viability of the State’s vernal pool resources. Determining whether community-based efforts yield the results modeled, planned, and anticipated is critical, and the results of this project will inform local town planning efforts in Maine and beyond. By identifying barriers and opportunities for conserving relatively small natural resources on private lands, this project offers a research framework that may compliment a broader EPSCoR proposal focusing on innovative interdisciplinary approaches for natural resource conservation on private lands in Maine.