Projects Selected for $1.175 Million in Funding to Protect Climate‑Vulnerable Lands
Six coastal land protection projects advance Maine’s efforts to reduce flooding, storm impacts and habitat loss.
Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), in coordination with the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF), today announced it has selected six organizations to receive $1,175,000 in funding through the Climate Resilience Conservation Fund (CRCF). Funding will support six land conservation projects across coastal Maine. These projects will permanently protect lands that provide critical defense against storms, flooding, erosion and other climate-related risks, safeguarding public safety, ecosystems and working waterfronts. Final awards are contingent upon National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s due‑diligence process, which is conducted for each project before funding is officially approved.
The investments are part of a $4.1 million fund, announced in September, that MCHT will award over multiple funding rounds.
The CRCF is the land conservation component of the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, a $69 million statewide initiative to protect coastal communities, Maine’s environment, and working waterfronts from extreme storms, flooding, and sea-level rise. The program is supported by NOAA through the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, and is administered by MCHT in coordination with GOPIF.
“This first round of awards reflects the power of conservation as a climate solution,” said Angela Twitchell, senior director of community and government relations at MCHT. “By permanently protecting marshes, forests, headwaters and connected landscapes, these projects are a direct investment in public safety, economic resilience and quality of life. They help ensure that Maine’s communities can adapt to extreme weather while safeguarding the natural systems that protect homes, businesses and vital infrastructure.”
2025 Climate Resilience Conservation Fund Award Recipients
(see below for more comprehensive fact sheet)
- Coastal Mountains Land Trust – Lincolnville — $200,000
This project will permanently conserve a 55-acre property in the Ducktrap River watershed, a region critical to the recovery of endangered Atlantic salmon. The land, which includes frontage along Kendall Brook, supports important wading bird and waterfowl habitat and strengthens ecological connectivity by linking with more than 6,400 acres of conserved land. - Island Heritage Trust – Deer Isle — $250,000
The conservation of 77 acres in the headwaters of Meadow Brook will protect the quality of water flowing into Long Cove, an area vital to local aquaculture as well as elver and clam harvesting. The property lies within more than 3,000 acres of unfragmented forest, contributing significantly to long-term climate resilience and habitat connectivity. - Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife – South Thomaston — $100,000
This project will protect a 13.4-acre inholding within the Weskeag Marsh Wildlife Management Area, a long-standing conservation priority. The parcel includes frontage along Weskeag Creek, upland buffer areas, and high-value habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, and the endangered Saltmarsh Sparrow. - Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust – Bremen & Bristol — $250,000
The conservation of 551 acres will protect streams and wetlands flowing into the Pemaquid and Medomak River watersheds, which support sea-run fish and downstream coastal ecosystems. This unusually large property for the region provides strong climate resilience benefits and represents a key link in the Pemaquid Wild Pathways conservation network. - Kennebec Estuary Land Trust – Westport Island — $125,000
This 28-acre addition to an existing preserve in the Kennebec River watershed will protect both tidal and freshwater wetland habitats, strengthening coastal ecosystem resilience and advancing landscape-scale conservation. - Kennebunkport Conservation Trust – Kennebunkport — $250,000
This 18-acre project will conserve a critical parcel that fills a key gap in the Land Trust’s Emmons Preserve, protecting a healthy forested buffer along the Batson River and improving river corridor connectivity and climate resilience.
About the Climate Resilience Conservation Fund
The Climate Resilience Conservation Fund (CRCF) supports permanent land protection through acquisition or conservation easements—voluntary legal agreements between landowners and land conservation entities that protect land in perpetuity. The fund focuses on conserving and restoring lands that reduce climate-related risks while delivering additional public benefits, including clean water, flood mitigation, habitat protection, and public access to natural places. Learn more here.