West Grand Lake Community Forest project receives grant

    LEWISTON — The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved a $1 million grant for the first phase of the West Grand Lake Community Forest Project.
    “I’m pleased that this funding was approved,” Congressman Mike Michaud said.  “The West Grand Lake Community Forest Project seeks to conserve wildlife habitats and places to recreate while maintaining sustainable working forests.”
    The West Grand Lake Community Forest Phase 1 Project’s goal is to permanently protect with a conservation easement a 13,050-acre property with important wildlife habitats that connect these two water bodies. It will permanently protect 2,201 acres of wetlands, eight and a half miles of undeveloped lakeshore on two lakes, over eight miles of frontage on Big Musquash Stream, over 20 miles of interior streams in the St. Croix River watershed, and vital upland buffers for all of these habitats.
    West Grand Lake and its outlet, Grand Lake Stream, are widely-renowned, cold-water fisheries and recreational resources. Big Musquash Stream winds through the largest contiguous wetland complex in the entire St. Croix River watershed, hosting hundreds of waterfowl during migration and providing important breeding habitat for black ducks and other priority wildlife species. 
    Michaud has long been an advocate for the Lands for Maine’s Future Program and has consistently called for strong funding for the Forest Legacy Program, the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service land conservation programs.