AUGUSTA - At a public hearing Wednesday, conservation advocates and wildlife scientists urged the Legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee to advance a measure from Rep. Lori K. Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, that would protect endangered and threatened species from habitat loss.
LD 1246 would require state agencies to work together during existing permitting processes to avoid or minimize the impact of development on the habitat of wildlife species that are already in danger of being eliminated.
"The health of our ecosystems depends on their full range of animals and other organisms. When one species becomes endangered or threatened, it affects the entire network," said Gramlich. "This measure will reduce habitat loss and protect our most vulnerable species by increasing collaboration between our natural resource agencies while minimizing impacts on landowners. In many cases, small adjustments to development plans, like shifting a buildings footprint or adjusting a construction schedule, can make a big difference on how they will affect the wildlife who call the location home."
There are currently 51 species considered endangered or threatened under the Maine Endangered Species Act, which offers protections for fish and wildlife that are or could be in danger of extinction. Pending legislation would protect eight additional species under Maine law.
"The world is experiencing a biodiversity crisis, and Maine is no exception. Habitat loss and habitat degradation are the leading causes of wildlife species decline," said Eliza Donoghue, director of advocacy for Maine Audubon. "This bill will close a significant gap in Maine's environmental permitting laws and increase the circumstances in which Maine's natural resource agencies balance development needs with strategies to mitigate impacts to endangered and threatened species habitats. Maine Audubon is grateful to Representative Gramlich for putting forward this commonsense legislation that will surely help safeguard Maine's most vulnerable wildlife."
Officials from the state Departments of Environmental Protection, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry spoke in support of the measure.
"By definition, most endangered or threatened species are quite rare, often occupying only a small patch or small patches of specialized habitat such as pine barrens, salt marshes, islands and mountaintops, which in turn only cover a small proportion of land area," said Dr. Phillip deMaynadier, a wildlife biologist at the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. "Some of the state's listed species are well known to you probably already, such as the peregrine falcon and Atlantic puffin. Others are more cryptic and perhaps lesser known, such as the spotted turtle and the Hessel's Hairstreak butterfly. All of Maine's endangered and threatened species are part of the state's natural heritage and serve potentially important roles in our natural ecosystems."
The committee will hold a work session on LD 1246 in the coming days, at which time members will have the opportunity to debate and offer amendments before voting on a recommendation to the full Legislature.
Gramlich is serving her third term in the Maine House and represents Old Orchard Beach. She is the House chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Gramlich], c. 305-965-2744